Hampshire bird scheme flies off with award

Hampshire bird scheme flies off with award

Bird Aware Solent was presented with two awards at the respected Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South East annual awards ceremony held at the Brighton Pavilion. The first award was presented in the category of Excellence in Planning for the Natural Environment, and was awarded in recognition of work to protect iconic bird species such as the curlew and the Brent goose. The partnership, made up of 15 local authorities and four conservation groups, also picked up the prestigious award of overall regional winner. This was awarded for the strong collaboration work between the partners, which helped to ensure that challenges have been overcome and that important environmental messages were conveyed. Councillor Seán Woodward, chairman of the partnership for Urban South Hampshire, which oversees the Bird Aware Solent partnership, said: “Bird Aware is a partnership that is vital for the future of our birds that spend the winter here. It is an important organisation for the local community and economy, so I’m thrilled that it got the acknowledgement it deserves with these two awards. I’m really pleased for everyone involved and very excited for what the future holds.’ Royal Town Planning Institute chief executive, Victoria Hills, said: ‘The Bird Aware Solent project provides special protection for overwintering birds on the Solent coastline, following concerns from natural environment experts about human disturbance to the wildlife."