Save the BBC Wildlife Fund

Here's a petition that's worth signing.

You may have heard - or maybe you haven't - of the BBC Wildlife Fund. The purpose of the Fund is, according to the Beeb,  "To raise awareness and funds to save threatened wildlife and places. The fund offers the unique opportunity to capitalise on the creative skills of the BBC enabling wider audiences to engage in the plight of wildlife."   Unfortunately it seems that this Fund will now be shut down.

You may remember the Wild Night In programme that aired just after Springwatch last year - a whole evening of programming that showcased some of the projects that the fund has previously supported. On that night alone, £1.2 million was raised.

The RSPB has benefitted from the fund in the past. Our work with albatrosses received really generous support, and we have also had funding for a number of UK regional projects, including our work with cirl buntings in the South West.

And anyway, even if we hadn't been a beneficiary of the fund, I'd still think it's a really good thing. BBC programmes have inspired many people to take an interest in the natural world, and using their work to generate much-needed funding for conservation work is a logical step.

At a time when there the UK Government has, through its Natural Environment White Paper, pledged to restore biodiversity, but when is not a lot of money around, it feels a bit perverse of the BBC to pull the plug on another pot of much needed funds.

So. let's all get behind the campaign to prevent the fund from closing. You can sign the online petition here.