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The RSPB view

Dusk, Lincolnshire

A general election is only months away and will inevitably bring changes in the players and policies the RSPB must try to influence.

Our own action on the ground for birds and other wildlife is of real and growing importance, through nature reserves and by working with other land managers, but the future of the natural world depends ultimately on how much governments care.

RSPB staff work in a variety of ways to influence the thinking and actions of decision-makers in each of the four UK governments. We meet politicians and civil servants, write reports and letters, respond to consultations and put our views across in scores of other ways. All that will continue, and with enthusiasm.

Our type of consistent evidence-based, well-informed lobbying pays dividends over time – the successes are there to show that our input makes a big difference. But I am concerned about what type of hearing will be given to the natural environment around the next Cabinet table and in the departments across Whitehall, regardless of who wins the general election.

Political enthusiasms come and go, but it feels to me that right now biodiversity conservation is at its lowest ebb in the political consciousness for many years. Perhaps this is a reaction to economic pressures, or because climate change has shot up the political agenda – though pushing aside concerns about the natural environment is hardly a rational response to either of these developments.

In fact, as all three issues are so inextricably linked, the opposite should be the case: the only real solutions are ones that deal with them in an integrated way.

Whatever the reason, I fear we face a steeper uphill struggle over the coming years and that is why I am asking you to sign our Letter to the Future.

RSPB staff can continue to make the arguments about how to save threatened species and habitats and how to create a wildlife-rich – and more sustainable – future, but we are more likely to succeed if we have a receptive audience amongst decision-makers.

And whilst some are alive to our issues, many are not. A large show of public support will be invaluable in helping to get our messages heard. There is nothing more persuasive to a politician than the thought that not only is he or she doing the right thing but that it is also a popular thing! That’s why we need to remind politicians of the importance of ensuring that the world remains rich in biodiversity and natural beauty.

What can I do?

So, if you feel passionately that we need to make decisions today that will safeguard nature into the future, then please sign the Letter to the Future and together we can make the world a richer place.

Sign the letter

Graham Wynne, chief executive of the RSPB

The RSPB View

The RSPB's Chief Executive, Graham Wynne, writes this regular column in the quarterly membership magazine, BIRDS.