Our nature reserve teams have been hard at work this year, implementing the operational changes necessary to continue vital conservation efforts. Though our income is growing, it’s not keeping pace with rising costs: two years ago, we spent £150 million delivering our work, but today that same work will cost us £165 million – a 10% increase.
To ensure that the RSPB is equipped for the future and can make the biggest impact for nature and wildlife, we completed a comprehensive review of the whole organisation last year to identify improvements and more effective ways of working.
This included looking in detail at our nature reserve network and other small pieces of land that we own or manage, focusing on what each site’s unique contribution to our strategy and mission should be.
‘To best deliver for nature on our reserves, we needed to make some changes to the way we operate our sites’
The review concluded that, to best deliver for nature on our reserves, we needed to make some changes to the way we operate our sites. Much of this work is happening behind the scenes, but members might have noticed that our cafés are now offering new menus, and that a very small number of shops and cafés across our reserves are now closed.
We know how much our members value our nature reserves and the important work our amazing staff and volunteers deliver on them. These changes, though challenging, have been carefully considered and delivered to ensure that we can continue to manage our reserves to the highest standards long into the future, and to do what matters most – boost numbers of birds and wildlife, and restore the vital habitats they need. Thank you, as ever, for your support.
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