Since becoming a 'Puffin Champion' in 2016, I have been working to bring political support to the protection and promotion of this threatened species. As constituents know, the puffin can be seen on Filey's coast, however, there have tragically been large population declines over much of the species’ European range.
The puffin is a creature of great affection to Filey residents as well as the wider country. I hope to visit Bempton Cliffs RSPB early next year to understand what more can be done to protect this endearing creature and take these action points back to my colleagues in Government. This is especially poignant given COP26, the Environment Act requiring species abundance targets to be set and the upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity.
Since 2015, the puffin has been on the red list of UK birds, meaning it is of ‘highest conservation concern’. The RSPB's latest update, published today, unfortunately shows that the puffin has remained on this red list and is therefore still under threat. The UK Red List for birds continues to grow and has increased to 70 species, which is more than ever before. According to the report, now over a quarter (29%) of UK species are within the Red List.
