Wins for wildlife in 2025

This year, we celebrated 10 years of transformation at RSPB Wallasea Island. Once farmland at risk of flooding, the generosity of RSPB supporters and 3 million tonnes of soil has helped turn the site into a wetland wonderland providing food and shelter for thousands of wintering birds. Last winter 39,000 birds were counted at the nature reserve, including Grey Plovers, Knots, Shovelers and Bar-tailed Godwits.

After the UK’s last White-tailed Eagle was shot in 1918, these magnificent birds didn’t breed here for more than 60 years. Our film Return, released this summer, tells the story of how hope and determination helped the UK’s largest bird of prey soar once more.

In Wiltshire, we’re taking over the management of Roundbarrow Farm, a former intensive dairy farm that we plan to transform into a beautiful chalk grassland and woodland reserve, creating space for bees, butterflies, and birds, while reducing river pollution and storing carbon.

Meanwhile, in Buckinghamshire, a new 250-acre nature-based visitor attraction and greenspace has been approved at Kingsbrook Meadows, next to the Kingsbrook housing development. Due to open in 2028, it will offer wetlands, meadows, woodlands, walking trails and even a wild play area where visitors can connect with nature and experience the health and wellbeing benefits it brings. We can’t wait to see it take shape!

Some of our existing reserves grew this year too, giving wildlife even more space to thrive.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters and partners, we purchased the final piece of formerly leased land at Geltsdale in Cumbria, making it the largest RSPB nature reserve in England. It was one of the most significant land purchases in our history and will allow us to fully restore and protect the area’s moorlands, wetlands and woodlands, to benefit wildlife and help tackle climate change.

Over in Essex, an incredible £2.2 million grant from the Ida Davis Family Foundation helped us add 100 hectares of land to Wallasea Island nature reserve. Here we’ll create the reserve’s first freshwater lagoon, as well a mosaic of grasslands and scrub – perfect habitat for species like Lapwings and a host of other breeding wading birds.

Waders, like Redshanks and Curlews, will also benefit from a new 21-hectare extension to Otmoor in Oxfordshire, where we’ll be transforming former farmland into wonderful wetlands.

Sierra Leone’s Gola Rainforest National Park, and the nearby Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, were officially added to the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage list in 2025, joining sites like the Grand Canyon and Great Barrier Reef.

Once threatened by logging and civil war, this incredible forest is now globally recognised for its extraordinary biodiversity, from Pygmy Hippos and Forest Elephants to the striking White-necked Picathartes.

This milestone is the result of decades of work by local people, conservation organisations like the RSPB, and international partners, who have helped to protect and restore this vital ecosystem.

2025 marked the culmination of the ambitious five-year LIFE 100% for Nature project, which aimed to improve habitats and help threatened species on 11 RSPB reserves across Scotland. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, such as robot mowers and virtual fencing, as well as hands-on community action, more than 3,500 hectares of vital habitat have been restored, giving wildlife like Choughs and Capercaillie a real boost.

And the project hasn’t just helped wildlife – it’s created jobs, supported local businesses, and inspired volunteers too. Together, we’ve shown that when communities and conservationists join forces, amazing things can happen – for nature and for us all.

After decades of campaigning by the RSPB, WWT and other conservation organisations, the UK Government has announced new restrictions on lead ammunition. This long-overdue step that will help prevent toxic lead from contaminating habitats and save tens of thousands of birds – including swans, ducks and birds of prey – from lead poisoning.

This victory simply wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of RSPB members and campaigners who spoke up for nature – thank you!

Thanks to pressure from farmers and the public – including over 100,000 of you who signed our petition – the UK Government has committed a record-breaking £2 billion a year to nature-friendly farming, plus £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the next three years. This is a huge win for nature, for farmers, and for all of us who care about healthy soils, clean rivers, and thriving wildlife.

Neonicotinoid pesticides are deadly for pollinators – with a single teaspoon of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam capable of killing an astonishing 1.25 billion bees. They’ve been banned across the UK and Europe since 2018, yet the UK Government repeatedly granted permission for farmers to use them on sugar beet crops in England.

It’s clear these toxic pesticides have no place in our countryside, so we were thrilled when – following campaigning by the RSPB and other environmental organisations – the UK Government upheld the ban on their use this year. Now the focus is on supporting farmers to switch to bee-friendly alternatives, because when pollinators thrive we all benefit.

MSPs have voted to remove Part 2 of Scotland’s Natural Environment Bill, which would have handed Scottish Ministers sweeping powers to weaken vital protections for habitats and species. A massive thank you to everyone who contacted their MSPs and helped make this happen!

It's a huge step forward and a real win for Scotland’s wildlife – but we’re not out of the woods yet. As the Bill moves to its final stage, we need to keep the pressure on to make sure these damaging powers don’t sneak back in. Together, we can make this once-in-a-generation law truly deliver for Scotland’s wildlife.

Across the UK, volunteers have been the driving force behind some incredible conservation successes this year.

In England, a record-breaking 112 volunteers donated their time to monitor Turtle Doves, as part of Operation Turtle Dove. They combed through thousands of images and confirmed sightings at 23 new sites – paving the way towards protecting more habitat for these threatened birds. Meanwhile, in Swinton, Salford, more than 40 residents came together to create one of the UK’s largest Swift Streets, installing more than 100 nest boxes to help give these iconic birds a safe place to call home.

Over in Wales, volunteers rescued more than 1,100 stranded Manx Shearwaters, giving these globe-trotting seabirds a second chance to continue their journey to South America, where they spend the winter. And in Scotland, a record 62 volunteers took part in the Cairngorms Wader Survey, gathering vital data on five wader species, including Curlews and Oystercatchers, to help shape future conservation efforts.

We’ve been teaming up with businesses to deliver ambitious projects across the UK to help nature thrive.

In Scotland, we’ve joined forces with whiskey companies Suntory Global Spirits, Diageo and The Glenmorangie Company to restore 1,000 hectares of dry, degraded blanket bog to its squelchy carbon-storing glory at The Oa nature reserve on Islay. And, thanks to funding from Co-op, we’ll be protecting peatland at several sites in Scotland and Wales – over the next century, this work will save around 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions!

Our partnerships go beyond peatlands too. With the help of Ella’s Kitchen, we’ll be protecting and restoring over 30 million square feet of wildflower meadows by 2030 – with 10 million square feet already completed. This is creating all-you-can eat buffets for the bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that are so vital for our food security. From inspiring families with interactive maps and fun nature activities, to running community outreach events, this partnership is also about helping little ones to discover wildlife and connect with the natural world they’ll inherit.

From art galleries to garden festivals, we’ve been popping up in some unusual places this year to inspire more people to discover and take action for nature.

As part of Remember Nature 2025 – a day of artist-led action – 17 artists created new works celebrating the beauty and fragility of the natural world, sharing them in galleries and cultural venues to spark fresh conversations about conservation.

We also continued our partnership with The Wainwright Prize, helping to champion brilliant nature writing that encourages readers of all ages to explore, understand and fall in love with the wild places around them.

And at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival we teamed up with the RHS to create a stunning Swift Garden. It showcased the epic journeys of these much-loved migrants and demonstrated how easy it is to transform outdoor spaces into havens not just for people but for wildlife too.

In this video RSPB Scotland's Director Anne McCall explains what your support means to us and celebrates some of the highlights of the year.

Enjoy some feel-good moments as we look back at some key milestone and achievements from 2025, from saving species to restoring landscapes.