annual report and accounts 2012 - RSPB

RSPB TRUSTEES’
REPORT AND ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
31 MARCH 2012

RSPB
Trustees’ Report and Accounts
for the year ended
31 March 2012

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Contents
Operating statement
i
RSPB accounts in context
ii
Trustees’ report 1
Independent auditor's report 21
Financial statements 22
Notes to the accounts 25
How you can help the RSPB 43
Acknowledgements 2011-12 – thank you for supporting us 44

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Operating statement
Operating statement
for the year ended 31 March 2012
Income (
Membership subscriptions and donations 39.0) 39.2)
Grants, corporates and trusts 26.8) 29.7(
Legacies 27.1) 27.5)
Commercial trading 20.4) 0 20.9)
Land rents, farming and advisory 5.8( 4.5)
Financial income - profit on sale of fixed assets and interest 0.6) 0.7)
Total income )119.7( 122.5)
Cost of generating income
Cost of goods for resale 12.5( 12.8)
Other cost of generating income 17.9( 15.7)
Total cost of generating income 30.4( 28.5)
Net income available for charitable purposes )89.3( 94.0)
Expenditure on charitable purposes
Acquisition of nature reserves and operating assets 4.0) 3.0)
Conservation on RSPB nature reserves 29.3( 28.9)
Conservation – research, policy and advisory
Education and communication
Membership services and enquiries
Governance
34.2(
13.6(
4.1(
0.5(
33.7)
13.3)
4.0)
0.5)
Total expenditure on charitable activities 85.7( 83.4)
2012(
£m(
2011(
£m(
Net operating income
3.6(
10.6)
Other movements
Investment assets
Pension scheme
Stock, debtors and creditors
Total other movements (1.0) (5.9)
Movement in cash and investments 2.6) 4.7)
0.0.1(
(2.9)
1.8)
0.9)
(2.4)
(4.4)
Statement of net assets
as at 31 March 2012
Nature reserves 125.4) 121.7)
Operating assets 4.7) 4.3)
2012(
£m(
2011(
£m(
Cash and investments
Stock, debtors and creditors
Pension liability
37.4)
5.4)
(46.7)
34.8)
7.2)
(33.5)
Net assets 126.2) 134.5)
Financial reserves
as at 31 March 2012
Available financial reserves at the start of the period 42.0) 32.9)
Net operating income
Movement in investment assets and pension scheme
3.6)
(2.8)
10.6)
(1.5)
Available financial reserves for future activities 42.8) 42.0)
Held for specific purposes (25.3) (28.5)
Free financial reserves 17.5) 13.5)
2012(
£m(
2011(
£m(
Representing future expenditure cover of 11 weeks 9 weeks
i
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
RSPB accounts in context
RSPB accounts in context
The Operating statement has been prepared to
assist readers gain an overview of the RSPB’s
financial position.
Net income available for charitable purposes:
Net income (money available for charitable
purposes), at £89.3 million, was slightly down on
the previous year.
Grant income was lower because, in 2011, we
received £1.2million shortly before year-end that
was earmarked by the donor for the restoration of
Bowers Marsh in Essex. Had we received it a
couple of weeks later, grant income would have
been stable over the two years. Membership
subscriptions and donations include tax recovery
under the Gift Aid scheme which fell by around
£0.7 million due to the end of the “transition relief”
which was introduced by the Government to
cushion the impact of reducing the basic rate of
income tax from 22% to 20% in 2008.
The continued backing we receive from our
members and supporters means that the
underlying income trend was stable in spite of
challenging times.
Net income is shown after deducting the £17.9
million cost of generating income and a further
£12.5 million cost of goods for resale by our trading
operation. The majority of products sold, such as
bird food and feeders, optics, wildlife books and
videos, relate directly to our charitable objectives.
The cost of generating income increased due to
inflationary pressure in a number of areas such as
printing and postage costs. We also invested in
future income growth; by bringing our processes
up to date and promoting the opportunity for
supporters to upgrade their annual subscription to
a monthly amount of their choice.
Expenditure on charitable purposes:
Expenditure on land purchases and associated
visitor facilities increased by £1 million from a
comparatively low base in 2010. The availability of
grants and the high price of land continue to
constrain our aspirations.
leaves 90% of our resources available to be spent
directly on delivering our conservation objectives.
Net operating income and financial reserves
The RSPB is committed to putting its income to
work as soon as possible. The £3.6 million surplus
has been earmarked for projects that extend beyond
the end of the financial year.
Funds held for specific purposes, at £25.3 million,
include money required for future working capital
and a threat fund to cushion our key work
programmes against uncertain times ahead.
Free financial reserves are held at a modest level to
maximise the funds available for immediate
conservation needs. We hold just 11 weeks’ worth
of expenditure in free financial reserves.
The Statement of net assets includes Nature
reserves held at their original cost, less depreciation
where applicable, and the defined benefit Pension
liability. The net liability of the scheme, at £46.7
million, increased due to the combined effects of
the depressed asset values (due to the impact on
stock markets of continuing economic difficulties),
a higher actuarial valuation of our liabilities (due to
low interest rates) and increased life expectancy.
The scheme is relatively immature in that there are
significantly more contributing members than
pensioners; therefore the net liability of the scheme
will not crystallise for some years. In view of this
and the medium term recovery plan, the RSPB
trustees do not consider the liability to represent a
significant constraint over the use of financial
reserves for the foreseeable future.
The last full actuarial review was completed in July
2010. The actions taken as a result of this review
were a reduction in benefits accruing of around
25% and a sharing with scheme members of the risk
of future increases in longevity. The final salary
section of the scheme was closed to new entrants in
February 2007. The assets and liabilities of the
pension scheme are reviewed every three years,
following which a plan is agreed with the pension
scheme trustees to make good any deficit. The next
review began on 1 April 2012.
The diversity of our income streams gave us the
financial stability to continue to increase our
conservation and education work, spending £1.2
million more than last year.
Administrative overheads, including governance,
are approximately 5% of our charitable expenditure
and membership related costs a further 5%. This
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ii

