Citizens, members of the public, campaigners – however we choose to define ourselves, our voices play a hugely important role in speaking up for nature. Many of us will have exercised our voting rights at the General Election in July, but this is just one of many ways we made a difference for nature across England in 2024. Look back at some of the incredible things we’ve achieved together for nature in England this year to inspire you to continue taking action into 2025.
Sandeels:
Our supporters helped kick 2024 off to an incredible start. On 31st January 2024, both the UK and Scottish Governments announced an end to industrial Sandeel fishing in the English waters of the North Sea and all Scottish waters. The RSPB has been campaigning for more than 25 years to stop the damaging industrial fishing of Sandeels in UK waters, calling it out as one of the main contributors to seabird decline.
It’s taken a monumental effort to achieve this goal, with years of hard work being put in behind the scenes. However, we couldn’t have done this without you. Forty-three thousand people across the UK got involved in 2023, responding to government consultations and calling on the UK and Scottish Governments to end industrial sandeel fishing. This was essential in showing overwhelming public support for this practice to stop.
Thanks to support from thousands of people backing our cause, the closures officially came into force on the 26th of March 2024, stopping all vessels from the UK and overseas industrially fishing sandeels.
But the fight isn’t over, more action is needed – we’re calling for the UK and Scottish governments to remain resolute against the EU Commission’s recent attempts to reverse the closures.
Hedgerows
Given the huge importance of hedgerows for wildlife, it's imperative that they have the protection they need.
Nesting birds have legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, meaning that individuals (farmers or any landowners) still have to check for nests during nesting season before trimming hedgerows. However, the legal protections that hedgerows themselves had previously enjoyed, such as a ban on cutting during nesting season (March-August), had expired. Despite promises from the government to reintroduce them, we simply didn’t see the urgency that was needed.
Our Hedgerows campaign launched in March this year when hedge-cutting restrictions should have come into force on farmland across England under previous cross-compliance regulations. That first weekend, we received an incredible 4,000 people had written to their MPs and amazingly, by 4th of March, Defra had put out a blog confirming their plans to reintroduce protections.
Thanks to you, over 10,000 letters were written to MPs by the end of the campaign, and legislation was laid before parliament during National Hedgerow Week at the beginning of May. Protections came into force on the 23rd of May – an incredible turn of events and a big win for our wildlife.
Restore Nature Now
On Saturday, 22 June, the RSPB joined 350 other supporting organisations, and over 60,000 individuals, on the streets of London to deliver a message to the political parties, the press, and the public: we must Restore Nature Now.
In the biggest march for nature to date, thousands of you – the RSPB’s members, supporters, local groups, staff, and volunteers – joined us to rally for nature. Together, we shared our five joint asks with political parties and the public, outlining essential actions needed to protect our environment. Thanks to you, our message is loud and clear. Nature lovers and climate campaigners came together to demonstrate unity and passion before the General Election. The march was a vital demonstration that we will not shy away from holding the new UK Government to account for ensuring that we meet legally binding targets for nature’s recovery by 2030.
Tipner West
What a response we had to our petition to reduce development on the protected area of Tipner West, one of the last wild corners of Portsmouth Harbour! We achieved almost 7,000 submissions to Portsmouth’s Local Plan between July and September through our joint action with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Together, we challenged the Council to meet their housing and employment goals without harming protected sites.
Public support has been vital in this campaign from the beginning. Over 24,000 people signed the #DontGoThere petition, urging Portsmouth City Council to scrap their original plans. A record 9,000 draft Local Plan consultation responses highlighted the public’s commitment to protecting this land. These actions led to the Council pausing highly damaging plans for the ‘super-peninsula’ proposals. The Council's reconsideration of these plans shows that citizen voices can make a real difference in protecting nature.
Launch of the farming petition
Nature-friendly farming helps keep our soils and crops healthy and water clean, making farming as a business more resilient and profitable. It boosts wildlife, can reduce the need for pesticides, and increases pollinators such as bees on which much of our food relies. It can also reduce carbon emissions and help deal with the impacts of extreme weather caused by climate change, such as flooding and drought.
In August/September, we launched our nature-friendly farming petition, calling on UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves to invest more in nature-friendly farming. As of December, a whopping 60,000 of you have signed it – thank you! There’s still time to sign the petition and make your voice heard here.
Unfortunately, the Autumn Budget failed to recognise the importance of farming and in doing so has put our economic health at risk. In 2025, we'll be putting pressure on the Government to build on this budget in the Spring Spending Review, setting out more clearly how we will address the nature finance gap and commit the funding needed to do so.
What to expect in 2025
Marking the mid-point of the 2020’s, 2025 looks set to be a crucial year for nature. Just five years remain for the UK Government to achieve its legally binding commitments to halt species decline by 2030.
Planning reforms
With a raft of changes to the planning system on the horizon, it’s more important than ever that these don’t happen at the expense of nature. In 2025, we’ll be using our voices to speak up for those who can’t and ensure that nature is at the heart of the government’s suite of planning reforms. There's a link to our Planning e-action here.
So far the Government is showing commitment to the environment and an ambition to deliver for both the economy and nature. They’ve also proactively contacted nature conservation organisations for discussion before key planning Bills are tabled. But we need this talk to result in the right actions. With the UK Government moving rapidly and having such a large majority, new laws could quickly come into force. In 2025, it’s important that we show a real appetite for nature to remain high on the agenda. We can do it. But only if nature is at the heart of the UK Government’s plans.
Grouse Moor Management
The Scottish Government passed the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill earlier this year, committing to the licencing of driven grouse shooting. This could have a hugely positive knock-on impact on our efforts in England next year, as we call on the government to introduce licensing in England too.
We believe that introducing a licensing system is the most effective way to swiftly reduce the damaging impacts of grouse moor management while also delivering for those in the shooting community who support change.
Want to get involved in more of our campaigns? Discover more ways to take action for nature here.
Pictures: RSPB Images https://www.rspb-images.com/