• Government needs to join-up the dots to turn environmental ambition into reality

    Acting Director of RSPB England, Nick Bruce-White, describes the need for joined-up thinking across all UK Government Departments to help save nature....

    Tomorrow sees the publication of the UK Government’s latest plan to save nature. It’s called the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) and it updates the 25 Year Plan published in 2018. It is a pivotal moment. This is when the promises of the original 25 year…

  • A little bit of nature does you good - RSPB Nature Prescriptions launch in England

    A career in the NHS and a love of the outdoors led to a determination to connect more people with nature. As RSPB Nature Prescriptions launch in England for the first time this week, Sarah Walker, nature and wellbeing project manager, talks about the importance of nature for our health, and how this new project could provide a way for more health professionals to improve our health and wellbeing. 

    Birdsong and cherry tree…

  • Towards a consensus on Food, Farming and Nature

    RSPB Senior Policy Officer Alice Groom writes about an exciting new consensus that is emerging around food, farming and nature ... 

    A group of farmers and environmental organisations met in the margins of the 2023 Oxford farming conferences to forge consensus on a way forward for farming, recognising the huge pressures that many farming sectors are currently experiencing. This consensus rests on a shared understanding that…

  • Rippling effects of conservation creates a home for Turtle Doves at Kent farm

    Never far from our thoughts during the festive season, Turtle Doves actually spend the winter far away from our shores in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, this is the time when farmers on Ripple Farm in Kent are already planning for their spring return.
  • Turtle Doves to lose out this Christmas as Kent hotel and leisure development looms – here’s how you can help

    The sound of “purring” Turtle Doves could be lost from Betteshanger Country Park if two planning applications submitted for this area go ahead. These developments could see a 120 bed hotel and spa along with a large surfing lagoon called The SeaHive take over the landscape in this Kent country park near Deal, causing a huge loss of homes for wildlife. Here's how you can help.
  • Cumbrian rivers project scoops prestigious European Riverprize

    Main image: Bird’s-eye view of Swindale Valley following the river restoration – putting the bends back into the river and restoring the function of the natural floodplain.  Image Credit: Lee Schofield. The RSPB at Haweswater is incredibly proud to be part of an ambitious programme to restore and improve rivers in the Lake District, which has beaten immense competition from across Europe to win the prestigi…
  • Shaping the Future of Planning in England

    RSPB Senior Policy Officer Carl Bunnage brings us up to date with the new Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and what we need to see it do for nature ... 

    Over the coming days the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will resume its passage through Parliament. This will shape the future of the planning system in England, a system that has profound impacts upon nature. 

    The Bill was paused in the face of opposition from backbench…

  • Special Memories: Securing the Future of Cornish Chough

    A very special blog today from Claire Mucklow who over two decades worked tirelessly to help secure the future of the Cornish Chough. Claire was the RSPB’s Chough Project Officer and here she shares her personal memories of chough nest night sh...
  • Energy development proposals along the Suffolk coast pose serious concerns for wildlife – here’s how you can help


    The RSPB understands the need for projects which enable the connection of renewable energy into our national grid to help tackle the climate emergency. However, we are seriously concerned at the lack of strategic planning of energy projects by National Grid along the Suffolk coast, and in particular the lack of prioritisation of options which minimise impacts on nature and wildlife. 
     

    Please read to the end to see how you…

  • A new public water supply reservoir for the Fens

    Today’s blog is written by Daniel Pullan, our Senior Conservation Officer for Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, on the opportunities for nature in the proposed Fens Reservoir.  

    Anglian Water are proposing a new public water supply reservoir in the Fens. The RSPB wants your support to make sure that this once in a generation opportunity protects and enhances the area’s wonderful wetlands for people…

  • Change for change’s sake is a big mistake!

    Today’s blog - written by Jess Chappell, England Senior Policy Officer – introduces a brand new RSPB report and explains how nature risks losing out in the face of major regulatory reform ...