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Trustees’ report
Reference and administrative details of
the charity, its advisers and trustees
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (the
RSPB) originated in 1889. Our membership now
stands at 1,090,219, including 203,628 in our junior
membership Wildlife Explorers. This makes us one
of the largest voluntary wildlife conservation
organisations in the world. Within Scotland,
Northern Ireland and Wales, we are known as RSPB
Scotland, RSPB Northern Ireland and RSPB Cymru
respectively.
Registration
Charity registered in England and Wales number
207076, in Scotland number SC037654.
Registered office
The Lodge
Sandy
Bedfordshire SG19 2DL
Principal professional advisers
Bankers
Co-operative Bank plc
4 th Floor
9 Prescot Street
London E1 8BE
Lloyds TSB Bank plc
249 Silbury Boulevard
Secklow Gate West
Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire
MK9 1NA
Independent auditors
Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP
Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors
St. Bride’s House
10 Salisbury Square
London EC4Y 8EH
Insurance brokers
Aon Limited
Somerset House
47-49 London Road
Redhill
Surrey RH1 1LU
Legal advisers
Hewitsons
Shakespeare House
42 Newmarket Road
Cambridge CB5 8EP
Speechly Bircham
6 New Street Square
London EC4A 3LX
Turcan Connell
Princes Exchange
1 Earl Grey Street
Edinburgh EH3 9EE
Withers LLP
16 Old Bailey
London EC4M 7EG
Pension administrators
Mercer Human Resource Consulting Limited
Mercer House
Thames Side
Windsor
Berkshire SL4 1QN
Investment advisers
Cambridge Associates
80 Victoria Street
Cardinal Place
London SW1E 5JL
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Management, Council and Directorate
Patron:
Her Majesty the Queen
President:
Ms Kate Humble
Vice Presidents:
Dr Elizabeth Andrews MBE DL
Mr Nick Baker
Mr Adrian Darby OBE
The Earl of Lindsay
Professor Ian Newton OBE FRS FRSE
Mr Chris Packham
Sir Graham Wynne CBE
Sir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE FRS
Viscount Blakenham
Professor Sir John Lawton CBE FRS
Sir John Lister-Kaye Bt
Mr Bill Oddie OBE
Mr Julian Pettifer OBE
Baroness Young of Old Scone
Trustees:
Council Chairman
Mr Ian Darling FRICS
Committees:
Honorary Treasurer and Chairman – Finance and Audit Committee: Mr Alan Martin FCMA
Chairman – Conservation Committee:
Dr Andrew Brown
Chairman – Communications Committee: Mr Anthony Thomas OBE (retired 8 October 2011)
Mr James Alexander (appointed 8 October 2011)
Country Advisory Committees:
Chairman – Committee for Northern Ireland:
Chairman – Committee for Scotland:
Chairman – Committee for Wales:
Dr Julian Greenwood
Mrs Pamela Pumphrey
Professor Steve Ormerod FIEEM
Other Council Members:
Mr David Baldock (elected 8 October 2011) Mr Shyam Parekh (retired 8 October 2011)
Mr Paul Cooke (elected 8 October 2011)
Ms Rosemary Radcliffe CBE
Mr Kevin Cox (elected 8 October 2011)
Ms Carol Rawlings
Mr Huw Jones
Mr Patrick Stirling-Aird MBE
Mr Gilbert Little OBE Mr Graeme Wallace (elected 8 October 2011)
Sir Anthony Milbank Bt (retired 8 October 2011) Mr Geoff Woodard (retired 8 October 2011)
Professor David Mitchell
Management Board:
Chief Executive
Dr Mike Clarke
Director, Conservation
Mr Martin Harper
Director, Finance and Information Systems
Mr Alan Sharpe
Director, Human Resources Ms Anne Harley MBE (retired 31 August 2011)
Ms Ann Davies (appointed 7 March 2012)
Director, International Operations
Dr Tim Stowe
Director, Marketing
Mrs Karen Rothwell
Director, Operations
Mr Shaun Thomas
Director, Public Affairs Mr Mike Hodgson (retired 2 September 2011)
Director, Scotland
Mr Stuart Housden OBE
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Structure, governance and management
Legal structure
The RSPB is a non-statutory body incorporated by
Royal Charter. The Charter was originally granted
in 1904 and, together with the Statutes, provides the
rules and guidelines under which the RSPB
operates. After approval by the Privy Council,
Supplemental Charters were granted by Her
Majesty the Queen in 1957 and 1996. Amendments
to the statutes were approved by the Privy Council
in 2010.
The RSPB’s commercial activities are undertaken
by its wholly-owned trading subsidiary, RSPB
Sales Limited, and all profits are donated under
Gift Aid to the RSPB. RSPB Sales Limited was
incorporated as a company in 1992 to conduct
trading activities in support of the RSPB’s
charitable objectives. The principal activity is the
sale of goods by mail order and through retail
outlets. The company is registered under
company number 2693778.
March Farmers (Washland) Limited, company
registration number 01039814, is a wholly-owned
subsidiary acquired in 2008 to secure the leasehold
interest in land in Cambridgeshire. All profits are
donated under Gift Aid to the RSPB.
Farming For Nature, a company limited by
guarantee, registration number 07982175, was
incorporated in 2011. The intention is to use this
entity in relation to land leased from United
Utilities at Haweswater in Cumbria.
The trustees are members of Council, which is the
ultimate governing body.
New trustees are nominated by Council or
members, and elected for a five-year term of
office by the membership at the AGM. Council
sets policy and is responsible for the conduct of
the RSPB’s affairs and for ensuring that the
charity operates in accordance with the Royal
Charter, the Statutes and the law.
Council comprises the President, the Chairman,
the Treasurer, the Chairmen of the Country
Advisory Committees for Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland, and not more than 12 ordinary
members.
Council has three committees: Finance & Audit,
Conservation and Communications. Its policy is
also influenced by the Country Advisory
Committees.
The day-to-day management of the Charity is
delegated to the Chief Executive, who reports to
Council, and is carried out by the Management
Board.
Following their election to Council, each trustee
receives a briefing pack outlining their role,
together with information on the RSPB, its structure
and work. An induction day, taking a strategic look
at the roles and responsibilities of trustees and
management, is offered to each new trustee. All
trustees are offered opportunities to learn more
about specialist areas of the RSPB’s work, through
individual meetings with staff and site visits to our
nature reserves throughout the UK. A special
weekend event, to which all trustees are invited, is
held each year in an area of high nature
conservation importance, focusing on species and
habitat management work that the RSPB is
undertaking. Similar events are held for the
Country Advisory Committees.
The RSPB’s main UK headquarters is in Sandy,
Bedfordshire, with country headquarters for
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in
Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff; and regional offices
in England, Scotland and Wales. The RSPB has UKwide
operations with nature reserves located across
all four countries.
The RSPB is the UK Partner organisation of BirdLife
International, the global partnership of bird
conservation organisations that strives to conserve
birds, their habitats and global biodiversity,
working with people towards sustainability in the
use of natural resources.
Accounts and Trustees’ responsibilities
The trustees are required to prepare financial
statements for each financial year, which give a true
and fair view of the Charity’s and the group’s
financial activities during the year and of the
financial position at the end of the year. The
requirements are set out in the Charter and
Statutes, the Charities Act 2011, the Charities
Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and the
Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act
2005.
In preparing these statements, the trustees follow
best practice and:
• select suitable accounting policies and then
apply them consistently
• make judgements and estimates that are
reasonable and prudent
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
• state whether applicable accounting standards
have been followed
• prepare the financial statements on the going
concern basis.
The trustees are responsible for ensuring that
accounting records are kept which enable them to:
• ascertain the financial position of the Charity
and the group
• disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial
position of the Charity and the group
• ensure that the financial statements comply
with the Charities Act 2011 and to publish a
summary of the accounts in Birds magazine.
The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding
the assets of the Charity and hence for taking
reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of
fraud and other irregularities.
Risk management
The RSPB trustees are responsible for the
identification and management of the major risks
facing the organisation. Risk management is well
established at the RSPB and is considered in every
aspect of our work. Managing large areas of
countryside, much of it visited by many people,
entails risk and demands constant attention. In
response to the recommendations set out in the
Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of
Recommended Practice (revised 2005) (SORP), the
trustees consider the risk register on an annual basis.
In undertaking this work, the trustees review risk in
its broadest sense and consider anything that might
undermine the capacity of the Charity to fulfil its
charitable objectives.
The register provides a comprehensive view of the
following areas of risk:
• our responsibility to staff, supporters, volunteers
and visitors
• our reputation
• our physical assets (including data and financial
assets)
• retaining and maintaining know-how
• the external environment
• our sources of income.
This annual risk review assesses each of the major risks
to each of the RSPB’s categories of assets and the
effectiveness of the arrangements for managing them.
Following the most recent review, the trustees confirm
that they are satisfied with such arrangements.
general guidance on public benefit when reviewing
objectives and activities.
The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy
environment for birds and wildlife, helping to create a
better world for us all.
The objectives of the RSPB as set out in our Charter are
to:
• conserve wild birds and the environment on which
wild birds depend, maintaining bird numbers,
diversity and natural geographic distribution
• conserve natural and semi-natural habitats and to
recreate habitats
• encourage others to practise the conservation of
wild birds and habitats
• promote knowledge of conservation through
education and research.
The RSPB has a range of means of achieving these
objectives, combining them to best effect. For the
purposes of preparing our accounts, these means are
grouped under four main headings: Conservation on
RSPB nature reserves, Conservation – research, policy
and advisory, Education and communication, and
Membership services and enquiries.
Conservation on RSPB nature reserves
• We manage nature reserves, which are home to
populations of 80% of the most rare or
threatened bird species in the UK.
• We acquire new reserves, following a Councilagreed
strategy, and devote resources to
safeguarding and recreating habitats.
• We provide facilities, including classrooms and
viewing areas, to enhance the visitor
experience on our reserves.
Conservation – research, policy and advisory
• All of our conservation work is underpinned
by research and investigation, much of which
is carried out by our scientists and specialist
advisers.
• Birds and their habitats are affected by a wide
range of human activity. Our policy work
therefore covers a broad range of issues, from
agriculture to energy, transport, overseas aid,
education and the economy.
• We seek to influence land-use and economic
policies so that the environment is at the heart
of all Government decisions.
• We defend and promote the implementation of
laws and policies designed to protect wildlife.
Objectives and activities
The trustees confirm that they have referred to the
guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Education and communication
• We work with the support of our members and
other supporters to use their voice most
effectively to benefit nature conservation.
• We seek to connect young people to nature at
all stages of their development through their
formal education and their leisure.
Membership services and enquiries
• We provide services to our members and
supporters and respond to more than 240,000
enquiries each year.
• We administer our relationship with around 2.5
million individuals including members,
supporters and volunteers.
• We send our members a magazine to keep them
aware of and involved with the work of the
RSPB.
• Our website received just over 16 million visits in
2011-12.
Generating funds
• We receive most of our financial support from
individuals through a range of activities. RSPB
supporters are the foundation of everything we
do and we endeavour to increase this each year.
• We also aim to build lasting support from
institutional bodies. These include statutory
grant funders, trusts and corporate bodies.
• Much of what we do to deliver conservation also
generates income. This ranges from land and
farming income through to the sale of research to
other appropriate organisations.
• Our trading operation focuses on the sale of bird
care products, optics and educational material to
support our work.
In all of these activities, we receive extensive
assistance from volunteers, who are at the heart of
what the RSPB does and achieves; without their help,
the RSPB’s work would be greatly diminished.
Volunteers founded the RSPB in 1889 and they are
still fundamental to our work. They carry out a
variety of roles, from practical conservation and field
surveys, to support for office and retail activities. All
the volunteers are doing vital jobs that help us to
undertake our work. In addition, we have hundreds
of thousands of people who put time and enthusiasm
into our citizen science projects, such as Big Garden
Birdwatch.
Trustees’ report
Achievements
The RSPB’s long term vision is set out in its strategy
document - A voice for conservation: Future Directions
IV – our plans for 2007-2012. Our medium term
objectives are drawn from the strategy albeit that
some have had to be modified in the light of the
economic recession. We report here on our
achievements against the following indicators of
performance:
Indicators of performance
• Acquisition of land as nature reserves
• Populations of priority bird species on RSPB
reserves
• Status of other special wildlife in the UK and
on RSPB reserves
• All designated land on RSPB reserves in good
condition
• Status of priority bird species in the UK and
abroad
• Healthier bird populations in the countryside
outside nature reserves
• Protection of key sites and habitats
• Stopping extinction
• Securing the most important sites abroad
• Futurescapes
• Rainforest destruction prevented
• Reduced carbon footprint
• Supporting BirdLife International Partners
• Numbers of children learning in the natural
world
• Involvement of people
• More people making a gift of time
• RSPB membership
• Money for conservation
For further details on our achievements, please
refer to the RSPB 2011-12 Annual Review available
from Membership Services, The RSPB, UK
Headquarters, The Lodge, Sandy, Beds SG19 2DL:
Telephone 01767 693680 membership@rspb.org.uk
or our website www.rspb.org.uk.
For further information about the RSPB, please
request a copy of our leaflet Introducing the RSPB, or
visit our website: www.rspb.org.uk.
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Acquisition of land as nature reserves
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will continue
to seek new sites
and extend
existing ones to
add to our nature
reserve network.
Extending
existing sites is
sensible for both
ecological and
financial reasons.
Our nature reserves managed for conservation are impressive: we
care for a wonderful selection of superb sites for nature and for
people. We added 1,392 hectares during the year, including two
new reserves, at Pagham Harbour, West Sussex (342 hectares) and
Loch Lomond, West Dunbartonshire (228 hectares).
We manage 143,780 hectares, at 211 nature reserves. In England,
we extended existing reserves at Snape, Suffolk; South Essex
Marshes and Wallasea Island, Essex; Freiston Shore, Lincolnshire;
Langstone Harbour, Hampshire; Dungeness, Harty Marshes and
Seasalter Levels, Kent and the Dee Estuary, Cheshire. In Scotland,
we added land at Forsinard Flows, Highland and Crook of
Baldoon, Dumfries & Galloway.
We will continue to make
existing, high priority
nature reserves “complete”
by adding to them; we will
continue to refine our
criteria for buying reserves,
and will acquire new, high
priority sites wherever we
can.
Conservation on RSPB nature reserves
Populations of priority bird species on RSPB reserves
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will continue
our work to
maintain or
enhance the
populations of
priority bird
species.
There are 26 priority bird species on our nature reserves. We have
accurate breeding population trends for 24 of them. Four made
good progress towards 2012 “enhance” targets. We expect them to
increase their populations on the area of RSPB reserves that
existed in 2005, to reach the often ambitious targets that we set.
Eleven species are expected to achieve targets to maintain stable
populations. Seven species appear unlikely to achieve their
“maintain” targets for a variety of reasons, some outside our
control, such as the effects of recent severe winter weather. Two
species have failed to colonise or re-colonise reserves as hoped.
Just some of the successes on reserves in 2011 are:
• Slavonian grebes increased, and had a productive
breeding season, at Loch Ruthven, following three years
of decline.
• Bitterns continued to increase, despite the hard winter,
with 37 booming males, compared with 34 in 2010.
• Design tweaks to a predator-exclusion fence at Otmoor
kept out foxes, and lapwing productivity was the highest
ever recorded there.
• Numbers of breeding stone-curlews continued to rise at
Winterbourne Downs and on acid grassland created at
Minsmere. Since 2005, the number of breeding pairs of
stone-curlews at these two sites has increased from two
to thirteen.
We must maintain or
increase numbers of
breeding lapwings and
redshanks, against a
backdrop of catastrophic
declines of both species in
the countryside outside
reserves. We need to
maintain numbers, and
increase productivity, of
little terns and will
continue to face difficult
challenges to benefit
capercaillie at Abernethy.
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Status of other special wildlife in the UK and on RSPB reserves
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will maintain
or improve the
conservation
status of special
animals and
plants on our
nature reserves.
Our reserves are marvellous places for a host of wildlife in
addition to birds. We take our responsibilities for conserving them
very seriously. We learned a lot through surveys, some by trainees
employed under the HLF Nature Counts programme.
We knew the rare beetle Omophron limbatum lived beside pools
at Dungeness, but our ecologists discovered it in a new area of
East Anglia, which presumably indicates a second, independent
colonisation of Britain.
A spectacular beetle, Calosoma inquisitor, the “caterpillarhunter”,
was discovered at South Stack in Anglesey. It has been
lost from a number of its ancient woodland sites and there are no
previous records from Anglesey, making this an exciting find.
Trainee researchers in Scotland found a new colony of
Orthotrichum obtusifolium at Insh Marshes, a rare tree-trunk
moss of eastern Scotland. It was lost from England more than 100
years ago, but it has been found again in East Anglia, so might be
re-colonising.
Translocation programmes included further releases of field
crickets, pine hoverfly and pearl-bordered fritillary and we are
establishing ladybird spiders at Arne.
We are inviting specialists
in particular groups of
species to visit reserves, to
help assess the needs of
rare and scarce species and
advise us on their
management. We will
develop plans for priority
species where we can
conserve them on reserves.
All designated land on RSPB reserves in good condition
Objective Achievement Future challenges
Where their
condition is
within our
control, all Sites
of Special
Scientific Interest
(SSSIs), or Areas
of Special
Scientific Interest
in Northern
Ireland, on our
nature reserves
will be in
Favourable
condition or
classed as
Recovering.
In England, virtually all – 99.996% – of the area of SSSI land for
which the RSPB is responsible for carrying out the remedies is in
Favourable or Recovering condition, a splendid achievement.
In Scotland, 95% of the features for which we are responsible for
carrying out remedies are in Favourable condition (a few are
affected by factors elsewhere, beyond our control such as seabirds
nesting on RSPB reserves, which are affected by feeding
conditions away from their nest sites).
For Wales and Northern Ireland, we rely on information from the
Countryside Council for Wales and the Northern Ireland
Environment Agency respectively, to make our assessments, and
at the time of reporting, this is incomplete.
We will continue to focus
attention and provide
suitable resources to
maintain or improve the
status of land currently
classified as being in
Favourable, or
Unfavourable Recovering,
condition.
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Conservation – research, policy and advisory
Status of priority bird species in the UK and abroad
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will continue
our work to
maintain or
enhance the
populations of
priority bird
species.
The sheer scale of our ambition for returning endangered species
to a safer state is breathtaking. We celebrated some great successes
this year.
Most birds released by the Great Crane Project in 2010 survived
the harsh 2010-11 winter, and 17 young birds were reared and
released from 20 eggs in 2011. The two generations are getting on
well together in the wild, boding well for future breeding.
We will continue to tackle
factors that prevent rare
species recovering,
including a seeming
inability to stop illegal
persecution despite action
by government agencies,
the police and ourselves.
A survey of breeding waders of wet meadows reinforced the
importance of reserves and protected areas, for redshanks in
particular, on lowland wet grassland. We use the results to
continue to stress this in our advocacy and advisory work.
We completed initial research on the needs and problems for
redshanks on saltmarsh, too, and continue to be at the forefront of
large-scale work to create more of this fragile habitat, replacing
areas lost to sea level rise and land claim.
Common scoters remain amongst our rarest breeding birds,
following a rapid decline, but numbers remained fairly stable and
at least 21 young were reared. This helped us unravel their food
and feeding dynamics. Conifer plantations can have a major
impact on scoter habitat on Scottish moors; we removed another
35 hectares of these trees next to two important breeding lochs.
We must address the slow
progress in establishing
marine protected areas; a
lack of progress on
wildlife-friendly
management at a
landscape scale in our
uplands; and the
continuing pressure on
funds for our crucial work
to identify why species
such as some woodland
birds, seabirds and upland
breeding waders are
declining.
Healthier bird populations in the countryside outside nature reserves
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will continue
our work to
stabilise or
increase farmland
bird populations.
It was another record-breaking year in 2011 for our arable
demonstration project at Hope Farm, Cambridgeshire. Breeding
birds have more than doubled since 2000, while crops continue to
bring in a profit. It can be done!
We are encouraged by the amount of land in arable stewardship
in England, but more is needed. The importance of face-to-face
advice to farmers has been backed up by independent research.
We learned more about causes of bird declines and practical ideas
being tested in pastoral systems are bringing results, building on
the arable work at Hope Farm.
One huge challenge is to turn around the fortunes of upland
waders. We are still working out why curlews and lapwings are
declining on upland farms, so that we can find ways to turn the
situation around. In the South Pennines we are working hard on a
quite different bird: an engaging little finch, the twite. Unusually,
twites need an abundance of seeds all year, even feeding their
young on seeds: we helped more farmers to create hay meadows,
creating a source of seeds through the spring and summer. Our
advocacy around the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP) is extremely encouraging, with better conservation on the
ground, and vital income for farmers who care for wildlife.
We understand what many
lowland farmland birds
need, but still face
significant challenges in
making sure enough of the
right measures are put into
place at an adequate scale.
We will remain vigilant to
the risks involved in the
detail of CAP reform, as it
progresses through
Europe, to ensure that
birds and their habitats
don’t lose out.
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Protection of key sites and habitats
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will press
governments to
adopt policies
that protect the
very best wildlife
sites (including
those at sea).
Working closely with other wildlife NGOs, we gave evidence to
the Government’s review of the implementation of the Birds and
Habitats Directives in England. This helped Defra to show that the
Directives’ essential roles, in protecting vulnerable species and
habitats and providing essential services, underpin economic
growth, rather than acting as a block to it. The Government’s
report recognised the value of the natural environment and the
importance of policy and regulation in protecting it.
In more specific cases, we helped persuade the Government to
reject large housing proposals at Talbot Heath, Poole and
Hurstleigh Park, Berkshire. This maintained already hard won
protection for the remarkable bird and reptile populations of the
Dorset and Thames Basin heathlands.
As part of a broad coalition, we secured strong environmental
policies in the National Planning Policy Framework for England,
improving the definition of sustainable development, reframing
the “presumption in favour of sustainable development” to
protect special places, and strengthening nature conservation
policies to reflect the Natural Environment White Paper’s
ambitions.
Leading a broad coalition of NGOs, we convinced North Ayrshire
Council to object to the proposed coal-fired power station at
Hunterston and remove it from their local plan.
We will strive to prevent
any net loss of nationally
or internationally
important sites for birds.
We will continue to press
Government to complete
the protected area network
on land, and to create an
effective protected area
network at sea.
In each UK country we will
continue to advocate
positive changes to the
planning systems.
www.rspb.org.uk 9

