Not being able to visit our beloved Strumpshaw Fen for much of the last year has highlighted the importance of biodiverse and beautiful places to our health and wellbeing.
But we know that the natural places we love are under threat from habitat loss, pollution and climate change with the associated issues of sea-level rise and extreme weather events. With only five per cent of the UK classed as being well looked after for nature, we are already deprived of nature connections in this country. And our wildlife is suffering too; the number of UK birds has declined by forty million in the last fifty years. We cannot sustain more declines: our health, happiness and ability to thrive as a species that relies on ecosystem services such as pollination, water management and carbon storage are all under threat. We need our leaders to take drastic action NOW to secure a healthy future for us all.
So, what are the RSPB doing? To mark the centenary of the Plumage Act (the first success of RSPB founders Emily Williamson, Eliza Phillips and Etta Lemon), we have launched a bold new campaign to once again create change in Parliament. We will drive the message home to the UK’s leaders by showing them what the average shopping basket could look like in the future if they don’t change course now.
How can you demand action? We are petitioning the Government to commit to making legal targets to protect and bring nature back by 2030, and to forging global agreements to work together with other nations to solve the nature and climate emergency. You can help by adding your name to our petition by 8th July – together, we can send a loud message to our leaders that we care about our future and will hold them accountable for the choices they make today. This campaign will develop over the course of this year, and you can opt in to be kept up to date when you sign the petition.
A photograph by Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com) of a person holding a sign that reads ‘Act now before it’s too late’ at a climate change demonstration.
Blog written by Jenna Woodford