Sunday the 5th of May was Dawn Chorus Day, and it so happened that the team had the pleasure of being on farm to listen to the loud and rousing celebration of the start of a spring day. Head of RSPB Fair to Nature, Mark Varney, tells us why it’s important to protect the dawn chorus.

This farm is farmed with nature in mind, and habitats are nurtured for nature to thrive.  There were Skylarks in abundance and their tuneful song was joined by that of Corn Bunting (jangling keys) and Yellowhammer (a-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese). It brought back vivid memories of when I used to run around the farms near where I grew up in South Devon and hear amazing birds and see beautiful butterflies.

These sounds are a stark contrast to the state of nature generally in the UK.  As the most recent State of Nature report shows, our wildlife has declined and is continuing to decline. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, so it’s no wonder that farms that create space for nature are such special places; the sound almost deafening in comparison to what we hear everyday. There are many drivers of this loss, the most significant being climate change and changes to farming methods over the past decades that has resulted in so much habitat loss.    

With the recent warning from the UN’s climate chief that we have two years to take action to avert far worse climate change, we do not have time to waste. And it’s vital that we protect and restore nature whilst we work to tackle the climate crisis – the two are inextricably linked.  Nature is a key ally in our fight against climate change and holds the solutions to many of the adaptation challenges we face. Working with nature is a real win win.

In our recent report, Without Nature There is no Food, the solution to restoring the balance of nature in farming is outlined. It demonstrates how, if every farm was supported to make 10% of land available for good quality wildlife habitat, we could together restore and protect wildlife on farms and also ensure that the essential services nature provides are there for us in the future.

RSPB Fair to Nature licensee, Summerdown, farm with nature at the heart of everything they do:  

 “The blackbirds start singing as soon as it’s getting light, and it lasts for at least an hour every day.  We know we have a lot of wildlife on the farm because of the work we have done over the years becoming an RSPB Fair to Nature certified farm and creating space for nature. A healthy and loud dawn chorus underlines that. During the day the birdsong continues with Skylarks and Lapwings singing along with the song and chatter from many hedgerow dwellers, [like Linnets, Yellowhammers and Tree Sparrows]”, Ian Margetts, Master of Mint at Summerdown

As a proven approach to delivering this in practice, RSPB Fair to Nature provides food businesses with the means to act on wildlife declines, empowers and supports farmers with a viable way of protecting and restoring nature on their farms, and with the benefit of the corresponding on-pack branding, harnesses consumers’ buying power to deliver the transformative change needed in our food and farming system.  

And let’s not forget the benefits of nature, and birdsong specifically, for individuals. It’s not always easy to seek out the things that ground us.  But nature always does. Increasing evidence shows that being in nature really does have the power to boost our health, happiness and wellbeing. Nine out of ten people enjoy hearing birdsong and believe it benefits their mental health. Our society needs it.  We need it.  

And a certification scheme like RSPB Fair to Nature has the power to connect the concern about climate change and nature loss that we have seen from shoppers, they desire to take action.   

We have the power to take action. And, to businesses ready to be leaders for nature, this is an opportunity.