Latest Species Champions News

24 May 2023

In a parliamentary debate on the amendments made to the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill (REUL) by the House of Lords, Species Champions from across the political spectrum stood up and used their platform to raise the risks to nature (and more) within this Bill.

Olivia Blake (Hen Harrier Champion) spoke against the ‘sunset clause’ in the Bill, which would lead to a regulatory cliff edge and emphasised the fact Ministers could not put a number to the amount of laws that would drop off. Caroline Lucas (Round-Headed Rhampion Champion) questioned why the Government is against the non-regression clause, which would safeguard environmental standards against being weakened. Layla Moran (Skylark Champion) made the case for robust parliamentary scrutiny over all the laws being retained, reformed or revoked. Alex Sobel (White-Clawed Crayfish Champion) told of his time in the REUL Bill Committee and the need for comprehensive parliamentary oversight as previous Ministers had intended to exempt England from important water quality regulations. 

Despite encouraging cross-party support for safeguarding environmental protections, these important amendments for protecting nature and parliamentary scrutiny were rejected, with the exception of the sunset clause being dropped. The Bill now will return to the House of Lords for further consideration of amendments, in which we hope vital environmental protections will be reinstated into the Bill.   

05 May 2023

Danny Kruger, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Devizes has stepped up to become the Parliamentary Species Champion for the Great Bustard. The Great Bustard is the world’s heaviest flying bird; once native to the UK but pushed to national extinction through habitat loss and persecution. After being reintroduced in Southern England, continued conservation efforts have aimed to recover Great Bustard populations and re-establish them as an important part of UK avifauna.  

To thrive, these birds need safe and undisturbed habitats, particularly for nesting. Alongside raising public awareness for the plight of the species, Danny Kruger is keen to lend his voice to the Great Bustard and use his platform to push for greater recognition and legal protection for the species. 

As one of his first acts as Species Champion for the Great Bustard, Danny Kruger set out to meet his species in person, see the environments in which they succeed, and learn more about their conservation needs. 

Danny Kruger: 

“I am delighted to be appointed Species Champion for the Great Bustard – the traditional ‘county bird’ of Wiltshire and once again a familiar sight on Salisbury Plain thanks to the heroic efforts of David Waters and the Great Bustard Group. This huge bird needs a safe habitat in order to thrive and there is no better place in England than here in the heart of Wiltshire for the revival of this ancient indigenous species.” 

22 February 2023

The Species Champions Awards 2023 saw CEOs, MPs and partners from across the project, and a celebrity pack into the House of Commons’ Thames Pavilion to celebrate our successes and hard work for species conservation. Iconic Dragons’ Den investor and nature-lover Deborah Meaden joined us to present the awards and show her support for the project.  

Sally-Ann Hart took home the Best Parliamentary Champion Award for going above and beyond in her advocacy for seagrass conservation in Parliament. Sir Roger Gale scored the Species Award on behalf of the beaver, which saw increased legal protections in England and more reintroduction initiatives across the UK. Olivia Blake won the Muddy Welly Award for her expedition in the Peak District to satellite tag hen harrier chicks so that experts could monitor their conservation from afar.  

07 February 2023

Luke Pollard, the Labour MP for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport and Shadow Armed Forces Minister, joins the project as the Species Champion for the Pink Sea Fan. Pink Sea Fans are mostly found in the southwest of the UK and help form coral gardens that improve species richness and biodiversity by acting as crucial breeding and feeding grounds for marine species. Harmful fishing practices, ghost fishing gear, and pollution are key drivers of damage to Pink Sea Fans. 

04 August 2022

Cirl bunting champion, Anthony Mangnall MP, continued his search for cirls in South Devon this month by joining the RSPB for a birdwatch at Labrador Bay nature reserve. This coastal site is a mosaic of working farmland, weedy stubble, insect-rich meadow, and asymmetrical hedges, which makes it a haven for cirl buntings. The site offered a clear demonstration that if you provide the right habitat and conditions, they will come, as the cirls were out in force. The success of cirl buntings at Labrador Bay has strengthened their species’ foothold in Devon and seen them spread to other local areas that provide the necessary conditions. With Anthony successfully managing to meet his species and getting first-hand experience of the habitats they need to thrive, he is keen to continue championing the cirl. 

