Good news for a Friday: collaboration for the common good

I have spent my whole career working in partnership with other organisations. 

Coalition working is not always easy.  It takes time to align hearts, minds and resources of different individuals and organisation.  But get it right and the rewards (in terms of impact and enjoyment) can be enormous.

Collaboration stems from the belief that we can achieve more together than we can as individuals.  What’s more, it is obvious that the challenge of humans living in harmony with nature is too big for any one organisation so it makes sense to work with others. 

This week, we’ve been reaping the benefits of three of our most important partnerships… 

…through SAVE (a consortium of like minded organisations including BirdLife International), we’ve developed a plan to recover the Asian vulture populations.  The latest manifestation of this collective endeavour was the first captive-reared release of white-rumped vultures in Nepal. And, in Bonn at the UN talks this month, working with our BirdLife partners, we continue to make the case for strong action to tackle climate change.  You can read updates about our work in Bonn here.

…through GreenerUK, we have developed a shared vision* and policies for a Greener UK and this week in the debate about the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, parliamentarians across the political spectrum came forward with tangible proposals for how to make Brexit work for nature (see yesterday’s blog).   I do not believe that this would have been achieved without unity amongst and collective action from the environmental NGOs.  We need to translate political commitments into reality, but the confidence and optimism comes from knowing that the ideas and ambitions for GreenerUK are gaining political traction.

…through a new coalition Rethink Nature**, we have forged a partnership with Natural England to save England’s most threatened species from extinction.  The HLF funded Back from the Brink project was launched this week and promises to save 20 species from extinction and benefit over 200 more through 19 projects that span England; from the tip of Cornwall to Northumberland.  This partnership is the culmination of many years of hard graft which united organisations committed to species conservation for the common good. 

All images courtesy of my colleague Ben Andrew (rspb-images.org). See if you can identify them all.

None of these achievements could have been possible if the RSPB had chosen to work alone.  Our impact is massively enhanced by working with our brilliant partners.  This is why partnership working is now hardwired into the way that the RSPB does conservation.  It is also why I believe that our ability to collaborate well with others is a critical limiting factor in our ambition to restore nature.

So on this cold, November Friday, here's a BIG THANK YOU to all our partners.  Together, we are making a world richer in nature.

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*A manifesto for a greener UK

Greener UK believes that the people of these islands deserve a world-class environment: clean air, clear water, a stable climate, healthy seas, beautiful landscapes and thriving wildlife in the places we love.

This is fundamental to the well-being and prosperity of our own and future generations.

Yet today, nature is struggling. We are depleting our soils and water supplies, generating mountains of food and plastic waste, changing our climate and making the air in our cities dangerous to breathe. Our wild places are dwindling, and we face the sadness of once familiar animals and plants fading away from our gardens and countryside.

This is a pivotal moment for the environment. We will need policies and investment that create thriving farming and fishing industries, working with the grain of nature to return our land, seas, lakes and rivers to good health. We will need to secure the benefits of existing environmental laws as we leave the European Union, and we will need an ambitious new Environment Act~, which aims not just to maintain but restore our natural commonwealth.

Together, our organisations have a combined membership of 7.9 million people. We own and look after more than 500,000 hectares of precious countryside and green spaces, which we safeguard for the benefit of all who live and visit here. We are ready and willing to play our part in making our vision a reality, by working with communities, voluntary groups and the private sector to make local places better and to tackle global challenges like climate change.

But it is also vital that governments and politicians lead. They must demonstrate their commitment to our shared inheritance through bold action at home, and renewed co-operation with our friends and allies in Europe and around the world.

Together, we can restore nature and our natural resources in a generation.

~A new Act is required in England; new, separate Acts may also be required in the devolved nations.

**Rethink Nature is a partnership of seven conservation charities Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Buglife, Butterfly Conservation, Plantlife and the RSPB.