The RSPB is very proud of its longstanding history in standing up for wildlife. From our foundation in 1889 where we campaigned for the ending of the plumage trade – a fashion responsible for the destruction of tens of thousands of egrets, birds of paradise and other species – we have been giving nature a voice to politicians and decision makers, asking them to act in the best interests of our wildlife and countryside. The actions of our members have contributed to the protection in law of some of our most iconic species and 124 years since our foundation, we are still the leading voice for wildlife in the UK. But, despite our successes, we still have many challenges to contend with and cannot continue to be successful without the dedicated support of people like you. These days we must of course tailor our requests to MSP’s in Holyrood, when important issues affecting Scotland’s wildlife are being decided.
With that in mind, we are currently advertising a new volunteering opportunity-the Campaign Champion. We will offer support and training to help with this key work and you will be part of a network championing Scotland’s wildlife and Special places. This role will involve being a local voice for nature: signing campaign actions, writing letters to your MSP or visiting them at their constituency office to tell them why the cause is so important.
The potential of harnessing the motivation of RSPB membership was demonstrated to me over three decades ago now, during the long debates at Westminster over the Wildlife and Countryside Bill. When introduced to Parliament it had very modest ambitions, but thanks to the hard work of RSPB staff and the massive groundswell of active support from our members, the final Act had been significantly improved. All SSSI’s were to be safeguarded, many species of birds were protected and we even helped butterflies with some of the UK’s rarest species like the swallowtail receiving protection for the first time. This was largely thanks to RSPB inspired amendments to the legislation. The membership really excelled themselves then, and have continued to do so throughout our history, lending their crucial backing to our campaigns and initiatives to defend our wildlife for future generations. The new campaign champions will continue this critically important and grand tradition, and we hope that some of you will join this important initiative to help the spread of our important message.
If you are interested in the opportunity, please email champions.scotland@rspb.org.uk or visit the RSPB volunteering webpage.