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Stopping extinction
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will continue
to try to reduce
the risk of
extinction for
critically
endangered
species.
We set up the International Species Recovery Group to oversee
work on 32 species and four species groups.
The Albatross Task Force showed that numbers of seabirds
caught and killed in fisheries can be reduced to negligible levels,
and we can now begin to manage recovery.
Four endemic species benefited from a complex and costly (but
fully funded) programme to eradicate rats on Henderson Island.
Rats reached many such islands via shipping in the past,
wreaking havoc on native wildlife.
There was some success in tackling shooting of sociable
lapwings in Syria. The critically endangered spoon-billed
sandpiper (there may be as few as 200 left) was the subject of a
challenging co-operative programme of work. This included a
breeding programme based at Slimbridge, involving
transporting chicks across the globe; surveying and training
local people in Myanmar; and working to effect changes under
the Convention on Migratory Species.
A Saving Asian Vultures from Extinction consortium should
establish Vulture Safe Zones in India and Nepal. Captive
breeding centres in India had a successful year, with 18 young
vultures fledged. Diclofenac, the drug that has killed tens of
thousands of vultures feeding on carcasses of treated cattle, is
less readily available in retail outlets and levels in the
environment halved.
In the UK, ruddy duck numbers fell to fewer than 100 with the
eradication programme to benefit the white-headed duck.
Despite an increase in the St
Helena plover population,
there are increasing threats
from airport and tourism
development. Monitoring of
the Montserrat oriole,
following the calamitous
volcanic eruption, must
continue, as there is little
chance of transferring the
responsibility to local
conservationists.
Prospects are not good for
the oriole, nor for the eastern
population of the northern
bald ibis in Syria, despite the
arrival of a fourth bird in
2012. Overcoming the threats
of electrocution and shooting
will require a major effort,
and the political situation
adds to the challenge.
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Securing the most important sites abroad
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will help to
increase the
number of
Important Bird
Areas (IBAs) that
are legally
protected in
countries in
which we are
working with
BirdLife partners.
IBAs are sites which are the most important for the
conservation of birds and other wildlife. Over 11,000 have
been identified around the world but they are increasingly
under threat.
Latest information indicates that each of 1,084 (of 2,073) IBAs
had more than 75% of their area legally protected by 2010,
against 1,006 (out of 2,040) a year earlier.
We supported our BirdLife partner, the Association for the
Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan, and the
Government of Kazakhstan to designate a sensational 900,000
hectares of new steppe and wetland protected area in Altyn
Dala.
To our great relief, G4 Industries pulled a proposal to grow
28,000 hectares of jatropha in the magnificent Tana River Delta
in Kenya, following pressure from our BirdLife partner with
strong RSPB support.
IBA site support groups are growing across Europe, Africa and
Asia, and grew most significantly in India with a 35% increase.
In EU member states, there
has been clear progress in
new site designation and this
is slowly moving into active
management work. In non-
EU countries however, there
has been virtually no change
to the number of IBAs
designated as protected
areas or the management of
those sites.
We must continue to support
our BirdLife partners to help
communities in developing
alternative livelihoods and to
strengthen their advocacy
capacity to achieve sustained
IBA protection.
Futurescapes
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will work
towards the 2020
target of 10
“Futurescapes” of
large contiguous
blocks in the UK,
in total covering
up to 550,000
hectares, each
giving sustainable
land management
via a mosaic of
appropriate land
uses to benefit
nature.
We secured support from the EU Life Communications fund.
A €2 million grant will help recruit eight Futurescapes staff
and many people engagement staff to work on the
programme. Local management and governance arrangements
have been established across the UK to help facilitate
conservation on a large scale. Advocacy work was rewarded
with the establishment of 12 government sponsored Nature
Improvement Areas in England.
We need to be more
innovative to extract the
most from existing sources
of money and to identify and
use emerging funds.
We need to broker and
maintain relationships with a
range of partners including
governments, other NGOs
and landowning interests to
create landscape scale
conservation across the UK.
www.rspb.org.uk 11

