ABSTRACT
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) was formed in 1889 to counter the growing trade in feather plumes for ladies’ hats. This chapter investigates some examples of where partnerships with the private sector have benefited the environment and nature, and potentially prevented extinctions. In 2005, the RSPB and BirdLife International brought together an international team of seabird experts tasked with the job of acting as liaison between the fishing industry and science. With advice from experts at the RSPB, and other environmental organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts and Butterfly Conservation, Cemex have created new habitat deemed as ideal for a number of target species. Natural England have issued a licence to remove hen harrier chicks, raise them in captivity and release them back into the wild, a move which has been criticised by the RSPB as ‘facilitating unsustainable intensive land management which is destroying our uplands’.
