The UK has voted to leave the European Union.

The RSPB has always believed that, because nature transcends national boundaries, it needs cross-border co-operation to protect it and a common set of international standards that enable it to thrive.

That is why, now the UK has decided to leave the EU, the RSPB believes the UK must continue to act internationally, and look to forge comprehensive international agreements…

As we enter the final week of the EU Referendum campaign, I thought I would offer a brief update on the future of the the Birds and Habitats Directives (the Nature Directives).

In May, I reported here that the overdue findings of the Fitness Check of the EU Nature Directives had still not been published.  Since then there have been further developments, but still not sign of a resolution. Regular readers will know that…

I had a strange conversation about Springwatch when I was at the Cereals Show yesterday in Duxford.  I was there alongside our advisors talking about wildlife friendly farming (and anything else that cropped up - mainly Brexit or football). In passing, someone said that their son was obsessed with Springwatch and was distraught at the prospect of the show finishing.  I empathised, my children get distraught when the latest…

There has been a lot of codswallop said during the course of the EU Referendum campaign and some of it has focused on the Common Fisheries Policy.  So on the eve of Nigel Farage leading a pro-Brexit flotilla up the Thames, (see here) I am delighted to welcome a guest blog from Dr Euan Dunn MBE, Principal Marine Advisor for the RSPB.  Euan has huge experience of understanding and influencing the interactions between fisheries…

In April, the report of a man with a gun located close to a hen harrier decoy attracted media interest, a lot of emails and widespread criticism. The incident took place on National Trust land.  As was reported at the time the Trust was taking the matter very seriously and had launched an investigation.

I referred to this incident in my recent update on England’s hen harriers in 2016.

Today’s announcement by the…

To mark World Oceans' Day, the RSPB and Birdlife International are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Albatross Task Force.  This is one of our most successful conservation programmes and serves as a powerful reminder of what can be achieved through hard work, expertise, creativity and the generosity of our supporters.  It also provides hope that we can tackle some of the most intractable global conservation problems…

In March, I promised (here) to provide an update on the hen harrier breeding season in England. 

I genuinely hoped that this mid-season update would mark the beginning of a turnaround in the fortunes of England’s hen harriers, driven by the positive partnership approach set out in Defra’s hen harrier action plan. Unfortunately, the news on the ground suggests this is shaping up to be very poor year for England…

By Mike Clarke, RSPB Chief Executive

We have always believed that, because nature transcends national boundaries, it needs cross-border co-operation to protect it and a common set of international standards that enable it to thrive. This concept stretches back throughout the RSPB’s history, ever since the organisation joined international efforts to curb oil pollution in the 1920s. And this concept was our starting point…

There are just 22 days until we have a chance to vote in the referendum on the UK membership of the European Union. Today, you can have another chance to find out what it all means for nature and our environment.

Back in April, the RSPB challenged both the Leave and Remain campaigns to explain how their stance will help protect and enhance the environment.

Both these campaigns - Vote Leave and Britain Stronger in Europe…

Earlier this year I pointed out to the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee that comprehensive international agreements for nature conservation and the environment, together with a robust and enforceable governance framework, are essential.

As the spring migration season demonstrates – nature does not respect borders. In fact, as you read this, I shall be up in the Cairngorms with the family hopefully…

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my role as Conservation Director of the RSPB is that I get the chance to share in some of the most inspiring and life-affirming conservation projects. Regularly I have to highlight the damage and threats that nature faces but today I want to celebrate a project that is living our dream of restoring our countryside and making it, once again, rich in nature. 

In the heart of the Peak…

Tonight, I am helping to launch The RSPB’s 2050 Energy Vision - a new report showing how the UK could transform its energy system and meet its 2050 climate targets in harmony with nature whilst remaining affordable and secure. 

I’m excited by this research as it helps us work out if we can have our cake and eat it ie a low carbon future that avoids harming the natural environment. 