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Improved marine environment
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will continue
to conserve
important
populations of
seabirds through
a network of
marine protected
areas.
We continued to work hard to see a coherent network of Marine
Protected Areas (MPA) designated, including sites for seabirds.
MPAs in Scotland should benefit seabirds. Sites for black
guillemots have been discussed, as well as some to protect
sandeels, which many seabirds eat.
With other NGOs in the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force, we
were encouraged by a Marine Bill for Northern Ireland in 2012.
This is a fantastic achievement after years of hard work, but we
will continue, via the Task Force, to improve and strengthen the
Bill as it is debated.
We must see effective
implementation of marine
legislation throughout the
UK, including the
designation of seabird
MPAs. We will call on
Government to be more
ambitious in the designation
of such sites, to fulfil the EC
Wild Birds Directive and
other international
obligations.
Our advocacy through the English regional Marine Conservation
Zone (MCZ) projects succeeded, with six sites for seabirds
included in the final network proposals for English MCZs.
Our work with the Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment
project continues to uncover exciting information about the
distribution of seabirds at sea, through satellite tracking. As
more information comes to light, we will continue to advise on
MPAs for seabirds.
There is an urgent need for
more marine survey and
research work to help site
selection, and we must
reconcile the need for greater
marine protection with the
planned expansion of marine
industry and development
(in particular marine
renewable energy schemes).
Rainforest destruction prevented
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will help
protect 240,000 ha
of tropical forest
with our BirdLife
partners.
Our rainforests work has been brought together under one
programme. With our BirdLife partners we are now conserving
or restoring approximately 238,000 hectares in eight countries.
The President of Sierra Leone launched the 71,000 hectares Gola
Rainforest National Park in December 2011: an important
milestone in the conservation of Gola. Our researchers found one
species of frog and three species of butterfly previously
unknown to science, exciting discoveries that reinforced the
importance of Gola for biodiversity.
Restoration at Harapan Rainforest (98,000 hectares) is
proceeding well, with plant nurseries producing more than 2.5
million seedlings per year. More than 250,000 were planted.
Illegal encroachment by loggers and settlers continues to be a
severe challenge, with a new front opening up during 2011. We
are working with the Indonesian Government to overcome this
taxing problem.
Our work with BirdLife partners in Liberia, Montserrat,
Tanzania, Thailand and Uganda protected additional rainforest
sites in these countries. The year culminated in the launch of the
Together for Trees partnership with Tesco, raising awareness of
the plight of rainforests with the UK public, and aiming to
generate income through corporate and customer donations for
our rainforests programme.
We have to tackle increased
illegal encroachment at
Harapan. We must ensure
long-term sustainable
financing for our flagship
projects at Harapan and
Gola.
We will strengthen the
cohesiveness of our project
work, and develop a new
area of work with Tesco to
address sustainable
consumption of tropical
commodities related to
deforestation.
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RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Reduced carbon footprint
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We aim to reduce
CO2 emissions by
3% each year on a
per staff basis.
From a baseline of emitting 3.25 tonnes of CO2 per staff
member in 2008, we reduced emissions to 2.39tCO2 in 2012.
This is significantly lower than our target of 2.88tCO2 and it
represents an extraordinary achievement for the RSPB. In total,
since 2008, we have saved nearly 500tCO2, despite continuing
to grow. However, the rate of reduction is getting harder to
maintain.
Our revised target is to
continue to reduce emissions
on a per staff basis by 3%
each year against a 2010
baseline. Previous, emission
reductions were principally
delivered through reducing
travel, behavioural change
and energy efficiency. To
ensure meeting this target
does not threaten
conservation delivery in the
future, we will need to invest
in renewable and energy
efficient infrastructure.
Whilst these investments can
yield attractive returns,
accessing the capital,
expertise and staff time to
deliver them will be a major
challenge.
Supporting BirdLife International Partners
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will continue
to help build the
capacity of
BirdLife
International
partners.
The RSPB provides support to 24 BirdLife partners across the
world. The combined annual income of our partners increased
significantly by 19%, from £11.7 million to £14 million, partly
through our support for proposal development and joint
applications. Examples include:
• We assisted NatureKenya to secure Department for
International Development funds to develop a land-use
plan for the sustainable management of the Tana River
Delta.
• EU Life projects continue to be important with the largest
ever grant for Egyptian vulture conservation (€3.3 million)
secured for work in Bulgaria and Greece.
• Important new funding for marine IBA work was secured
for Malta, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania.
• We were awarded three grants from the UK Darwin
initiative to support our partners work on the Bengal
florican, the spoon-billed sandpiper and restoration of
Henderson Island.
We must help partners
generate funds for
unrestricted use, rather than
funds solely for specific
projects. Once they become
financially sustainable, we
will have achieved our goal.
www.rspb.org.uk 13

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Education and communication
Numbers of children learning in the natural world
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will expand
our field teaching
on reserves,
thereby helping
to increase the
number of school
children who
enjoy and benefit
from an
encounter with
nature first hand.
More than 51,000 children visited RSPB countryside
classrooms in organised school groups. Most providers of such
learning outside the classroom report difficult operating
conditions. Economic constraints affect schools and many have
become less willing to ask parents to pay for visits.
We invested in quality rather than quantity. The
independently verified, Government sponsored Quality Badge
helps us measure the quality of our Living Classrooms.
Quality Badge inspections on all but a very few of sites were
encouraging. Fourteen sites reached our desired standard of
overall outstanding or very good. The other 20 already display
some outstanding and very good characteristics.
We are committed to increase
the quality of our education
experience and we want all 34 of
our sites to achieve the overall
outstanding or very good
designation.
Involvement of people
Objective Achievement Future challenges
In 2011/12, we
will engage 3.5
million people
through nature
reserve visits,
citizen science
projects and Date
with Nature
events.
We engaged a total of 3.4 million people.
Visits to our nature reserves increased to two million
compared to 1.9 million during the previous year.
More than 670,000 people took part in our citizen science
projects, the long running Big Garden Birdwatch and the second
Make Your Nature Count. We met more than 50,000 visitors at
specific events such as Feed the Birds Day and Springwatch with
the RSPB. A further 17,600 people are undertaking action in
their garden as part of our Homes for Wildlife project.
There were 63 Date with Nature events, attracting 410,000
people, showing people a variety of wildlife from ospreys and
seabirds to red deer and dragonflies.
With an investment in
destination marketing work at
our more popular sites, we hope
to see growth in nature reserve
visits continue. Furthermore,
through the provision of
training and support to staff in
regions and countries, we will
continue to increase all people
engagement activities off and on
nature reserves. We will reach a
wider, more diverse audience
and improve the experience for
all. We will also improve the
accessibility and inclusivity of
all our projects.
14 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
More people making a gift of time
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We aim to be
supported by
15,000 volunteers,
working a total of
750,000 hours
annually.
We exceeded our target: it was a great year for volunteering.
Volunteers gave the RSPB a gift of more than one million
hours in one year for the first time ever. We've come a long
way since those ladies in Didsbury, volunteers themselves,
started the RSPB way back in 1889. They would no doubt be
extremely proud to know their legacy enjoys the support of
more than 17,000 regular volunteers.
Competition for people’s time is
growing: we must attract more
for the RSPB. We offer
increasingly interesting,
rewarding and flexible ways for
people to donate their time and
talents.
And what a contribution our volunteers make. One million
hours equates to more than 500 full time staff,
Volunteers step up for nature with the RSPB in new and
innovative ways. We had doctors, translators, IT specialists,
health and safety experts, carpenters, quantity surveyors and
even a burlesque dancer donating time and talents to the RSPB
last year.
“I really enjoyed my time volunteering. It has helped build up my
confidence, and goes down really well with potential employers. I still
volunteer in my spare time – it's great fun.” Volunteer at
Broadwater Warren nature reserve.
We will offer more flexible “bite
size” volunteering opportunities
and find new ways for people to
use specialist and professional
skills. Our volunteer intern’s
programme offers high quality
3-6 months opportunities
alongside career coaching and
mentoring. Many participants
have achieved their ambition of
a career in conservation.
RSPB membership
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will continue
to recruit and
keep our millionplus
members,
and aim for
growth, as far as
continued
uncertain times
allow.
In spite of economic troubles UK-wide, the RSPB’s
membership remains as strong as ever, at more than 1,090,000.
More than 185,000 people joined in the last year, a fantastic
endorsement of our work and how much the UK public cares
about nature. We still need more support, to meet increasing
conservation challenges.
With economic uncertainty set
to continue, and threats to
nature still increasing, we need
to do far more to make our work
more compelling to many more
people. We will look afresh at
how we describe and promote
wildlife and connect with people
to support the RSPB’s work, and
how we retain and develop the
support we already have.
www.rspb.org.uk 15

