Good News from the RSPB

This is a good news email I received yesterday
Dear Supporter,

The first thing I must say is thank you. Over the last three months we've been asking for your help to keep the countryside alive. A fantastic 43,770 of you took action. You sent 86,480 e-mails to a range of politicians, including the Chancellor and the Prime Minister.



This is amazing - staggering in fact - and I thank you all.

The good news is that all your actions, all your e-mails, have made a difference. Last Wednesday, when the outcome of the comprehensive spending review was announced, we found out that there will be more money for wildlife-friendly farming. In fact, it looks like the Higher Level Scheme, the key means of halting the loss of habitats and restoring biodiversity, will grow by 83%.

This was our line in the sand, and the UK Government didn't cross it.

There was also good news on the climate change front. There will still be money to fund the development of technology to capture and store carbon emissions from coal-fired power stations. Money was also provided to help start up the green investment bank, which it is hoped will generate billions of pounds of private investment in low-carbon technologies.

However, it's not all good news. Defra have still had a budget cut of 29% over the next four years. Whilst this is better than the 40% cut we had feared was on the table, it will still have severe and far reaching consequences. Natural England and the Environment Agency have had their funding slashed and it is not yet clear what impact this will have. What is likely is that we will need to find innovative ways to raise money so that we can continue the great work we do for wildlife with less cash. We'll pay careful attention over the coming months as we strive to understand the full implications of the cuts, and we'll be sure to let you know when there are other opportunities for you to get involved.

Right now, we can afford to take a moment to reflect on a campaign well fought, and to take some measure of satisfaction from the knowledge that our worst fears were not realised. But this isn't the end – indeed it may prove to be just the beginning.

Thanks again for your support!

Martin Harper
Letter to the Future Campaign Manager

P.S. Don't forget you can keep in touch and share your love of wildlife with RSPB love nature on facebook.

Yes I agree , and its good that it's going to the larger scheme. At least they seem to be taking our enviroment into consideration, it would have been an easy one to cut
WS