I got an email from WWT which pointed me towards this very fuzzy refocus document. There’s a lot about how great WWT is, how it is going to do loads of good things for wildlife but embedded in here is some very vague news about redundancies. As an organisation which funds conservation through duck zoos…
Category: THE WILDLIFE NGOs – RSPB, Wildlife Trusts Wild Justice, BSBI etc
Natural England blog makes Wild Justice’s point
In a recent blog, Natural England sets out its approach to issuing specific licences for lethal control. You could be completely forgiven for not quite understanding how the licensing system works in England at the moment but I think it is like this: all wild birds are protected by law you can kill any species…
Bird/poultry flu at Slimbridge it seems
Yesterday DEFRA announced that avian influenza H5N8 (pathogenicity to be confirmed) has been confirmed in captive birds at non-poultry premises near Stroud in Gloucestershire. I think we can be fairly sure that this is Slimbridge WWT. And the cases in wild birds (which mostly appear, given the vague way in which DEFRAA reports these cases)…
RSPB press release – peat
New analysis published today by RSPB reveals the scale of the challenge that the UK’s governments face to restore and maintain our peatlands, which play a pivotal role in combatting climate change. Peatlands are one of the UK’s most valuable habitats and have a critical role to play in addressing the nature and climate crises….
RSPB statement on Number 10’s 10-point plan
In response to the Prime Minister’s 10-Point Plan, Beccy Speight, chief executive of the RSPB, said: “We are facing a nature and climate emergency, so must take this opportunity to build back better. While we welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement of new money, new national park designations and new landscape plans, in truth this barely…
For peat’s sake
I was pleased to read in the Guardian that my old stomping grounds of the Flow Country (see Fighting for Birds, Chapter 2) might be edging towards World Heritage Site status. It’s a bit like when an old friend gets a gong in an honours list – it’s not necessarily that one thinks the gong…
Press release – UK Overseas Territory becomes one of the world’s biggest sanctuaries for wildlife (Tristan da Cunha Government, RSPB, National Geographic)
UK Overseas Territory becomes one of the world’s biggest sanctuaries for wildlife The Government and people of Tristan da Cunha make visionary declaration with support of an international partnership including the UK Government, RSPB, National Geographic Pristine Seas, Blue Nature Alliance, Becht Family Charitable Trust together with Blue Marine Foundation, Wyss Foundation, Kaltroco, Don Quixote…
Press release on HS2
William Hague questions HS2 Ltd’s due diligence in relation to wildlife law William Hague (Lord Hague of Richmond) has written a letter to the Rt Hon. Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, in support of evidence relating to potential wildlife crime issues of the High Speed Two (HS2) project, compiled by a team of…
Joint press release RSPB and HIWWT
Plans for Portsmouth ‘super peninsula’ should be binned not backed, say wildlife charities – 4000 new homes and new marine hub would rip up internationally important wildlife site and tear a hole through legal safeguards – Development could destroy vital line of natural defence against rising sea levels, meaning the public will pay over decades…
Corncrake conservation in the UK – a well-told tale.
This paper is in the current (November) issue of British Birds and it’s a thorough review of the successful conservation of this globally threatened species in the UK, based on science, largely RSPB science and largely led by the author. I think it’s becoming fashionable these days to ignore species conservation as a bit easy…