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Generating Funds
Money for conservation
Objective Achievement Future challenges
We will continue
to review our
income objective
in light of
recessionary times.
Total income was down, partly because of timings of large
grants and the loss of some grants following the Government’s
Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
We will take a prudent view on
predicted income, given the
economic uncertainty and
government policies, including
taxation changes and the CSR.
We will continue
to maintain
diversity in
income streams.
Continued investment in core, unrestricted income streams
ensured that these continued to expand. Membership support
rose by more than £1 million in spite of the loss of some
£750,000 from transitional gift aid relief - introduced by the
Government to cushion the impact of reducing the basic rate of
income tax from 22% to 20% in 2008. This achievement, in
difficult times, demonstrates fantastic commitment from
current and new supporters. Legacies continue to be vital to
conservation programmes and are holding steady. Community
fundraising grew by an amazing 8%, only just falling short of
£1 million in turnover. We’re hugely grateful to thousands of
volunteers who helped make recent investment in this area
such a great success.
We will invest in increasing and
diversifying our core,
unrestricted support, especially
to promote the RSPB to many
more people, in more
compelling ways. Investment in
digital channels is likely to be
important.
Flexible membership continues to be very popular and helped
increase subscription income by £1 million. Life fellowship
income was up by 16%. Mail order trading was spectacular,
with net income up 15%. Recent investments are giving
exceptional customer service and product quality, and real
growth, even though we didn’t sell so much bird food as in the
previous snowy winter.
Major grants supported a wide range of work: rainforest
conservation in Africa, helping declining species in Northern
Ireland, making Minsmere an even better place to see wildlife,
and much more. The total grant income was £23.9 million.
16 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
Financial review
The accounts, which form part of this report, comply
with the requirements of the Accounting and
Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended
Practice 2005 (SORP). The trustees consider that in
preparing these accounts, they have consistently
applied appropriate accounting policies supported
by reasonable and prudent judgements and estimates
where required.
A resolution to re-appoint the firm Crowe Clark
Whitehill LLP as auditors to the organisation was
passed at the Annual General Meeting on 8 October
2011.
Financial reserves policy
The RSPB holds financial reserves to be applied to
future activities in a number of categories:
• Unrestricted – available to be applied, at the
discretion of the trustees, to any of the RSPB’s
charitable purposes
• Restricted – to be applied to the specific
purpose(s) intended by the donor
• Endowment – Endowment funds are restricted
funds that are to be retained for the benefit of
the Charity as a capital fund. Permanent
endowments require the capital to be
maintained and only the income and capital
growth can be utilised. With expendable
endowments the capital may also be utilised.
Each year the trustees consider the appropriate
level of free reserves. They review the RSPB’s
requirements and consider a sustained fall in
income of 10–15% to be a reasonable basis for
setting a minimum level. It is the intention of the
trustees to hold sufficient reserves to enable
expenditure to be reduced in a managed fashion,
should the need arise, avoiding the need to halt
work abruptly. The trustees have agreed that free
reserves should normally be within a range of 8–16
weeks of expenditure.
The trustees have fully adopted Financial Reporting
Standard 17 “Retirement Benefits”. The scheme
liabilities are measured at a point in time for the
purposes of FRS 17 but will not crystallise for some
years. Showing the liability in the accounts does not
imply a significant constraint over the use of reserves
for the foreseeable future.
The RSPB’s primary investment objective is to maintain
the real value of its investments. However, as a
proportion of the financial reserves are likely to be held
in the longer term it is appropriate to invest
conservatively a proportion of the funds to generate
income and/or real growth.
Investment properties arising from legacies are managed
by the RSPB until disposal.
In managing investments, wherever possible, we follow
the principles of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI).
These principles are to:
• invest in companies that make a positive
contribution to society
• use influence as an investor to encourage best
practice management of social responsibility issues
• avoid investing in companies whose activities
conflict strongly with RSPB objectives.
The trustees rely upon specialist advisers for fund
selection and allocation. Investment performance is
compared to an independent benchmark and the
target for investment returns is to outperform this
benchmark by at least 1% per annum over a rolling
three-year period.
The Charity investment of £3,250,000 in RSPB Sales
Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary, is held at cost
and represents the aggregate amount of the
subsidiary’s assets, liabilities and funds. RSPB Sales
Limited Gift Aided its entire profit of £5,115,000 to the
Charity. The trustees consider this a satisfactory return
on their investment.
On 29 February 2008, the Charity purchased March
Farmers (Washland) Limited in order to acquire the
leasehold interest in land in the Nene Washes. The
Charity investment of £551,000 in March Farmers
(Washland) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary, is
held at cost and represents the aggregate amount of
the subsidiary’s assets, liabilities and funds. March
Farmers (Washland) Limited Gift Aided its entire
profit of £37,000 to the Charity.
Farming For Nature, a company limited by guarantee,
was incorporated in 2011. The intention is to use this
entity in relation to land leased from United Utilities at
Haweswater in Cumbria.
Investment policy and powers
RSPB investment powers are as set out in the
Society’s governing documents, the Charter
and Statutes, and are wider than those
contained in the Trustees Investment Act
2000.
www.rspb.org.uk 17

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Financial report on the year
Outcome for the year
The year ended with an increase in available
cash and investments of £2.6 million. With
economic difficulties affecting many people in
many countries the prospect of a worse outcome
was very real. We are thankful that the majority
of our income streams held up well, so our
conservation work programmes could continue
uninterrupted. The Trustees are committed to
putting income to work as soon as possible; the
surplus has been earmarked for projects which
cross over the year-end.
Income
The continued backing we receive from our
members and supporters means that the
underlying income trend was stable in spite of
challenging times. We value highly, the current
support of more than a million people through
membership, donations, buying from our shops
and catalogue and of course from legacies. These
are the bedrock of all we do and we are hugely
grateful that people continue to join and support
us even in difficult times. However, we are not
immune to the impact of external pressures on our
income.
Membership subscriptions and donations include
tax recovery under the Gift Aid scheme, which fell
by around £0.7 million due to the end of the
“transition relief” - introduced by the Government
to cushion the impact of reducing the basic rate of
income tax from 22% to 20% in 2008.
The grant income trend is slightly deceptive where
the timing of receipt of the income is crucial. It
would have been flat over the two years if we had
received the £1.2 million that was earmarked by
the donor for the restoration of Bowers Marsh in
Essex a couple of weeks later. However, a
proportion of our grant income has been affected
by the Government’s Comprehensive Spending
Review and funding for a number of species
recovery projects was affected. Fortunately, some
grant agreements run over many years; this gives
us time to both advocate against reductions and
seek alternative funding. Support in this area
comes from local, national and international
sources – see Acknowledgements for the full list -
the breadth gives us the opportunity to plan our
work with a degree of confidence.
To provide even more stability and growth to our
income, we are starting to gain more financial
support from the corporate sector where social
responsibility, despite economic difficulties, is
gaining importance all the time. There is a
growing recognition amongst forward-thinking
Trustees’ report
companies that this is an important ingredient for
success and we are ideally placed to benefit. In this
arena, we are delighted to be working with Tesco to
help protect rainforests around the world. Twenty
million shoppers, including RSPB supporters, can now
take another “Step For Nature” through this scheme -
a huge opportunity in the battle against climate
change. Partnerships like this one can take many
months from inception to launch but a sound
relationship can serve both parties well over many
years. The deal with the Co-operative Bank has run
since 1989 and has helped us to raise around £10
million through the RSPB affinity credit card.
Net income (money available for charitable purposes),
at £89.3 million, was slightly down on the previous
year. This is shown after deducting £17.9 million cost
of generating income and a further £12.5 million cost
of goods for resale by our trading operation. The
majority of products sold, such as bird food and
feeders, optics, wildlife books and videos, relate
directly to our charitable objectives.
Cost of generating income increased due to
inflationary pressure in a number of areas such as
printing and postage costs. We also invested in future
income growth; by bringing our processes up to date
and promoting the opportunity for supporters to
upgrade their annual subscription to a monthly
amount of their choice.
Expenditure
The diversity of our income streams gave us the
financial stability to continue to increase our
conservation and education work, spending £1.2
million more than last year. In addition, expenditure
on land purchases and associated visitor facilities
increased by £1.0 million from a comparatively low
base in 2011. The reduced availability of grants and the
high price of land continue to constrain our
aspirations. We believe that acquiring land is the most
enduring way of safeguarding habitat; it would be a
disaster for nature conservation if future generations
were to witness further loss of biodiversity as a
consequence of our generation’s financial woes.
As well as making nature reserves and protected areas
the best they can be for nature, we must work on the
pieces of land between them to join up the fragments
of habitat that go to make up the landscapes that are
important to wildlife. Futurescapes is the name we
give to the vision for these landscapes and provides a
brilliant example of how the RSPB has been able to
progress land management in spite of the recession.
Nature reserves are an important part of landscapescale
conservation, but it is unrealistic for a single
organisation to realise the vision alone. The key to
success is partnership working. For example, we work
with United Utilities in the Forest of Bowland in
18 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Lancashire - the only place in England where hen
harriers nested successfully in 2011. We have to do
more in partnership with companies, farmers and
other conservation charities and our fundraisers
are striving to come up with new and innovative
ways to fund more land purchases.
To help constrain the damaging impact on
conservation of sea level rise, we undertook
two major projects on the English east coast
during the year. The first one was at Wallasea
Island in Essex, where Crossrail and the
Environment Agency have helped to fund
the Defra-supported project to secure 155
hectares of saltmarsh and mudflat as
replacement habitat for that lost to “coastal
squeeze”. And secondly, with financial
support from the European Union, we have
improved the sea defences to protect
freshwater habitats at Titchwell on the
Norfolk Coast.
Still on the theme of water levels, further
inland, the drought in eastern England badly
affected wintering ducks and swans, whilst
breeding waders in the Fens had their nests
flooded out by the heavy spring rainfall.
Careful management of water levels to try
and reduce the risk to wetland wildlife and
improve drought resilience is a relatively low
cost way of achieving much.
Within the RSPB we have been doing a lot to
reduce our carbon footprint. We have used
green electricity at our sites for many years
and now have a number of new programmes
underway - including solar, wind, biomass
and heat-exchange. In the last year we added
rechargeable electric vehicles to our fleet and
plan more. All travel undertaken by staff is
monitored and we set ourselves a target of
reducing the carbon footprint by 3% per
person, per year – a target we regularly hit
but which becomes more difficult with every
passing year.
The amount we spend on Education and
communications has been stable for the last
couple of years but the amount spent
probably is not the best way by which to
judge the scale of much of our work. For
example, new technology is driving down
the cost of communication – which is a relief
given the rising cost of postage – so this
doesn’t mean we are doing less; we are just
doing it more efficiently. Our monthly e-
newsletter is a good example; we now have
more than 400,000 subscribers.
Trustees’ report
Turning to education specifically, we are
consciously investing in quality rather than
quantity as verified by the Government
sponsored Quality Badge – 14 of our sites
reached the standard of outstanding or very
good. And on the quantity side, we are very
pleased that more than 50,000 children visited
RSPB countryside classrooms in organised school
groups. Minsmere’s million pound makeover
(much of it funded by partners) sees a new
discovery centre designed for families and
children with a dedicated learning facility, Wild
Zone and wildwood adventure. We were taken
by surprise by the level of participation in the Big
Schools’ Birdwatch after widespread coverage on
TV. We sent out so many packs to schools that we
ended up with just eight left!
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg
because education, in its widest sense, needs to
engage every age group. With regard to new
technology mentioned earlier; we have just
made our debut into the world of Smartphone
technology by launching two apps: LoveNature
and LoveBirds.
Looking further afield, through BirdLife
International we work very closely with our
overseas partners. About 12% of our expenditure
supports overseas conservation but about half of
this is funded from money specifically donated
for the purpose (from the EU or KfW - the
German Development Bank for example).
Support for BirdLife Malta and Cyprus to save
migrant birds that use the flyway between Africa
and Europe is one of our top conservation
priorities. It is an issue that many RSPB
supporters care passionately about and, of
course, success isn’t just dependant on funding;
we have to change the behaviour of those
involved in illegal trapping and hunting too.
One the challenges we face is the pension deficit.
The RSPB, like all other responsible employers,
has invested considerable time and effort in
finding the best solution to the complex problem
of providing an affordable pension scheme for its
employees. We are committed to providing a
remuneration and reward package that attracts
and retains the quality of people we need to
deliver our conservation ambitions. We have
made a number of changes over the last nine
years to share the risk of pension provision more
equally between staff and the RSPB and we have
in place a long-term deficit recovery programme,
which is agreed with the Pension Trustees. The
latest triennial review is underway; in reaching
an outcome we will strike a balance between the
www.rspb.org.uk 19

