Guest blogger Nik Shelton.
The UK is incredibly lucky to have one of the oldest and most well supported conservation movements in the world. Few other countries can boast such a range of vibrant and passionate organisations with as much public support.
The 25 organisations that launched the State of Nature report last month have a combined membership of more than two million people – a real force for nature.
That was recognised by the media who picked up on the urgency of the report’s findings straight away. From early on in the day viewers of BBC Breakfast were watching over their cornflakes as the RSPB’s Martin Harper and Amphibian and Reptile conservation’s Jim Foster sat on the sofa explaining how our nature got into the state it is in. Meanwhile on the Today programme on Radio 4 and on Radio 5Live commuters heard our country’s most respected wildlife broadcaster Sir David Attenborough speaking about the reports findings. And throughout the day newspapers including the Telegraph, the Guardian and the Daily Mail as well as national and local television and radio picked up the story finishing with the News at Ten recording from outside the Natural History Museum where the main launch event took place. Analysis and commentary on the findings continued in the opinion columns in the following days. It was an important moment for the conservation movement, and a message that was shouted loud and clear for everyone to hear.
In the first stock take of our native species in the UK scientists have revealed that 60% of the species studied have declined over recent decades. More than one in ten of all the species assessed are under threat of disappearing from our shores altogether.
This report has laid out the predicament our natural world is in – now is the time for us to act.
Hedgehogs are disappearing from our gardens, house sparrow numbers continue to fall and there are rising fears for the health of our common toad populations. Politicians can bring about change, but we must show them that we are doing our bit wherever we can. Of course, politicians must sit up and take notice, business leaders must look at the impact their industry is having on wildlife and we, as conservationists, must work together to do more. But as with any great journey, the first steps must be taken in our own back yards.
And that’s what our new campaign, Giving Nature a Home, is all about. By taking part, you can help garden favourites like starlings, hedgehogs, some butterflies and ladybirds. It doesn’t matter what sort of garden you have, what size it is, or even if you have no garden at all, we need everyone to help by turning their outside space into a wildlife haven. Our aim is to provide one million homes for nature across the UK, because if there are no homes for nature, then there’s no nature – it really is that serious. Visit the website to find out what you can do. Download our free Giving Nature a Home starter guide and don’t forget to let us know how you’re getting on. Help inspire others by sharing pictures, tips and ideas on how you are Giving Nature a Home.