Nature’s Advocates

RSPB Rathlin Island Nature Reserve, County Antrim, Northern Ireland (c) Nick Rodd (rspb-images.com)  Today’s blog is written by Meriel Harrison, Senior Policy Officer, on a new report setting out action needed for Northern Ireland&rsq...

River Spey running through, RSPB Insh Marshes Nature reserve, (c) Sam Turley (rspb-images.com)  Todays Blog is written by Steph Morren Principal Policy Officer - Sustainable Land, analysing why a cut to the farming budget would be lett...

(c) Shutterstock Today's blog is written by Steph Morren, Principal Policy Officer - Sustainable Land, reflecting on the long awaited publication of the government's National Action Plan for the Sustainable use of Pesticides.  On Friday 21s...

Dairy Cows (c) Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com) This blog is written by Emma Horton, Senior Policy Officer – Wildlife Disease and Susie Gold, Senior Conservation Scientist – Wildlife Disease. Here we cover the situation with avian flu in the ...

Forest residues (c) (Deed - Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic - Creative Commons) Today’s blog is written by Ruairi Brogan, Senior Policy Officer, on the implications of the Climate Change Committee's Seventh Carbon Budget for bioenerg...

COP 16 Conference (c) Fiona Dobson Today’s blog is written by Donia Zhang, Global Policy Volunteer, on the newly released UK response to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework  Today, as global decision makers are gathered in R...

Yellowhammer at Hope Farm (c) Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)  The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has released its annual review of progress made by government to improve the state of our natural environment. The findings are clear ...

Can markets do the heavy lifting on paying for nature? Who pays is after all one of the knottiest problems in conservation, and one that was not solved in Cali. Business and industry will need to contribute alongside governments, but outside of the voluntary carbon market the structures don’t yet exist to channel private funds into large-scale conservation projects.

 Houses of Parliament (c) Ben Andrews rspb-images.com Today's blog, one week on from the budget, is written by Dougie Peedle, Head of RSPB's Nature Positive Economy team The Autumn Budget delivered last Wednesday achieved a number of firsts...

(c) Fiona Dobson Today’s blog is written by Fiona Dobson, Senior Policy Officer in the RSPB’s Global Policy Team, ahead of this year’s UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 In just a few days’ time, decision-makers from countr...

Pheasants (c) rspb-images.com Today’s blog is written by Chris Calow,  Species Policy Officer, to explain what the changes to the UK Government’s Poultry Register mean for gamebird releases in England and what it might mean for gamebird l...

Sea Grass (c) Paul Naylor Today’s Blog is written by Jean Duggan, Marine Policy Officer, where she explains the importance of Blue Carbon in our seas and why action is needed to protect it if we are to tackle the nature and climate emergency.&n...

Great Skua Stercorarius skua, killed by bird flu (c) Ashley Cooper rspb-images.com Todays blog is written by Emma Horton, Senior Policy Officer and our lead on Avian Influenza, she highlights the need to be prepared as avian flu continues to cir...

On Tuesday 30th July, DEFRA published its first Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) Annual Progress Report. It is yet another stark reminder that our natural environment is in trouble and that urgent, targeted actions are needed to save it. Will the new UK Government stick to its promise and deliver the Environment Act Targets?

As part of the Pesticide Collaboration, the RSPB is supporting a new campaign calling on the UK government to ban the use of pesticides in places such as playgrounds, streets and parks. The Pesticide Collaboration brings together over 90 health and environmental organisations, academics, trade unions and many others, working under a shared vision to urgently reduce pesticide-related harms in the UK. This campaign also…

The Members of Parliament (MPs) elected to Westminster will play a crucial role in shaping the future of wildlife conservation efforts across the UK. However, the process of creating and enforcing laws concerning nature differs between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This blog takes a look at what that means for wildlife, and the various ways that MPs will impact nature across the entirety of the UK.

Tractor on bare soil (c) Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) In this blog Jenna Coull, the RSPB's Principal Economist, outlines the recent findings from the Green Finance Institute (GFI) on the impact of nature degradation to the UK economy. She question...

Common pheasant Phasianus colchicus, huge group of individuals in a field RSPB (rspb-images.com) Today’s blog is written by Chris Calow, Species Policy Officer. He provides an update on what two recent Defra announcements mean for gamebird...

Burning on deep peat  (c) RSPB Images Tom Aspinall A new study by Mike Shewring and scientists from the RSPB published in the journal Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, has mapped the annual extent of moorland burning across the uplands...

This blog is written by Mike Shurmer, RSPB Head of Species, following the publication of the latest Hen Harrier Survey results. The results of the sixth national Hen Harrier Survey have been released today, providing an essential update on the conservation status of this Red-listed species.

Curlew, Geltsdale Reserve  (c) RSPB-images Today’s blog is written by Fiona Dobson, Senior Advocate, Global Policy, highlighting a letter from a group of leading nature charities which calls on the environment ministers from...

Pesticide spraying arable crops (c) Shutterstock  Today’s blog is written by Vanessa Lonergan, Pesticide Collaboration Coordinator at RSPB, on how we are working collaboratively with many other organisations and individuals to reduce pesti...

(c) Cormorant perched along London skyline, rspb-images.com Today's Nature's Advocates blog is written by Jenna Coull, the RSPB's Principal Economist, in response to the UK Government's Spring Budget 2024. Introduction    Yet again we receive ...

Today's Blog comes from our Head of Sustainable Land use Policy in England, Alice Groom. She highlights the urgent need to fill the holes left in our hedgerow protection as the nesting season begins.

Northern gannet Morus bassanus, dying from bird flu, Ling Ness, Eswick, Shetland, Scotland, June 2022 © RSPB - Credit: Ashley Cooper (rspb-images.com) Policy Assistant for Avian Influenza, Jean Duggan, reflects on the recent findings from the HP...