The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity. It has more members than the UK's three main political parties, combined.
It was founded in 1889 in England, initially to stop the use of grebe "fur" -- the use of the plumage of the Great Crested Grebe on ladies' clothing to simulate real fur. Grebes were close to extinction before the RSPB campaign.
In 2001, the RSPB had 168 bird reserves in the United Kingdom, covering 115,000 hectares.
The RSPB is a registered charity.
List of selected reserves
- England
- RSPB The Lodge, Bedfordshire
- RSPB Sandwell Valley, Birmingham
- RSPB Nene Washes, Cambridgeshire
- RSPB Ouse Washes, Cambridgeshire
- RSPB Radipole Lake, Dorset
- RSPB Rye House Marsh, Hertfordshire
- RSPB Dungeness, Kent
- RSPB Leighton Moss, Silverdale, Lancashire
- RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk
- RSPB Berney Marshes, Norfolk
- Breydon Water, Norfolk
- Halvergate Marshes, Norfolk
- RSPB Snettisham, Norfolk
- RSPB Titchwell Marsh, Hunstanton, Norfolk
- RSPB Havergate Island, Suffolk
- RSPB Minsmere, Suffolk
- RSPB Stour Estuary, Suffolk
- RSPB Pulborough Brooks, West Sussex
- RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire
- RSPB Blacktoft Sands, Yorkshire
- RSPB Fairburn Ings, West Yorkshire
- Wales
- RSPB Conwy
- RSPB Lake Vyrnwy
- RSPB South Stack, Anglesey
- RSPB Ynys-hir
- Scotland
- Loch Garten Osprey Centre
- RSPB Lochwinnoch
- RSPB Vane Farm
- Northern Ireland
