Too much doom and gloom? Nature's fightback provides a beacon of hope
Bold conservation action has been making a difference, says the RSPB. Politicians should take note
At times, the sense of doom and gloom can seem all-pervasive. Whether it’s (deep breath) the cost-of-living crisis, high taxes, the state of the economy, the state of the NHS, violence in schools, artificial intelligence taking over, artificial intelligence failing to live up to the hype, SNP and Labour bungling, climate change, Donald Trump’s increasingly alarming statements, China’s sabre-rattling or Vladimir Putin’s murderous warmongering, it feels like there’s at least something for everyone to worry about.
However, we are happy to report that good news is not dead. On at least one front – efforts to stop an array of flora and fauna from becoming endangered or extinct – there are, according to the RSPB, reasons to be hopeful.
The charity highlighted its work to expand the Caledonian forest over the past quarter of a century through the planting of thousands of broadleaf trees every year in the Cairngorms and also natural regeneration.
Bitterns to return to Scotland?
The new woodland has helped the capercaillie – a species at “very real risk of extinction” – stage something of a recovery, while golden eagles, crested tits, red squirrels and pine hoverflies, among other species, have all found places to call home.
Furthermore, while Britain’s loudest bird, the ‘booming’ bittern, was once reduced to just 11 males, large-scale creation and restoration of inland reedbeds south of the Border has helped them make a comeback. With the birds now breeding on Teesside, they appear to be heading north and could return to Scotland for the first time in more than a century.
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RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight cautioned that the natural world remained “hugely threatened” by habitat loss, climate change, the intensification of agriculture and other problems.
However she added: “From re-wiggling rivers to protecting islands from invasive, non-native species, the RSPB has shown what’s possible when we take bold conservation action. These wins for nature give hope for wildlife and the natural world on which we all depend.”
In this, there is perhaps a lesson for politicians grappling with the rest of our problems. When dealing with a crisis, bold steps are almost always required – tinkering and tinkering just doesn’t cut it.
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