The National Trust, RSPB and WWF have announced plans to work together in their first major joint campaign to protect nature in the UK.
‘Save Our Wild Isles’ was launched on the back of a new BBC series narrated by Sir David Attenborough called Wild Isles, the first episode of which aired last night.
The campaign launch comes after the Guardian reported that the BBC decided not to broadcast an episode of the new series on British wildlife “because of fears its themes of the destruction of nature would risk a backlash from Tory politicians and the right-wing press”.
The BBC has insisted the film in question, called Saving Our Wild Isles and commissioned by RSPB and WWF, was never intended for broadcast and was acquired instead for its online iPlayer service.
Campaign charities have 8.5 million combined members
The conservation charities have 8.5 million combined members and say there is just enough of the UK’s natural world still left to save, and if everyone urgently works together to aid its recovery, nature can begin to thrive again within the next few decades.
The charities are calling on the public to show their love of nature by committing to “Go Wild Once a Week”.
A YouGov poll commissioned for the Save Our Wild Isles campaign revealed over three-quarters of people in the UK are worried about the state of nature.
The charities will be engaging hundreds of businesses on the crucial impact that business plays in the fate of nature in the UK and providing tools and guidance on how to take positive action.
They will also be providing guidance, advice and inspiration for how people and communities can play an active role in restoring nature near to them.
‘Urgent and collective action’ crucial
In a joint statement, Hilary McGrady, director-general National Trust, Beccy Speight, chief executive of the RSPB and Tanya Steele, chief executive of WWF (UK), said huge numbers of animals, birds and habitats have been “quite literally wiped out in our own lifetimes”.
They added: “We must now accept that without urgent and collective action, our economy, the climate and the stability of future generations living in our wild isles all face a ticking timebomb.”
The leaders said it is a massive challenge, “and we need to act fast, but there is hope”.
WWF ambassador Attenborough said everybody must play a part in restoring nature.
“It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or powerless by the scale of the issues facing our planet, but we have the solutions. I am hopeful for the future, because although nature is in crisis, now is the time for action, and together we can save it,” he said.
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