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Trustees’ report
needs of all those involved but, at this stage,
the specific details are under review.
However, it isn’t just the financial
consequences of recession that are of concern;
economic woes have shifted the environment
down the Government’s agenda as well as
buffeting the security of our income; making
funding sources harder to tap into.
Thankfully, we have strong support from our
members and we are weathering the storm
reasonably well.
We would love to be able to say that we
confidently expect brighter skies to appear on
the horizon by this time next year. The
Trustees spend a lot of time balancing
between the need for prudence and the need
to invest wisely for the benefit of wildlife
today and tomorrow; being realistic, we
think that will be a feature of our financial
planning meetings for some time to come.
Signed on behalf of the Council
Mr Ian Darling
Chairman
20 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Independent Auditor’s Report to the
Trustees of Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds.
We have audited the financial statements of Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds for the year ended 31
March 2012 set out on pages 22 to 42.
The financial reporting framework that has been
applied in their preparation is applicable law and
United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a
body, in accordance with section 154 of the Charities
Act 2011 and section 44(1c) of the Charities and
Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. Our audit
work has been undertaken so that we might state to
the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to
state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other
purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do
not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other
than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body,
for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions
we have formed.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and auditor
As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees'
Responsibilities (Accounts and Trustees’
responsibilities) , the trustees are responsible for the
preparation of the financial statements and for being
satisfied that they give a true and fair view.
We have been appointed as auditor under section 151
of the Charities Act 2011 and section 44(1c) of the
Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005
and report in accordance with those Acts.
Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion
on the financial statements in accordance with
applicable law and International Standards on
Auditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards require us
to comply with the Auditing Practices Board's Ethical
Standards for Auditors.
Independent auditor’s report
In addition, we read all the financial and non-financial
information in the Trustees’ Report to identify material
inconsistencies with the audited financial statements. If
we become aware of any apparent material
misstatements or inconsistencies we consider the
implications for our report.
Opinion on financial statements
In our opinion the financial statements:
• give a true and fair view of the state of the
group’s and the charity’s affairs as at 31
March 2012 and of the group’s incoming
resources and application of resources for the
year then ended;
• have been properly prepared in accordance
with United Kingdom Generally Accepted
Accounting Practice; and
• have been prepared in accordance with the
requirements of the Charities Act 2011 and
the Charities and Trustee Investment
(Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulations 6 and 8
of the Charities Accounts (Scotland)
Regulations 2006.
Matters on which we are required to report by
exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following
matters where the Charities Act 2011 or the Charities
Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended)
require us to report to you if, in our opinion:
• the information given in the Trustees’ Report
is inconsistent in any material respect with
the financial statements; or
• sufficient accounting records have not been
kept; or
• the financial statements are not in agreement
with the accounting records and returns; or
• we have not received all the information and
explanations we require for our audit.
Scope of the audit of the financial statements
An audit involves obtaining evidence about the
amounts and disclosures in the financial statements
sufficient to give reasonable assurance that the
financial statements are free from material
misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This
includes an assessment of: whether the accounting
policies are appropriate to the charity's circumstances
and have been consistently applied and adequately
disclosed; the reasonableness of significant accounting
estimates made by the trustees; and the overall
presentation of the financial statements.
Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP
Statutory Auditor
London
Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP is eligible to act as an
auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act
2006.
www.rspb.org.uk 21

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Financial statements
Consolidated statement of financial activities
for the year ended 31 March 2012
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
Note
Unrestricted(
funds(
£’000(
Restricted(
funds(
£’000(
Endowment(
funds(
£’000(
2012)
Total(
£’000(
INCOMING RESOURCES
Voluntary income (
Membership subscriptions and donations 2 35,524) 3,491) -( 39,015) 39,205(
Grants, corporate and trusts 3 1,207) 26,831) (1,208) 26,830) 29,666)
Legacies 4 26,008) 1,030) -) 27,038) 27,489)
_______ _______ _______ _______ _______)
Total voluntary income 62,739) 31,352) (1,208) 92,883( 96,360)
Activities to generate funds (
Commercial trading 20,413( -) -) 20,413) 20,933)
Investment income and interest 5 200( 163( 13( 376) 528)
Incoming resources from charitable activities
(
Fees and grants for services 1,984) -) -) )11,984( 2,196)
Land and farming income 1,766) 1,231) -) 2,997) 1,606)
Events and media sales 829)
_______)
-)
_______)
-)
_______)
829)
_______)
672)
_______)
Total income from charitable activities 4,579( 1,231) -) 5,810) 4,474)
Other income
) )
Net gains on disposals of fixed assets 5 195)
_______)
-)
_______)
-)
_______)
195)
_______)
224)
_______)
Total incoming resources 88,126) 32,746) (1,195) 119,677) 122,519)
_______) )_______) )_______) )_______) )_______)
RESOURCES EXPENDED (
Cost of generating funds (
Costs of generating voluntary income 13,033) -) -) 13,033) 11,236)
Costs of activities to generate funds (inc cost of goods) 17,304) -) -) 17,304) 17,218)
Investment management costs 43)
_______)
9)
_______)
9)
_______)
61)
_______)
54)
_______)
Total cost of generating incoming resources 30,380) 9) 9) 30,398) 28,508)
Net resources available for charitable purposes 57,746) 32,737) (1,204) 89,279( 94,011)
Charitable revenue expenditure (
Conservation on RSPB nature reserves 15,007( 14,272( -) 29,279( 28,860)
Conservation – research, policy and advisory 21,632( 12,548( -) 34,180( 33,722)
Education and communication 12,684( 885( -) 13,569( 13,257)
Membership services and enquiries ))4,072(
_______)
-)
_______)
-)
_______)
4,072)
_______)
3,949)
_______)
Total charitable revenue expenditure 53,395) 27,705) -) 81,100) 79,788)
Governance costs 483)
_______)
Total resources expended 6 84,258)
_______)
-)
_______)
27,714)
_______)
-)
_______)
9)
_______)
483)
_______)
111,981)
_______)
2011)
Total)
£’000)
498)
_______)
108,794)
_______)
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS BEFORE TRANSFERS 3,868( 5,032) (1,204) 7,696) 13,725)
Transfers (
Gross transfers between funds 18 1,422)
(1,422)
_______)
-(
_______)
-)
_______)
-)
_______)
_______)
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS BEFORE OTHER
RECOGNISED GAINS / (LOSSES) 5,290( 3,610( (1,204) 7,696( 13,725)
Other recognised gains / (losses) (
Movement in value of investment assets 11 100( 9( 27( 136( 855)
Actuarial loss on pension scheme 22 (16,192)
_______)
-)
_______)
-)
_______)
(16,192)
_______)
(1,198)
_______)
(10,802) 3,619( (1,177) (8,360) 13,382)
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward )37,091(
_______)
94,139)
_______)
3,312)
_______)
134,542)
_______)
121,160)
_______)
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 26,289)
_______)
97,758)
_______)
2,135)
_______)
126,182)
_______)
134,542)
_______)
All the above results arise from continuing activities. Notes 1 to 22 form an integral part of these accounts.
22 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Charity and consolidated balance sheets
as at 31 March 2012
Financial statements
Note
Charity)
2012)
Consolidated)
total)
Charity)
2011)
Consolidated)
total)
£’000) )£’000) )£’000) )£’000)
Fixed assets
Nature reserves 10 124,846( 125,396) 121,162) 121,712)
Other tangible assets 10 4,719) 4,719) 4,365) 4,365)
Investments 11 30,717) 30,717) 29,108) 29,108)
Investment in subsidiary companies 11 3,801) -) 3,801) -)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
164,083) 160,832) 158,436) 155,185)
Current assets
Stock 418) 2,345) 384) 3,617)
Debtors 12 19,363) 18,381) 16,877) 16,309)
Short-term cash 3,708) 6,718) 4,281) 5,689)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
23,489) 27,444) 21,542) 25,615)
Creditors amounts falling due within one year 13 (10,238) (10,942) (8,011) (8,833)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
Net current assets 13,251) 16,502) 13,531) 16,782)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
Total assets less current liabilities 177,334) 177,334) 171,967) 171,967)
Creditors amounts falling due in more than one year 15 (4,400) (4,400) (3,924) (3,924)
_______) )_______) _______) _______)
Net assets excluding pension liability 172,934) 172,934) 168,043) 168,043)
Pension scheme liability 22 (46,752)
_______)
Net assets including pension liability 126,182)
_______)
(46,752)
_______)
126,182)
_______)
(33,501)
_______)
134,542)
_______)
(33,501)
_______)
134,542)
_______)
Represented by
Unrestricted funds
General funds 37,360) 37,360) 35,056) 35,056)
Designated funds 35,681) 35,681) 35,536) 35,536)
Pension reserve 22 (46,752)
_______)
(46,752)
_______)
(33,501)
_______)
(33,501)
_______)
)26,289( )26,289) 37,091) 37,091)
Restricted funds 97,758) 97,758) 94,139) 94,139)
Endowment funds 22,135) 22,135) 3,312) 3,312)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
18 & 19 126,182)
_______)
126,182)
_______)
134,542)
_______)
134,542)
_______)
Notes 1 to 22 form an integral part of these accounts.
Authorised for issue by RSPB Council on 26 June 2012 and signed on behalf of the Council by:
Ian Darling
Chairman
Alan Martin
Honorary Treasurer
www.rspb.org.uk 23

