RSPB proposes cuts? (1 Viewer)

[trw]

Headline from a recent press report:​

RSPB Rainham Marshes one of 60 sites facing proposed cuts​

Copy and paste the headline into your browser and it should take you to the story.

 

[Mike Crawley]

There was an announcement (via a Zoom meeting perhaps) yesterday to all RSPB staff.
Hopefully the RSPB will follow up with an announcement to their army of volunteers and soon after the public.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I was forwarded this whilst I was in Oman:-

Rainham Marshes is one of SIXTY nature reserves across the country facing cuts

Rainham Marshes is one of 60 RSPB nature reserves facing proposed cuts, the Recorder can reveal.

www.romfordrecorder.co.uk

"However, a document seen by the Recorder reveals the extent of planned cuts across the country, as the charity attempts to make "annual savings of £12m"."

"The scale of change is described as "significant", with more than 380 people directly affected through their "role ceasing or changing significantly" and 86 people indirectly affected."

"A total of 32 RSPB reserves are planned to be "mothballed" or "disposed" of completely - including RSPB Rye Meads, near Harlow, and Church Wood, in Slough....

Part of the proposed changes includes the scrapping of the Schools on Reserves programme at 14 reserves - such as at Rainham Marshes."


As I understand it, there is a pensions blackhole? An area with which I have a degree of experience. Also back in the days of working for a living, as a newly appointed Finance Partner, I had to oversee an exercise with almost a similar amount of annual savings to save the solvency of the Firm.

I saw a connection in the story with various elements of direct mail that I had received as part of my membership for instance on cut price RSPB Lifetime Membership.

This type of situation requires mature and calm leadership. In general, my experience is that the charity wildlife sector lack these skills. My local reserve was Rye Meads. I know how "cheaply" it could be made accessible in the 1980s.

My "prejudice" (I prefer experience) towards this sector can already be found in many places but there is hope in new elements showing an interest in wildlife restoration.

All the best

Paul

 

[Xenospiza]

Although I did not find it a very exciting place and rarely visited, not nice to see Rye Meads there.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Although I did not find it a very exciting place and rarely visited, not nice to see Rye Meads there.

Let's face it anyone who lived in Harlow (like us?) had few choices and I suspect many moth listers discovered its existence as a result of Raspberry Clearwing. 😀

I would take Amwell (even as a working quarry) or Hatfield Forest (when it was a better woodland) over it.

But unless I am remembering four decades ago wrongly, it did give Graham White an opportunity to cut his teeth for the RSPB and had a sightings book for the Lea Valley.

All the best

Paul

 

[JTweedie]

I wonder if they could look at some partnerships, for example working with a wildlife trust and sharing some reserves between them?

 

[paddyluke]

Just spooking people to try boosting their funds?

 

[Mono]

There is a statement from the RSPB on their website...

Changes on our nature reserves

Ensuring we continue to tackle the nature and climate emergency in the most effective way possible.

www.rspb.org.uk

What this leaves out is the human cost. The closure of the facilities and the schools programme will results in many redundancies and the case of the complete closure of schools programme a loss of expertise and experience. Many of the reserves that are being kept are being reorganised. Staff are being made to reapply for their jobs with altered roles and responsibilities. The total head count on many reserves is being reduced, with part time roles melded together into fewer full-time roles.

 

[David Ferguson]

I would like to know how much they spent on their TV advertising campaign and whether they deemed it a success.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I would like to know how much they spent on their TV advertising campaign and whether they deemed it a success.

The most bizarre thing about that advertising campaign was its association with a lottery type scheme based around a win of a luxury house far beyond any individual's needs.

It is exactly the type of mismatch between human aspiration and sustainability that has seen us as a species devastate our planet.

It showed the fundamental mismatch of the leadership of the Charity and the change that is needed in human behaviour to reverse biodiversity collapse in my view....

That can be helped by engagement with young people and volunteers. I have seen excellent work by that in some private initiatives:-

Home

Regenerating land, reversing biodiversity loss and reconnecting communities to nature and each other. Discover how you can join the journey.

belmont.estate

There is hope out there.

All the best

Paul

 

[Mono]

The most bizarre thing about that advertising campaign was its association with a lottery type scheme based around a win of a luxury house far beyond any individual's needs.

Omaze run a succession of those house prize draw things, supporting a wide range of charities. It raised £4.9 million of free money for the RSPB.

You have raised a huge £4.9 million to protect precious peatlands through the Omaze Cornwall House Draw

We're thrilled to share that you’ve broken an Omaze record, and we can’t thank you enough! Through July and August, you had the chance to win a Coastal House in Cornwall worth £4.5 million. Omaze promised at least £1 million raised would help to protect precious peatlands. Thanks to your...

www.rspb.org.uk

 

[Paul Chapman]

Omaze run a succession of those house prize draw things, supporting a wide range of charities. It raised £4.9 million of free money for the RSPB.

