RSPB

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a British charitable organisation which works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment through public awareness campaigns, petitions and through the operation of nature reserves throughout the United Kingdom. The RSPB has 1,500 employees, 12,000 volunteers and over 1 million members, making it the largest wildlife conservation charity in Europe. The RSPB has a number of local groups, and maintains 182 reserves across the United Kingdom.

The charity was founded in Didsbury in 1889, as a protest group, campaigning against the use of great crested grebe skins and feathers in fur clothing. The society received a Royal Charter in 1903 from Edward VII, and was instrumental in petitioning the Parliament of the United Kingdom to introduce acts banning the use of plumage in clothing. Today, the RSPB works with both the civil service and the Government to advise Government policies on conservation and environmentalism.