Species conservation for the common good

We are a founding member of the Rethink Nature partnership, a group of well-known species conservation organisations keen to do something different and enhance collaboration. Combining our accumulated knowledge and experience, we are: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Butterfly Conservation, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Plantlife and the RSPB.

We are all public-facing, action-based organisations that have the collective strength to make a stronger case for support and help create a more coherent message representing thousands of species between us in a way that no one organisation can.

Currently, we are collaborating on Species on the Edge, a programme of work that will improve the fortunes of  35 of some of Scotland’s most vulnerable species that are found along Scotland’s coast and islands. Designed to aid species recovery and connect people with the wild places that form their natural heritage, the programme is a partnership between Rethink Nature and NatureScot.

Natur Am Byth! is another Rethink project that will deliver an extensive natural heritage and outreach programme across Wales. It is being led by a partnership that brings the Rethink Nature partners together with Natural Resources Wales, the Marine Conservation Society and the Vincent Wildlife Trust.

The Rethink Nature partnership also run the Species and Nature Champions projects. The aim is for politicians to raise awareness of their chosen species or habitat and the causes of its decline both in Parliament and in their constituencies. Politicians are encouraged to support the development of public policy and legislation that will help their species to flourish. 

In the past, the Rethink Nature partnership has worked with Natural England on the Back from the Brink project, one of the most ambitious conservation projects ever undertaken. Its aim – to save 20 species from extinction and benefit over 200 more through 19 projects that span England; from the tip of Cornwall to Northumberland.

Visit www.rethinknature.co.uk to find out more about the partnership and its work.