You have raised a huge £4.9 million to protect precious peatlands through the Omaze Cornwall House Draw

We're thrilled to share that you’ve broken an Omaze record, and we can’t thank you enough! Through July and August, you had the chance to win a Coastal House in Cornwall worth £4.5 million. Omaze promised at least £1 million raised would help to protect precious peatlands. Thanks to your...

www.rspb.org.uk

Thank you.

An excellent return but selling your soul and a mismatch with your aims is clearly not a sustainable direction so difficult to see how such a result is "free". I am very conscious that my view of the natural world is out of step with the majority. 😀

All the best

Paul

 

[Birdister]

These bits on the RSPB website:

• Flatford Wildlife Garden, Suffolk, England - reviewing options for the future of the reserve during 2025, including potential change of management
• RSPB Rye Meads, Hertfordshire, England - reviewing options for the future of the reserve during 2025, including potential change of management

and this…

At others, we are reducing our work in order to do more elsewhere. At these sites, totalling less than 1% of our landholding, this will mean working in partnership with other charities, community groups or local councils to find sustainable futures for these places. In the coming years, some will focus primarily on maintenance, and others on developing their incredible conservation outcomes.

… sound like a mealy-mouthed euphemism for getting rid of reserves. If true, that would be truly spectacular and colossal mismanagement. The RSPB getting rid of reserves is a bit like a zoo deciding to shoot its animals. It sends completely the wrong message. How much would it cost to have a minimal caretaking service? A few visits from a warden now and then? Not much.

Reducing provision for schoolchildren is completely insane as well. What is the average age of visitors to the average RSPB reserve? 60? The only way the RSPB is going to have any members after 2050 is if there is proactive outreach to young people. Good luck making a difference for wildlife if every reserve turns into an open air retirement home.

 

[JTweedie]

There is a statement from the RSPB on their website...

Changes on our nature reserves

Ensuring we continue to tackle the nature and climate emergency in the most effective way possible.

www.rspb.org.uk

What this leaves out is the human cost. The closure of the facilities and the schools programme will results in many redundancies and the case of the complete closure of schools programme a loss of expertise and experience. Many of the reserves that are being kept are being reorganised. Staff are being made to reapply for their jobs with altered roles and responsibilities. The total head count on many reserves is being reduced, with part time roles melded together into fewer full-time roles.

Strange thing happened when I clicked on that URL. It seemed to go through a different URL before eventually landing on the RSPB web page. So I came back here and clicked on the link again and I'm now getting an error "This request is blocked" in Chrome. I had to then copy the URL and try in Firefox to get the page to open.

 

[Andrew Rowlands]

Strange thing happened when I clicked on that URL. It seemed to go through a different URL before eventually landing on the RSPB web page. So I came back here and clicked on the link again and I'm now getting an error "This request is blocked" in Chrome. I had to then copy the URL and try in Firefox to get the page to open.

I too had issues and needed to lower my guards to make contact - the setting I 'undid' was one that blocks Windows telemetry... not sure of what that entails exactly but I'll see if I can get more clues.

Adding: "New Relic, Inc. is an American web tracking and analytics company based in San Francisco. The company's cloud-based software allows websites and mobile apps to track user interactions and service operators' software and hardware performance."

So the RSPB is using an MS Azure connection (13.107.246.64) so New Relic can track 'stuff'.

 

[Mono]

Strange thing happened when I clicked on that URL. It seemed to go through a different URL before eventually landing on the RSPB web page.

The redirect is a BirdForum thing. There is an anti-spam thing that redirects all urls to a link scanner and then sends you to the actual site if it approves.

 

[delia todd]

I had no problem opening it. Went straight through with no noticeable hold-up at all.

 

[Andrew Rowlands]

The redirect is a BirdForum thing. There is an anti-spam thing that redirects all urls to a link scanner and then sends you to the actual site if it approves.

That only happens for the RSPB links and not the other external links on this page.

Interesting.

 

[Chotacabras]

Just spooking people to try boosting their funds?

Paddy, this seems a very cynical response towards an organisation that has made massive contributions to bird conservation, habitat conservation and public education in the UK. They clearly need money; much more than we need that fancy new scope, probably.

 

[Phil Andrews]

My reading of some of the RSPB forums / FB groups is that the reaction is the other way - "if the organisation is closing facilities I will cease my memberahip" which of course would send it into a tailspin of vicious circles.