My job is the RSPB’s Chief Operating Officer. This means I’m both responsible for running all our operations across the UK, and also means I have responsibility for our People team, including our important work on equity, diversity and inclusion.
As an organisation, our mission is to unite to save nature. Our vision is to be an inclusive, diverse, and equitable organisation. This cannot be achieved without all people and all communities. A key part of this is challenging racism wherever it occurs.
Some of you may have seen some unfounded reports in particular national media outlets over the past two days, about our work on Coquet Island in Northumberland and our current and former staff there. I’ve deliberately not linked to these reports and would not encourage you to search for them and risk boosting their viewing figures.
I’d like to stress that we have thorough, fair and legal processes and procedures that we follow when dealing with staff issues. We take pride in being an organisation which is committed to ensuring all employees and volunteers are treated fairly and reasonably.
I won’t comment on previous members of staff, but I feel strongly that I want to put something on the record in support of the current member of staff, Dr Ibrahim Alfarwi, on this occasion, who is referred to in the article. We are disturbed and angry at the divisive nature of some of this media coverage. This goes against everything we stand for as an organisation. We do not tolerate the abuse of our staff and are supporting them at this difficult time.
Like nature, our survival depends on diversity. Nature has no borders and neither do we. We recognise that everyone is individual and different and value what that difference brings to the RSPB.
We absolutely stand by our colleague in the face of, frankly, some of the most, vile racist commentary under online articles that I have had the misfortune to read in my career.
This member of staff has been cleared of any wrongdoing following a full and thorough investigation.
We are currently exploring what legal options are open to us all and will be standing by our colleague and providing the support they need in the face of this attack. I should also say that he has agreed to us publishing this article.
I also wanted to touch on our conservation work on Coquet Island itself - one of the last remaining strongholds for the rare, red-listed Roseate Tern, among a variety of other threatened seabirds such as Puffins and Arctic Terns.
I happen to know our work there pretty well. Between 1996 and 1998, I completed my PhD work there studying tern ecology. I know the operational challenges facing the team day in day out. I know what dedication it takes from our staff and volunteers, to turn around the fortunes of the incredible birds that call the island home, managing and protecting the colony to make it as successful as possible.
I can categorically say that we have absolute confidence in the new team on Coquet. Over the past year, despite the effects of avian influenza, we have a thriving colony of breeding Roseate Terns, which is the largest stronghold for this rare bird in the whole of the UK and has achieved excellent breeding results this year.
The current team, and the new volunteers we have welcomed in the past 18 months, have done, and continue to do, an amazing job. They have our full support.
We didn’t want or plan to write this blog but standing up for our staff really matters. It’s personally deeply upsetting that a place I know, and love so very much has also become a target in the culture wars.
But testament to the dedication and professionalism of the team we have, we’ll keep proving the critics wrong by focusing on delivering what we do day in day out: world class conservation, bringing species back from the brink.
Image credit: Aerial image of RSPB Coquet Island Nature Reserve, Northumberland, Summer by Nick Rodd (rspb-images.com)
I can’t leave it there. Although not my words, the following statement succinctly summarises the effect of Dr Robinson’s blog: “Talk about fanning the flames . . . the Coquet Island staffing controversy would probably have petered out, but now RSPB's management has whipped up the flames anew. It is right for the organisation to express public support for its existing staff but not in such a way as to risk disregarding the contributions of previous staff. Notable from the executive's ill-judged statement has been any word of thanks to the previous manager and volunteers for their dedicated and longstanding work in safeguarding the rare roseate tern and other of Coquet's precious marine-dwelling species. And of the ensuing debate, his characterisation of it is as 'vile' and 'racist' serves only to slur those commentators who are making perfectly legitimate comments untainted by even the slightest hint of racism. As for the prospect of pursuing legal action, please RSPB, don't even think about it. That would really be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.” I reiterate that I find the attitude of some senior RSPB officers not only high-handed but arrogant and, at the very least, unhelpful.