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Financial statements
Application of net incoming resources
for the year ended 31 March 2012 2012)
£’000)
2011)
£’000)
Net resources available for charitable purposes
Less Total charitable revenue expenditure and governance costs
89,279)
(81,583)
94,011)
(80,286)
_______) _______)
Net incoming resources before losses 7,696) 13,725)
Movement in value of investments and pension scheme (16,056)) (343)
_______) _______)
Net movement in funds as per statement of financial activities (8,360)) 13,382)
_______) _______(
(
Application of net funds for charity use: (
Nature reserves 3,684) 2,907)
Other tangible assets 354) 201)
Movement on stock, debtors and creditors (1,785) 4,414)
Movement on pension scheme (13,251) 1,157)
_______) _______)
(10,998) 8,679)
Movement in cash and investments available for future activities 2,638) 4,703)
)
Cash and investments available at start of year 34,797) 30,094)
_______) _______)
Cash and investments available at end of year 37,435) 34,797(
_______) _______)
Consolidated cash flow statement
for the year ended 31 March 2012
Note
2012)
£’000)
2011)
£’000)
Net cash inflow from operating activities 21(a) 9,226) 8,735)
Returns on investments and servicing of finance:
Interest received 188) 335)
Dividends received 188) 193)
_______) _______)
376) 528)
Capital expenditure and financial investment:
Purchase of nature reserves (5,185) (3,979)
Purchase of other tangible fixed assets (2,169) (1,703)
Proceeds from disposals 254) 267)
Purchase of investments (3,372) (7,886)
Sale of investments 3,897) 4,850)
_______) _______)
(6,575) (8,451)
Management of liquid resources:
Movement in investment cash (1,998) 1,005)
_______) _______)
Increase in cash 21(b) 1,029) 1,817)
_______) _______)
Notes 1 to 22 form an integral part of these accounts.
24 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
Notes to the accounts
1 Accounting policies
Basis of accounts
The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost
convention as modified by the revaluation of certain
investments, and in accordance with the recommendations
set out in the Accounting and Reporting by Charities:
Statement of Recommended Practice 2005 (SORP), the
Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, applicable
accounting standards and the Charities Act 2011.
The accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis
and having considered future plans and forecasts
including a review of financial reserves as detailed in the
Trustees’ report, the trustees believe it appropriate to
continue to do so.
The Charity operates through its 13 Regional and Country
offices whose operations are fully integrated into these
accounts. The Statement of financial activities (SOFA) and
balance sheet consolidate, on a line-by-line basis, the
financial statements of the Charity and its subsidiary
undertakings: RSPB Sales Limited and March Farmers
(Washland) Limited. RSPB Sales Limited, incorporated on
4 March 1992 as a wholly owned subsidiary of The Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds, was established to
undertake trading activities on behalf of the Charity and is
licensed to use its name and trademarks. March Farmers
(Washland) Limited was acquired on 29 February 2008 and
retains the leases of two pieces of land in Cambridgeshire.
Farming For Nature, a company limited by guarantee,
registration number 07982175, was incorporated in 2011.
The intention is to use this entity in relation to land leased
from United Utilities at Haweswater in Cumbria.
The Charity holds a 33% joint venture interest in Yayasan
Konservasi Ekosistem Hutan a non-profit organisation
registered in Indonesia and established to facilitate the
acquisition and management of the Harapan Rainforest,
Sumatra. The results have not been included in these
accounts; to do so would not materially alter them.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a registered
charity and as such is potentially exempt from taxation on
its income and gains to the extent that they are applied to
its charitable purposes. No tax charge arises in its
subsidiaries, due to their donating, under Gift Aid, all
taxable profits to the Charity each year.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds, which have
been applied or reserved by the trustees for a specific
purpose. The aim and use of each designated fund is
set out in the notes to the accounts (see Notes 18 and
19).
Restricted funds:
Restricted funds are those which are to be used in
accordance with specific restrictions of the donors or
which have been raised by the Charity for particular
purposes. The purpose for which restricted funds are
held is analysed in the notes to the accounts (see Notes
18 and 19).
Endowment funds:
Endowment funds are restricted funds that are to be
retained for the benefit of the Charity as a capital fund.
Permanent endowments require the capital to be
maintained and only the income and capital growth
can be utilised. With expendable endowments the
capital may also be utilised. The purpose for which
endowment funds are held is analysed in the notes to
the accounts (see Notes 18 and 19).
Capital expenditure
Purchased assets, individually exceeding £2,500 at cost,
are included on the balance sheet at historic cost less
depreciation and any impairment in accordance with
FRS 15. Donated assets are included at market value as
determined by the trustees. Expenditure on fixed assets
is capitalised in the year of acquisition and depreciation
is charged annually.
Depreciation
Nature reserves, either owned as freehold land or held
as leasehold land where the lease is held in perpetuity,
are considered to have an indefinite useful life and are
not depreciated. Other fixed assets are depreciated on a
straight-line basis over their anticipated useful lives as
follows:
Freehold buildings
Leasehold land, with a
fixed term and buildings
Other fixed assets
50 years
Period of lease or 50 years
whichever is shorter
4 years
Funds
Unrestricted funds:
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the
discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objectives
of the Charity and which have not been designated for
other purposes.
www.rspb.org.uk 25

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Investments
The investments in the subsidiary undertakings are
stated at cost less provision for impairment; all other
investments are stated at market value. Properties
included in investments are those assigned under
legacy bequests, awaiting disposal at a future date, and
are stated at trustees’ valuation. The SOFA includes the
net gains and losses arising on revaluations and
disposals throughout the year.
Investment cash is held for investment purposes only.
It is the intention of the trustees that fixed asset
investments will not be drawn upon within the
following accounting year.
Stocks
Stocks, which include livestock and products for resale,
are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value.
Incoming resources
Incoming resources are included in the SOFA when the
RSPB is legally entitled to the income and the amount
can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. If these
conditions are not met then the income is deferred. The
following specific policies apply to categories of
income:
i) Membership income is treated as a donation and is
accounted for when received.
ii) Legacies are accounted for based on settlement of
the estate or receipt of payment, whichever is
earlier.
iii) Grants received in advance of the associated work
being carried out are deferred only when the donor
has imposed preconditions on the expenditure of
resources (see Note 15).
iv) Gifts in kind and donated assets are valued at their
realised amount, or the amount equivalent to an
alternative commercial supply, and are included in
the SOFA and balance sheet as appropriate.
Resources expended
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and
has been classified under headings that aggregate all
costs related to that category.
i) Costs of generating voluntary income are those
incurred in seeking voluntary income and do not
include the costs of disseminating information in
support of the charitable activities.
ii) Governance costs are the costs associated with the
governance arrangements of the
RSPB which relate to the general running of the
RSPB. Included within this category are the costs
associated with the strategic, as
opposed to day-to-day management of the RSPB’s
activities.
Notes to the accounts
iii) Support costs have been allocated to the headings in
the SOFA on the basis of salary percentage. This
applies to office facilities and accommodation,
finance, information technology, human resources
and management.
iv) Grants are awarded, at trustees’ discretion, on a
project basis where such projects meet the RSPB’s
charitable objectives.
Operating leases
Operating lease rentals are charged to the SOFA on a
straight-line basis over the length of the lease.
Foreign currency
Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at
rates prevailing at the date of the transaction. Balances
denominated in foreign currencies are translated at
the rate of exchange prevailing at the year-end, in
accordance with SSAP 20. Any gains or losses arising
on translations are reported as part of the transaction
within the SOFA and are not material; they are
therefore not disclosed separately.
Pensions
For the defined benefit scheme the amounts charged
in resources expended are the current service costs
and gains and losses on settlements and curtailments.
They are included as part of staff costs. Past service
costs are recognised immediately in the Statement of
Financial Activities if the benefits have vested. If the
benefits have not vested immediately, the costs are
recognised over the period until vesting occurs. The
interest cost and the expected return on assets are
shown as a net amount of other finance costs or
credits adjacent to interest. Actuarial gains and losses
are recognised immediately in “Other recognised
gains and losses”.
Defined benefit schemes are funded, with the assets
of the scheme held separately from those of the
group, in separate trustee administered funds.
Pension scheme assets are measured at fair value and
liabilities are measured on an actuarial basis using
the projected unit method and discounted at a rate
equivalent to the current rate of return on a high
quality corporate bond of equivalent currency and
term to the scheme liabilities. The resulting defined
benefit asset or liability is presented separately after
other net assets on the face of the balance sheet. Full
actuarial valuations are obtained triennially.
26 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
2 Membership subscriptions and donations
2012)
£’000(
2011(
£’000(
(
Membership subscriptions 32,461) 31,966)
Donations 6,554) 7,239(
________) ________)
39,015) 39,205(
________) ________)
3 Grants, corporates and trusts
2012)
£’000(
2011(
£’000(
(
Grants 23,875) 27,039)
Corporates 1,871( 1,684)
Trusts 1,084) 943)
________) ________)
26,830) 29,666)
________) ________)
Major grants received during the year include the following: 2012(
£’000(
2011)
£’000(
UK (
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs )5,110( 5,755)
Landfill Communities Fund 2,588) 1,957)
Scottish Executive 1,781) 1,760)
Scottish Natural Heritage
Natural England
1,261(
1,152)
1,005(
1,189)
Department for International Development 569) 330)
Environment Agency
Countryside Council for Wales
305(
229)
214(
293)
Department of Environment, Northern Ireland 196) 227)
Forestry Commission 182) 133)
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, NI
National Assembly for Wales
162(
44)
28)
77)
________) ________)
13,579) 12,968)
Overseas
European Union
KfW
3,987)
2,745)
________
6,732)
)
)
3,111)
4,604)
________
7,715)
National Lottery: Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery 1,840) 944)
Local councils and other 1,724) 5,412)
________) ________)
23,875) 27,039)
________) ________)
www.rspb.org.uk 27

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
3 Grants, corporates and trusts (continued)
Grants from Natural England include Access to Nature funding of £385,000 (2011: £140,000) for three
separate projects – “Dove Stone: Nature at the Heart of Urban Communities”, “Explore Moor at Geltsdale”
and “The RSPB South Essex People and Wildlife Programme”. This is included within restricted funds on
the Consolidated statement of financial activities.
The following grants from the Department for International Development (DfID) - Civil Society Challenge Fund
have been received; all expenditure is in accordance with the terms of the grant agreement.
2012)
£’000)
2011))
£’000)(
South Nandi project, Kenya (
Balance at 1 April
Income
-)
70)
(50)
121)
Expenditure (70) (71)
________) ________)
Balance at 31 March -) -
________) ________)
Ulugurus project, Tanzania
Balance at 1 April
Income
(14)
148)
-(
58()
Expenditure (134) (72))
________) ________)
Balance at 31 March -) (14))
________) ________)
Tana River Delta project, Kenya
Balance at 1 April -) -)
Income 132) -)
Expenditure (131) -)
________) ________)
Balance at 31 March 1) -)
________) ________)
Grants received were for the following purposes:
2012)
£’000(
2011)
£’000(
(
Conservation on RSPB nature reserves 13,884( 16,631)
Conservation – research, policy and advisory 9,124) 9,731)
Education and communication 519) 677)
________) ________)
23,527) 27,039)
Acquisition of nature reserves 348) -)
________) ________)
23,875) 27,039)
________) ________)
4 Legacies
The estimated value of legacies notified but neither received nor included in income is £17,881,000 (2011:
£15,118,000).
28 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
5 Investment income and interest
2012)
£’000)
2011)
£’000(
Income received from: (
Interest on cash 169) 106)
Listed Stock Exchange investments 188) 193)
Corporate Bonds -) 166)
Property 19) 63)
________) ________)
376) 528)
________) ________)
Other income:
Net gains on disposals of fixed assets 195) 224)
________) ________)
Included above is investment income of £13,000 (2011: £18,000), which relates to the Hanson Environment Fund.
This treatment has been agreed with the donor and the fund is held as an expendable endowment (see Note 18).
6 Total resources expended
Cost of generating funds:
Direct(
costs(
£’000(
Support(
costs(
£’000(
2012(
Total(
£’000(
2011(
Total(
£’000(
Costs of generating voluntary income: (
Membership subscriptions and donations 9,176) 627) 9,803) 8,404)
Grants, corporates and trusts
Legacies
2,311)
694)
203)
22)
2,514)
716)
2,095)
737)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
12,181) 852) 13,033) 11,236)
Cost of activities to generate funds (
Commercial trading 17,050) 254) 17,304) 17,218)
Investment management costs 61) -) 61) 54)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
Total cost of generating funds 29,292) 1,106) 30,398) 28,508)
(
Charitable revenue expenditure: (
Conservation on RSPB nature reserves 28,296) 983) 29,279) 28,860)
Conservation – research, policy and advisory 32,050) 2,130) )34,34,180) 33,722)
Education and communication 12,954) 615) 13,569) 13,257)
Membership services and enquiries 4,008) 64) 4,072) 3,949)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
77,308) 3,792) 81,100) 79,788)
Governance costs 459) 24) 483) 498)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
Total resources expended 107,059) 4,922) 111,981) 108,794)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
Governance costs include audit, legal advice for trustees and the costs associated with constitutional and
statutory requirements, such as trustees’ meetings.
Conservation - research, policy and advisory includes grant payments amounting to £6,405,030 with support costs
of £436,000 (2011: £7,995,000; £501,000). Grants were awarded to 94 (2011: 87) organisations; no grants were made
to individuals. A full list is available on request.
www.rspb.org.uk 29

