Which species?

Bittern camouflagued in reeds at Lee Valley Country Park
In 2004, the UK bittern population reached the milestone of 50 booming males that was set in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Monitoring of birds and other taxa informs us of the status of each species and their population trends. This knowledge is used to set conservation priorities, so that species with an unfavourable status, such as the skylark or bittern become high priorities.

In the UK, the Birds of Conservation Concern red and amber lists, and Biodiversity Action Plan listings guide our species priorities for birds and other taxa, while the global red-listing process guides our international bird species priorities.

Unfortunately, we are unable to work on all priority species. We have to be pragmatic and prioritise further, and we do this within the RSPB's corporate plan. In the UK, we focus on those priority species for which the RSPB is best placed to deliver research, conservation management and advocacy – those for which we can make a difference.

We will adapt these priorities as new monitoring information becomes available – for example, we are currently researching the causes of steep declines in numbers of woodland birds, including willow tit and lesser-spotted woodpecker.

Setting targets

Having identified the priorities, a conservation programme is most effective when working to clear, quantifiable targets against which progress can be measured. It may be a pragmatic milestone or an end-point at which the status of the species is favourable. 

It may be a minimum figure, a bottom line below which things really cannot be allowed to slip, or a goal to restore or enhance its population or range. It must be achievable, yet ambitious, something to aspire to. Most importantly, it must provide a focus on real biological outcomes, or to put it somewhat informally, ‘bums on nests’. 

The RSPB sets biological targets for all its priority species and habitats, often framed as a contribution towards a broader objective set in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan or agreed with statutory conservation bodies.

Using the right toolkit

Nature surprises and inspires us precisely because each species is different, so when we need to secure its recovery, we have to use the right tools. For localised species or those where the population is small, it is possible to use hands-on management – literally, for example, in the case of stone-curlews. 

For more widespread species, such as the skylark, it is not feasible to manage specifically for every pair in the country. Here, we must develop recovery measures that can be incorporated into land-use policies, illustrated by the adoption of skylark plots into the Environmental Stewardship Scheme for farmers in England.

Last modified: 21 September 2005