Swift bricks become law in Scotland to protect birds
Following RSPB “campaigners, supporters, and nature lovers,” Scotland has enshrined swift bricks into law to provide the birds with safe nesting sites that “they desperately need,” the charity said. Scotland “made history” it added, as it became the first UK country to introduce a legal requirement for nesting bricks for the birds in new buildings.
“This is an incredibly important step which will help reverse the decline of one of our most threatened species,” the RSPB said.
The birds number have “plummeted in recent years,” with nearly two out of every three swifts in the UK being lost since the mid-1990s. This is thanks in part to a fall in insect numbers, climate change, and loss of nesting sites. Evidence shows, the charity said, that when nest sites is provided for them in buildings, they are regularly occupied, allowing the birds to breed successfully.
“Ensuring Swift bricks are included in new buildings is a simple, cheap and effective measure that will help save this beautiful and remarkable creature,” the RSPB said.
Attempts in the rest of the UK to make Swift bricks a requirement “have so far failed or barely begun,” it added.
England recently had an opportunity via an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, only for the House of Lords to vote against the measure, while a successful petition in Wales was debated in the Senedd, but was rejected “despite the urgency and cross-party support,” the RSPB said. Northern Ireland has cross-party interest and the charity said it is “investigating the potential for legislation.”
It points to “significant cross-party support” in the Scottish Parliament, saying it has “resulted in real hope for Swifts,” adding that its “focus will turn to the next Scottish Government to implement this measure, and for other governments in the UK to follow Scotland’s lead.”
Image: Alexis Lours
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