    Nature needs a champion. With so many of our most precious species now on the brink of extinction from Great Britain, more than ever we need to ensure that ministers are being scrutinised and held to account for the actions…

  • A bid to make the UK’s wild bird superhighway a new World Heritage site

    Jeff Kew leads the RSPB’s East Coast Wetlands programme which aims to bring broader support for the benefits and value of our world class network of east coast wetlands. Here Jeff discusses the importance of the east coast and our recent applic...
  • Help us stop National Grid’s shocking proposal that would damage Suffolk’s Hintlesham Woods

    Suffolk's Hintlesham Woods is under threat. A proposal to run overhead cables from electricity pylons through the ancient woodlands would mean permanent damage to the woods and the wildlife that calls it home.
  • Help us Fight the UK Government’s Attack on Nature

    Kate Jennings, RSPB Head of Site Conservation and Species Policy, has worked for RSPB for over 13 years. Kate fell in love with nature as a child and joined the RSPB’s Young Ornithologists Club when she was just seven years old. She’s bee...
  • RSPB reaction to Government attack on vital nature laws

    The RSPB is deeply concerned about today’s proposals for investment zones and “liberalised planning rules” in places as widespread as Norfolk, West of England, West Midlands and Tees Valley. Alongside the potential powers in the new Retained EU Law Bill, Government has effectively launched a full-on attack on the laws that protect nature.  

    Whatever people’s views on Europe, laws such as the habitats…

  • A campaign win: sale of horticultural peat to be banned by 2024

    Last month, Defra announced the ban of all sales of peat to amateur gardeners in England by 2024. This marks a particularly significant moment in our campaigning history as the RSPB has been campaigning on this issue since 1990 –  more than 30 years.

    Defra’s public consultation on ending the retail sale of horticultural peat received more than 5,000 responses with over 95% in favour of government taking action…

  • A successful season for hen harrier in the Forest of Bowland

    Last week saw the release of Natural England’s Hen Harrier Breeding Figures, with 34 successful nests and 119 chicks, 2022 has proved to be a record year for this iconic bird. That success was reflected in the Forest of Bowland, where RSPB staff and volunteers recorded 14 nesting attempts of 13 breeding females (including one replacement clutch) on the United Utilities Bowland Estate. 11 nests were successful and…

  • The importance of well-designed nature-rich urban green spaces

    In today’s blog, RSPB England Campaigner Pooja Kishinani reflects on the need for the UK Government to deliver urban green spaces that are beneficial for people and nature. 

    The Climate Change Committee’s recent report outlines recommendations to the UK Government to address overheating risks, which includes creating an urban greenspace target. It is vital that Government focuses on integrated solutions to deliver…

  • Fighting fires in a climate changed world

    With temperatures pushing the mercury to previously unthinkable heights, moorland fires are once again in the news. With climate change giving rise to increasingly frequent extremes it’s vital to consider ways in which these iconic landscapes can be made more resilient to fire.

    RSPB East Midlands Area Manager Martin Randall looks at Dove Stone in the Peak District - how the RSPB site team deal with fires and how…

  • Real levelling up must have nature at its heart

    RSPB Senior Policy Officer, Carl Bunnage, reflects on the Government’s new Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, and whether it will really do what it says on the tin.  

    Prior to Boris Johnson’s resignation, the UK Government published its long-anticipated reforms to the planning system in England in the form of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. With the race for the leadership of the Conservative party, and…

  • RSPB staff and volunteers nominated for National Park Awards

    “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

    These words of American scientist Margaret Mead are especially true when it comes to restoring our natural world. It takes people to save a species, restore a damaged habitat and inspire a new generation to take better care of our precious and fragile environment.

    Every year…

  • Connecting with nature: the low-carbon way

    ‘Low-carbon’: what does it really mean? Does it make you feel empowered to make lifestyle changes for nature, or under pressure?  Writer and science communicator Sophie Pavelle gives us a glimpse into her low-carbon journey around Britain in search of ten animals and habitats threatened by climate change in the 21st century for her debut book ‘Forget Me Not’.

    Sophie Pavelle is a writer and science…

  • Avian Influenza: the view from Coquet Island

    Concern is mounting for seabirds across the UK and around the world, as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) continues to take a devastating toll on wildlife. Last week, the RSPB’s chief executive, Beccy Speight, visited Coquet Island in Northumberland, to see, first-hand, the effects it is having there. 

    Roseate terns on Coquet Island

    In my role I’m incredibly fortunate to visit some of the UK’s most breath-taking places – and RSPB reserves…

  • Enjoy a Big Wild Summer with the RSPB

    Discover how you can have a Big Wild Summer with the RSPB - enjoy amazing wildlife spectacles and nature-inspired fun for all the family.
  • Protecting England's Peatlands; What this year's burning reports tell us

    Last October, the RSPB launched a new Upland Burn Reporting App, allowing members of the public to share records of recent and active burns in the English Uplands. Over the last 6 months over 270 burns have been reported by members of the public.

    These reports provide a snapshot of the extent of burning throughout the English uplands and will be used as evidence to support the RSPB’s position that the actions by the…