The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. Founded in 1889, the Society works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment through public awareness campaigns, petitions and through the operation of nature reserves throughout the United Kingdom. In 2023/24 the RSPB had revenue of £169 million, 2,517 employees, 13,500 volunteers and 1.1 million members (including 195,000 youth members), making it one of the world's largest wildlife conservation organisations. The RSPB has many local groups and maintains 222 nature reserves.
History
The Society for the Protection of Birds was founded in February 1889 by Emily Williamson at her house in Didsbury, Manchester, as a protest group campaigning against the use of great crested grebe and kittiwake skins and feathers in fur clothing. The house is now in Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden. By May 1891, when Hannah Poland succeeded Emily as Honorary Secretary, the SPB had moved to London. Hannah is widely quoted as being responsible for the appointment of the Duchess of Portland as the first President in 1891, with Eliza Phillips as Vice President and Catherine Victoria Hall as Treasurer. Eliza later began writing a series of Fin, Fur and Feather leaflets which never appeared as SPB publications, but resulted in an assumption that this was a sister organisation. The first SPB Annual Report was published in November 1891. In 1893 Etta Lemon was appointed Honorary Secretary, succeeding Hannah Poland. Etta had earlier been listed in the first Annual Report as one of fifty local secretaries. The Society gained its Royal Charter in 1904. Hannah Poland became the first Honorary Member of the RSPB in 1905 "in recognition of her work for the cause of bird protection in the early days". The original members of the SPB were all women who campaigned against the fashion of the time for women to wear exotic feathers in hats, and the consequent encouragement of "plume hunting". To this end the Society had two simple rules:
That Members shall discourage the wanton destruction of Birds, and interest themselves generally in their protection That Lady-Members shall refrain from wearing the feathers of any bird not killed for purposes of food, the ostrich only excepted. At the time of founding, the trade in plumage for use in hats was very large: in the first quarter of 1884, almost 7,000 bird-of-paradise skins were being imported to Britain, along with 400,000 birds from West India and Brazil, and 360,000 birds from East India. In November 1890, Eliza Phillips had published a leaflet entitled Destruction of Ornamental-Plumaged Birds, aimed at saving the egret population by informing wealthy women of the environmental damage wrought by the use of feathers in fashion. This leaflet is considered to have later become the first in a series of official SPB publications. A 1897 publication, Bird Food in Winter, aimed to address the use of berries as winter decoration and encouraged the use of synthetic berries to preserve the birds food source. In 1897 the SPB distributed over 16,000 letters and 50,000 leaflets and by 1898 had 20,000 members. The Society attracted support from some women of high social standing who belonged to the social classes that popularised the wearing of feathered hats, including the Duchess of Portland and the Ranee of Sarawak. As the organisation began to attract the support of many other influential figures, both male and female, such as the ornithologist Professor Alfred Newton, it gained in popularity and attracted many new members. The Society received a Royal Charter in 1904 from Edward VII, just 15 years after its founding, and was instrumental in petitioning the Parliament of the United Kingdom to introduce laws banning the use of plumage in clothing. At the time that the Society was founded in Britain, similar societies were also founded in other European countries. In 1961, the society acquired The Lodge in Sandy, Bedfordshire, as its new headquarters. The RSPB's logo depicts an avocet. The first version was designed by Robert Gillmor.
Activities
Today, the RSPB works with both the civil service and the Government to advise Government policies on conservation and environmentalism. It is one of several organisations that determine the official conservation status list for all birds found in the UK. The RSPB does not run bird hospitals nor offer animal rescue services. The RSPB entered into a partnership with UK housebuilder Barratt Developments in 2014.
Reserves and other properties
The RSPB maintains over 200 reserves throughout the United Kingdom, covering a wide range of habitats, from estuaries and mudflats to forests and urban habitats. The reserves often have bird hides provided for birdwatchers and many provide visitor centres, which include information about the wildlife that can be seen there. Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire is a 181 hectares (450 acres) farm operated by contractors on behalf of the RSPB and acquired around 2000. The farm operates commercially but also aims to showcase bird-friendly farming practice.
Awards The RSPB confers awards, including the President's Award, for volunteers who make a notable contribution to the work of the society.
RSPB Medal
According to the RSPB:
The RSPB Medal is the Society's most prestigious award. It is presented to an individual in recognition of wild bird protection and countryside conservation. It is usually awarded annually to one or occasionally two people.
Magazines The RSPB has published a members-only magazine for over a century.
Bird Notes
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