14 July 2022

Caroline Lucas, the round-headed rampion champion, led a Backbench Business debate on the Convention on Biological Diversity’s upcoming COP15 – the first ever time COP15 has been raised in a parliamentary debate. Cross-party MPs banded together to share their passion for nature, emphasise the importance of COP15, and call for the Prime Minister to attend the conference and leverage the UK’s international influence to ensure COP15 becomes nature’s ‘Paris moment’.

Species Champions Chris Grayling (hedgehog), Olivia Blake (hen harrier), Hilary Benn (water vole), and Kerry McCarthy (swift) joined Caroline in speaking up for nature and their species in the debate. Together, throughout the debate, over 30 species received mentions; setting the record for the most species named in a House of Commons debate.

The new DEFRA Minister, Steve Double, confirmed that the Conservative Party are committed to COP15 and it is a high priority for them. Against the backdrop of the Conservative Party leadership contest, Minister Double could not speak on behalf of a future Prime Minister who has not been selected yet but confirmed that he wants the Prime Minister to attend and he guarantees a senior level representation will be at the summit.

24 June 2022

James Cartlidge MP, the turtle dove champion, ventured out with the RSPB at the break of dawn in the hopes of spotting a turtle dove. Despite their rapidly shrinking British range, areas in and around James’ constituency are some of our last hotspots for the turtle dove and the search party toured a selection of locales where these elusive birds were recently seen. Unfortunately for James and the group, despite their early rise maximising their chances of hearing and potentially seeing a turtle dove, their search was without success. All was not lost however, as throughout the expedition James got to see first-hand the types of habitats and environmental land management measures necessary to support turtle doves.  

Turtle doves are becoming rarer in the UK, with their breeding populations here having declined by 98% over the past 50 years. The two main drivers behind their decline are a shortage of suitable seed-rich habitats on their breeding grounds and unsustainable hunting practices along their migratory route through Western Europe. These factors can be remedied through encouraging agri-environmental schemes that incentivise high-quality and accessible seed-rich habitat for turtle doves, ideally near scrub and overgrown hedges for nesting and shallow ponds for drinking, and through measures that lower levels of hunting along their flyways. It is important that both issues are addressed in tandem, as fixing one without the other is unlikely to lead to turtle dove population recovery. 

20 May 2022

Anthony Mangnall MP, the champion for the cirl bunting, joined the RSPB and local South Devon farmers for a farm walk to observe current agri-environment management practices designed to work for both food and nature. Whilst no cirl buntings were spotted along the route, farmers and landowners adopting nature-positive farming techniques has helped drive the success story of cirl buntings in Devon. It is crucial that the Government’s environmental land management schemes provide proper support for farmers to unlock their potential in tackling the climate and nature crisis alongside continuing to feed the nation. 

06 April 2022

We are pleased to welcome Duncan Baker, the MP for North Norfolk, to the role of Species Champion for the glow worm. Glow worms currently do not have any legal protection in the UK and their populations are in decline as a result of habitat loss, pesticide use, and light pollution impacting upon their breeding.

01 March 2022

Today (March 1st) we are celebrating the 6th anniversary of the launch of the Species Champions project. Since 2016, MPs from across the country have been joining our project to take a stand against species decline by championing their species’ conservation needs and making the case for nature-positive change more widely. We are proud to have over 50 MP species champions rallying around the project, all working hard to speak up for our threatened wildlife.  
 
As many of our MP species champions are marking this milestone by sharing on social media their stories and achievements within the project, the partnership wants to thank all the MPs for all the effort and dedication they have put into getting involved with the scheme and driving their species recoveries. We look forward to continuing to work together on the conservation and restoration of our precious wildlife.