The £158m-a-year conservation charity the RSPB has named its new director for England.
Michael Copleston has landed the role after 20 years at the organisation, during which he has worked from the tip of Cornwall to the Hebridean Islands.
Copleston will lead the RSPB England team of more than 750 staff and 8,000 volunteers across many areas of the organisation’s work.
An RSPB press release said that work would include “influencing government policy to put nature at the heart of decision-making” and “supporting reserve teams that manage more than 60,000ha of nature reserves across the country”.
Copleston, who lives in the Midlands, said: “I couldn’t be more delighted to take up this role and lead an organisation working to make a real difference for wildlife conservation, especially at a time of such great need for nature.”
He said he was most proud of seeing colleagues thrive and unlocking species recovery founded on enduring partnerships.
Copleston said: “I love to see the big wins for nature like returning iconic species, such as red kites and bitterns, and there is nothing better than seeing the new connections and joy these recoveries mean to people on their local doorstep too.”
He added: “I’ve also been very lucky to learn and contribute to hard-won success working in China on the creation of thousands of hectares of wetlands at Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve in Shanghai.
“The RSPB worked alongside scientists, engineers, conservationists and local government to transform the habitat on an incredible scale, with fantastic results for wildlife.”
Copleston said he believed that achieving a world where nature was restored, rather than declining, was only possible if people could genuinely be connected to nature.
“I’m really excited by the challenges and opportunities ahead and firmly believe it can, and should, be a brighter future for nature and people.”
Copleston will work with executive director Emma Marsh and chief executive Beccy Speight.
The RSPB, which was founded in 1889 as the Society for the Protection of Birds, manages more than 200 nature reserves covering more than 160,000 hectares. Last year there were more than one million visits to these reserves.