Quite often over the past six months I’ve asked you to Step Up for Nature. It may have passed you by (I hope not) but I know many of you have taken steps to help save the special places that are a vital part of our natural world.
This blog helped launch Stepping Up for Nature back in March ... and I had the chance to help publicise the event on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme. And if you fancy a news update - here's something we put together to celebrate our 1 millionth step.
Well, I’m thrilled to be able to tell you that since then, over a million steps for nature have already been taken. That’s one step every 18 seconds. Wow, huge pat on the back, that’s no mean feat! And it’s only a start.
To refresh your memories, there are countless ways you can step up for nature. In the past six months, you might have bought something from one of our shops, fed garden birds, e-mailed government in response to their flawed proposals to change England’s planning system, donated money to save northern rockhopper penguins affected by an oil spill in Tristan da Cunha, taken part in Make Your Nature Count, put up nest boxes or perhaps you volunteer for the RSPB. And of course being a member is one huge step for nature conservation in itself.
Some of you will have been stepping up without even knowing it!
Well, I just want to take a moment to thank you for your support without which we couldn’t even begin to try to tackle the catastrophic declines in bird species and other wildlife, and the damage and destruction of their habitats. With your help we’ve been able to help turn around the fortunes of wildlife like bitterns, corncrakes, stone curlews and great yellow bumblebees.
Every small step we each take as individuals can make a big difference, if everyone acts together nature stands a chance.
The massive amount of support we’ve already received, and look set to continue receiving, will send a clear message to the Government across the UK – they, too, have an essential role to play and we all have an important role in keeping politicians true to their commitments.
And if you fancy taking a step right now, you can by signing the pledge calling on our ministers to help safeguard our seabirds at sea now – here’s how. Protecting the best bits of our marine environment should seem like a basic first step given the rich natural environment that is hidden beneath our seas – but inaction has followed inaction over three decades, effective protection of our marine environment is a real test of commitment for all of our Governments across the UK, a real test of their ability to step up for nature.
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I recently posted some blogs about Yangkou, Rudong in China and its importance for Spoon-billed sandpiper. The site’s importance has now been further highlighted through observations by Tong Menxui from the Shanghai Birdwatching Society. He watched the mudflats over a series of days and recorded a peak number of 103 Spoon-billed sandpipers on October 12. As the World population may be around 300 this could indicate that one third of the population was on those precious mudflats on that day. Further evidence that urgent action is needed to stop any further destruction of these rich intertidal mudflats.
More information can be found on the Birdguides website.
An announcement that a long-running planning saga has come to an end in Ayreshire has been warmly welcomed by my colleagues in Scotland – here’s a note our Head of Planning and Development in Scotland, Aedan Smith, sent me:
Generally speaking, we want to see more renewable energy development, including more windfarms. We desperately need them to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the damaging effect climate change is having on birds and wildlife across the world. Usually they pose no significant threat to wildlife - but just occasionally one would be so damaging to wildlife that we feel we must oppose it. The windfarm planned for Waterhead Moor, in Ayrshire, by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) was one such proposal. It would have involved more than 20 turbines right on top of a Special Protection Area (an internationally important wildlife site) for hen harriers.
Hen harriers have been really struggling. They are the most persecuted bird of prey in the UK. The few remaining strongholds, like this one in Ayrshire, are therefore critically important and need to be protected.
A male hen harrier - picture RSPBImages
We have been trying to persuade SSE to drop this one for over 7 years. That they now have is a credit to them as a company and to the renewables industry.
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The twists and turns of the proposal to build a new SSSI-damaging, carbon-spewing coal-fired power station on the Clyde at Hunterston have been a regular feature of this blog. The news that more than 20,000 individuals have registered their objection to the proposal comes days before a decision is expected on 9 November. If you are one of the people that’s stepped up to challenge this damaging proposal – thank you.
To be continued ...
I've been moonlighting again over on the Saving Species Blog ... well to be fair I can't claim any credit at all as I'm posting the an update from Tristan da Cuhna on the first surveys of northern rockhopper penguins after the dreadful oil spill resulting from the wreck of the MV Oliva back in May ... and you can read all about it here.
And here's a picture of a pair of rockhoppers (photocredit Trevor Glass) to tempt you over to t'other blog.