We were motivated to do…

When I think of the uplands of England, my mind usually heads north.  So I enjoyed a couple of days a fortnight ago experiencing the southern uplands on Dartmoor.  The visit was a chance to catch up with research our team is doing with others (Exeter University, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Natural England and Devon Birds) to diagnose the reasons for the major declines in summer migrants including cuckoo, whinchat,…

On Friday night, the RSPB’s Chairman, Professor Steve Ormerod, gave a short talk to colleagues and partners who had gathered in County Antrim for the annual Council weekend timed to coincide with RSPB’s 50^th anniversary of our work in Northern Ireland. 

We had just spent a memorable afternoon in the sunshine at Lough Beg in Seamus Heaney country (see below) walking through wet grassland to Church Island where…

While the debate about the UK’s membership of the European Union continues, it appears that another European debate has yet to be settled. 

Information obtained this week by BirdLife International’s German partner, NABU, suggests that some continue to fight hard to weaken the EU Birds and Habitats and Species Directives – legislation that is currently subject to a ‘Fitness Check’ by the European Commission.…

Over the past week I have been contacted by many people through a variety of media about the RSPB’s position on grouse shooting.

It’s fair to say that I have had a mixed response – some offering full support (which is much appreciated), while others wishing we would back the call for a ban (these are also appreciated, especially the polite ones). A flavour of the critique is captured in the comments on Friday's…

Four years ago I announced that the RSPB had taken the serious step of making a formal complaint to the European Commission raising our profound concerns at the state of our finest designated wildlife sites in the North English moorlands -  sites  protected on paper as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) but which have been failing to deliver for nature for too long.

Our complaint related…

"Suit the action to the word, the word to the action" [1] should be the guide for all politicians and is especially apt in Wales at the moment.

Let me explain.   

Last week, I heard an excellent talk from Andy Fraser from the Welsh Government outlining the good things that have been happening in the Welsh Assembly lately...

...the Well-being of Future Generations Act which set public bodies in Wales seven goals…

One of the recurring themes of yesterday’s seminar on the future of UK biodiversity policy was the role of effective regulation and incentives, supported by clear government ambition, to both protect and drive investment in natural resource management. 

We are still in the early days of trying to work out how best to capture the value of nature in decision-making and support pro-nature business behaviour but I was…

Today, I am speaking at a Westminster Forum seminar on the future of policy on biodiversity and natural capital in the UK.  Here is a long-hand version of what I plan to say.  Do have a read and then let me know what you think.   

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Imagine a future where....

...there is enough land for the food we need and for wildlife because we use the food we buy, we consume only what we need and farmers…

You won’t have failed to notice that the EU Referendum campaign is now well and truly underway. Representatives from both sides of the argument are now regularly popping up on the TV, radio and even the doorstep.

But how much do we know about what either side is saying about what the referendum will mean for our wildlife and the natural environment? In short, almost nothing. I have yet to hear either campaign talk…

Twice a year, my senior conservation team visits part of the UK to see the impact we are having for wildlife and places.  There are ten different RSPB countries or regions and so we usually get round to each every five years or so.  Nature conservation takes time, so the trips provide useful milestones against which we can judge our impact whilst also providing an opportunity to connect with colleagues in other parts of…

Regular readers of this blog will know that the Birds and Habitats Directives (the ‘Nature Directives’), the laws that represent the cornerstone of nature conservation in the UK and across Europe, are currently undergoing a ‘fitness check’ to assess whether they are still ‘fit for purpose’. Over half a million people, including more than 100,000 from the UK, wrote to the European Commission last year calling for these…

A fortnight ago, the RSPB's Council of trustees met in the new David Attenborough Building for the first time.  The  meeting coincided with the annual Cambridge Student Conference on Conservation Science and so our Board and Council dropped in to listen to first session which included a talk on ecosystem services by Taylor Ricketts.  

Early on in his talk, Taylor asked the audience (which, as well as the hierarchy of…