Guest blog – Impressions from the RSPB AGM by Lyn Ebbs

By education and training I am a microbiologist and worked in the NHS and biotech sector. I finished my working career in clinical research and patient safety in the pharmaceutical industry, so am a firm believer in evidence-based science. I’ve been a member of the RSPB for many years and started volunteering for them when I retired. Latterly, I have become actively involved with campaigns and have attnded Hen Harrier Day rallies.

 

 

 

Impressions from the RSPB AGM 2016.

Nature is in jeopardy and Brexit adds unpredictability to the hazards it faces

Looking back on the report I wrote for this blog on the 2015 RSPB AGM, it chimed in with my overall impression that the atmosphere at this AGM (the 125^th) was much more subdued. The uncertainty generated by the referendum result and the subsequent impact of actually leaving the EU seemed to be the main cause. After all, while the RSPB can congratulate itself of being part of a successful campaign to press the EU not to weaken the Nature Directives, it’s a hollow victory when our own country soon won’t need to be bound by them.

Martin Harper spelled this out in his presentation: What leaving the EU means for nature. We have the Government’s commitment that the repeal of the 1972 European Communities Act will be in parallel with taking current EU directives and regulations into the UK code of law. But what we lose is the third party scrutiny of our compliance with those laws (check Mark’s blogs on the topic ‘Wuthering Moors’ to see that in action). And of course, there is nothing to stop future governments changing them – would changes be to strengthen or weaken environmental protection? I wouldn’t hold my breath for ‘strengthen’.

While the Nature Directives were good for wildlife, EU farming and fisheries policies often had detrimental effects. We know that the Treasury has committed to paying farming subsidies at the same level as under the common agricultural policy (CAP) until 2020. The RSPB, as a major landowner, is a beneficiary of CAP payments but, talking to a staff member on one of the stands, it would be prepared to give up this income if the subsidies were directed more effectively to delivering environmental benefits. To quote him “At present most of the money goes to big money-owners, I mean landowners”. (I think he was right first time.) Martin pointed out that 75% of the UK is farmed and it was his belief that it wasn’t an either/or situation for food production or nature. As Steve Ormerod pointed out in his report to the AGM, when the RSPB bought Hope Farm 15 years ago they had two yellow hammers in the winter flock, last winter they had 723!

The State of Nature Report 2016 showed that we are still losing plants and animal species. It was therefore good to see the RSPB Medal awarded to Professor Dame Georgina Mace for her work on biodiversity conservation. (If you want to find out more about her day job, listen to this episode of Radio 4’s The Life Scientific: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07jys1h).

There were more optimistic moments: Steve Ormerod reported that Lush cosmetics had raised an incredible £122,000 from sales of their skydancer bathbombs to support hen harrier conservation. The conservation of Indian vultures has moved on to the stage of establishing safe zones which can become reception centres for birds raised in captivity. We also learned more about the creation of the Marine Protected Area around Ascension Island. Miranda Krestovnikoff was elected President for a further three years. Jojo Jenner from the RSPB’s Phoenix Forum closed the AGM and spoke enthusiastically about the ways the RSPB is motivating his age group. Having volunteered with Jojo at Country File Live, I know that there are committed youngsters out there and it makes me more determined to keep on campaigning, volunteering and trying to protect nature.

 

Mark writes: thank very much Lyn!  And here is Martin Harper’s own account of the day for comparison.

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