It was truly inspiring to see the huge turnout for The Big One on Saturday – Earth Day. Although I couldn’t make it up to London, I know how powerful and energising it can feel to be with thousands of others all coming together in common cause. I stand in solidarity with all those who attended the event to demonstrate increasing concern around the lack of effective government action on the nature and climate crisis, and I fully support people’s rights to do so peacefully. 

What is sad and frustrating is the lack of media coverage for the event, the negative framing of the issues by various commentators, and the strength of feeling the event seems to have triggered on social media around whether the Wildlife Trusts (and other NGOs) should or shouldn’t be supporting such action.  

People power is at the heart of our Wilder strategy. Nature and climate are in crisis, and we are running out of time to turn things around. The Trust is already playing a key role in encouraging, supporting, and empowering people to take action for nature in various ways, we are strengthening the Trust’s campaigning role and voice, and we are innovating around nature recovery projects including rewilding, bringing back missing species and delivering nature-based solutions. But we also need much more rapid government action.  

Mass participation events like the Big One are important 'moments' in building awareness and visibility around the issues and to push for the need for much more to be done. But it is important to remember that protests and marches are not for everyone, and even if they are not taking to the streets there are millions of people who share the feelings of urgency, passion, frustration, anger, and determination and who are showing up in different ways to fight for nature and climate.  

I am a fan of the social change ecosystem map which illustrates how people and organisations have different roles to play in creating social change. It is premised on the ecosystem concept, that we are more effective and more sustainable when we build connections and coalitions with others, with different roles all contributing and adding value. It is similar to ‘movement ecology’ thinking which shows that diversity and inclusion across a broad spectrum give us strength and survival, and ultimately more success.   

I was saddened to hear hardened campaigners call out the Wildlife Trusts and other NGOs for not mobilising all of our members to attend the Big One, accusing us of shying away from such action. A speech from the main stage painted the mainstream NGOs as failed and cowardly organisations who favour direct debits over direct action and who are more concerned about salaries and reputation than saving species. I wholly refute these comments and find it sad and frankly unhelpful that there is such division amongst environmentalists when we are all fighting for the same thing. The message could easily have been framed differently, choosing to highlight what unites us all, how XR and other campaign groups are different, what the Wildlife Trusts do that they don’t (protect and restore nature locally, connect people with wildlife, support communities to change and influence local policy makers, landowners and business leaders).  They could have helped people understand that there is in fact a huge coalition of people taking action for nature in various ways. The negative comments just risk creating division, at a time when that is the last thing we need.  

Social history shows us that people protest from a position of fear, injustice and not feeling heard. And that is a justified position to take. It’s certainly true that whilst things are starting to shift, with increasing recognition of the climate and nature crisis and some positive signals, we are not yet seeing a true emergency response. In many ways, the increasing risk of ecological collapse feels like a ticking timebomb that is in danger of becoming background noise. So, it is easy to feel terrified at the prospect and to think that we don't have the luxury as an overall social movement of relying on gentle persuasion.  

It is also true that many people dislike direct action and feel it creates a negative image of those concerned about the environmental crisis  - creating division and turning people off. Direct action, it is feared, can risk undermining more constructive collaboration, and alienate potential allies. It can derail the public discourse and repel the wave of public support that we have seen recently following the Wild Isles series and the joint NGO ‘Attack on Nature’ campaign last year.  

But my personal view is that lawful and peaceful direct action done well has an important role to play as part of the whole spectrum of ‘taking action for nature.’  Campaigning and activism are vital to push open the door to constructive progress. Activists carve a space for others to move into. Agitators create debate and move the agenda, and this can be complemented with others demonstrating solutions on the ground. Charities deliver transformative projects and engage people across a much broader spectrum, offering a variety of different ways to create change –everything from wildlife gardening, to volunteering, to writing letters, to teaching people about nature, to buying land and rewilding it. The different activities that conservation charities like the Wildlife Trusts, and activist groups such as XR offer, complement each other, and should be working together to create the societal shift that we need and which in many respects we are starting to see. Not everyone is in a position where they feel comfortable at demonstrations like The Big One, so it's important that we offer a diversity of ways that people can act for the environment – everyone should be invited and included in this movement for change.  

In my job I get criticised from all sides. I have been criticised for not attending The Big One but equally I would have been criticised if I had. When the Trust appointed Chris Packham as our Vice-President recently quite a few members resigned or complained because they felt he was too radical and outspoken. But just as many people have written to say the opposite, and more have celebrated this appointment and are supportive of the need to use our voice more strongly. What’s clear is that nature lovers come from all walks of life and people have very different views about what we should or shouldn’t be doing.  

But in truth, and at the heart of all this, I believe we are not so very different as human beings who are all dependent on the living earth and who, deep down, care passionately about trying to fix the many problems that we see. We need accelerated action from government on the nature and climate crisis and we need to use all the tools we have to make it happen.  

Thank you for whatever you do, it all helps.