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
7 Support costs
Premises)
£’000)
Finance(
& IT(
£’000(
Human)
resources)
£’000)
Mgmnt)
& other)
£’000)
2012(
Total(
£’000(
2011(
Total(
£’000(
(
Generating incoming resources 381) 417) 194) 114) 1,106) 942)
Charitable expenditure:
Conservation on RSPB nature
reserves 339) 371) 172) 101) 983) 931)
Conservation – research, policy and
advisory 734) 804) 373) 219) 2,130) 1,990)
Education and communication 212) 232) 108) 63) 615) 579)
Membership services and enquiries 22) 24) 11) 7) 64) 60)
______) ______) ______) ______) ______) ______)
1,307) 1,431) 664) 390) 3,792) 3,560)
Governance costs 8) 9) 4) 3) 24) 25)
______) ______) ______) ______) ______) ______)
Total support costs 1,696) 1,857) 862) 507) 4,922) 4,527)
______( ______( ______( ______( ______( ______(
Support costs are included in the expenditure reported in the Consolidated statement of financial activities and
have been allocated on the basis of salary percentage. The cost allocation includes an element of judgement and
the RSPB has had to consider the cost benefit of detailed calculations and record keeping.
8 Audit fees
The total audit fees were: 2012(
£’000(
2011(
£’000(
(
Charity 36( 36)
RSPB Sales Limited 24( 24)
March Farmers (Washland) Limited 3( 3)
______) ______)
63) 63)
______) ______)
In addition, our external auditors Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP were paid £18,239 (2011 : £26,500) for web
development and employment advice.
30 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
9 Staff costs
The average number of employees during the year was 2,110 (2011: 2,037).
Staff numbers by activity: 2012(
No.)
2011(
No.)
Conservation on RSPB nature reserves 637) 628)
Conservation – research, policy and advisory 837) 813)
Generating incoming resources 358) 324)
Education and communication 209) 204)
Membership services and enquiries 66) 65)
Governance 3) 3)
_______) _______(
2,110) 2,037)
_______) _______(
The nature of work undertaken by individual staff traverses the above categories; therefore, the allocation
includes an element of judgement.
2012(
£’000(
2011(
£’000(
(
Remuneration 41,424) 36,38,956)
National Insurance 3,237) 2,991)
Pension contributions 3,990) 4,304)
_______( _______(
48,651) 46,251)
_______( _______(
Not included in Pension contributions are payments of £2,941,000 (2011: £2,355,000) made in line with the
payment schedule recommended by the scheme actuary at the last triennial valuation. No other benefits were
paid to staff during the year.
Total emoluments in bands of £10,000
Number of employees at 31 March(
2012(
No.)
2011
No.)
60,001-70,000 5) 4)
70,001-80,000 2) 3)
80,001-90,000 1) 1)
90,001-100,000
100,001-110,000
1)
1)
2)
-(
_______) _______)
10) 10)
_______) _______)
Under the RSPB’s pension scheme, which is open to all eligible staff, benefits are accruing for 10 (2011: 10)
directors and higher paid employees. No remuneration is paid to the members of the RSPB’s Council. The total
reimbursement of travelling, accommodation and subsistence expenses incurred by 13 (2011: 16) trustees on
Council business amounted to £22,400 (2011: £23,000).
RSPB staff and trustees consider building relationships with other like-minded organisations to be an essential
part of delivering nature conservation in a cohesive and effective manner. Such relationships involve
becoming active participants in committee work of other entities. Andy Brown, RSPB Trustee, is Deputy
Chairman of the Environment Agency; RSPB’s grant transactions with the Environment Agency are disclosed
in Note 3.
Indemnity insurance premiums paid by the RSPB amounted to £6,600 (2011: £7,000).
www.rspb.org.uk 31

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
10 Tangible fixed assets – charity and consolidated
Freehold)
land)
Nature reserves Other tangible assets Total)
Leasehold Buildings)
Motor)
)land
vehicles)
Other)
properties)
£’000(
Equipment,)
fixtures and)
fittings)
£’000( £’000(
£’000( £’000( £’000(
£’000(
Cost ( ( ( ( ( ( (
At 1 April 2011 92,048) 1,526) 34,321) 3,598) 3,739) 12,416) 147,648)
Additions 2,016) 70) 3,099) -) 558) 1,611) 7,354)
Disposals -) -) -) -) (327) (335) (662)
______( ______) ______( ______) ______( ______( _______(
At 31 March 2012 94,064) 1,596) 37,420) 3,598) 3,970) 13,692) 154,340)
______( ______) ______( ______) ______( ______( _______(
( ( ( ( ( ( (
Depreciation ( ( ( ( ( ( (
At 1 April 2011 -) 364) 5,819) 1,635) 2,942) 10,811) 21,571)
Charge for the year --) 13) 1,488) 87) 516) 1,153) 3,257)
Disposals -) -) -) -) (314) (289) (603)
______) ______) ______( ______) ______( ______( ______(
At 31 March 2012 --) 377) 7,307) 1,722) 3,144) 11,675) 24,225)
______) ______) ______( ______) ______( ______( ______
( ( ( ( ( ( (
Net book amount: (
( ( ( ( ( ( (
At 31 March 2012 94,064) 1,219) 30,113) 1,876) 826) 2,017) 130,115)
______) ______) ______) ______) ______) ______) _______)
( ( ( ( ( ( (
At 31 March 2011 92,048) 1,162) 28,502) 1,963) 797) 1,605) 126,077)
______) ______) ______) ______) ______) ______) _______)
Net book amount: 2012)
£’000(
2011)
£’000)
Nature reserves: ( (
Freehold land 94,064) 92,048)
Leasehold land 1,219) 1,162)
Buildings 30,113) 28,502)
_______) _______)
125,396) 121,712)
Other tangible assets: (
Other properties 1,876) 1,963)
Motor vehicles 826) 797)
Equipment, fixtures and fittings 2,017) 1,605)
_______) _______)
4,719) 4,365)
_______) _______)
130,115) 126,077)
_______) _______)
The Net book amount of the Charity’s Tangible fixed assets is £129,565,000 (2011: £125,527,000). The wholly
owned subsidiary March Farmers (Washland) Limited holds Leasehold land of £550,000 (2011: £550,000); the
leases for this land are held in perpetuity and no depreciation arises.
32 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
11 Investments – charity and consolidated
Investments at market value: 2012( 2011(
)£’000( £’000(
Investment cash 17,577) 15,579)
Equities, bonds and other stocks:
Equities * 8,114) 8,016)
Corporate bonds * 1,862) 1,800)
Government bonds * 2,816) 2,599)
Listed Stock Exchange investments 3) 16)
_______( _______(
12,795) 12,431)
Properties within the UK 345) 1,098)
_______( _______(
30,717) 29,108)
_______) _______)
* Equities and bonds are held in unit trusts.
Movement during the year: 2012( 2011(
)£’000( £’000(
Market value at 1 April 2011 29,108) 26,222)
Disposals (3,897) (4,850)
Additions 3,372) 7,886)
Net gain on revaluation at 31 March 2012 136) 855)
Movement in investment cash 1,998) (1,005)
_______( _______(
Market value at 31 March 30,717) 29,108)
_______) _______)
Historical cost as at 31 March 14,746) 14,246(
_______) _______)
The Charity investments in its wholly owned subsidiaries are held at cost and represent the aggregate amount
of the subsidiaries’ assets, liabilities and funds. The subsidiary investments are:
2012( 2011(
)£’000( £’000(
RSPB Sales Limited 3,250) 3,250)
March Farmers (Washland) Limited 551) 551(
_______( _______(
3,801) 3,801(
_______) _______)
www.rspb.org.uk 33

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
12 Debtors – charity and consolidated
2012)
Charity)
£’000)
2012)
Consolidated)
total)
£’000)
2011)))
Charity)))
£’000))(
2011(
Consolidated)
(total)
£’000(
Trade debtors 2,348) 3,516) 1,154) 2,661)
Other debtors 2,791) 2,791) 2,201) 2,201)
Legacies 2,382) 2,382) 2,120) 2,120)
Prepayments and accrued income 9,443) 9,692) 9,254) 9,327)
Amounts due from subsidiaries 2,399) -) 2,148) -)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
19,363) 18,381) 16,877) 16,309)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year – charity and consolidated
2012)
Charity)
£’000)
2012)
Consolidated)
total)
£’000)
2011))
Charity))
£’000)(
2011(
Consolidated)
(total)
£’000(
Trade creditors 3,438) 3,855) 2,269 2,561)
Other creditors 1,466) 1,466) 16 29)
Deferred income (see Note 15) 2,620) 2,620) 1,138 1,152)
Accruals 2,714) 3,001) 4,588 5,091)
_______) _______) _______ _______)
10,238) 10,942) 8,011 8,833)
_______) _______) _______ _______)
14 Commitments
Capital expenditure:
Commitments for capital expenditure at 31 March not provided for in the accounts were £305,000 (2011:
£68,000).
Forward exchange contracts:
At 31 March, three forward exchange contracts with a combined sales value of €740,000 were outstanding.
Each contract is for up to two and a half years in duration, at Euro/GBP rates between 1.17 and 1.19.
Contracts to sell Euro are taken out in order to hedge forward currency exposure on future income.
34 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
15 Deferred income – charity and consolidated
Movement during the year: 2012( 2011(
)£’000( £’000(
Creditors amounts falling due in more than one year:
Balance at 1 April 3,924) 2,438)
Amount released to incoming resources (14) (14)
Amount deferred in year 490) 1,500)
_______) _______)
Balance at 31 March 4,400) 3,924)
Creditors amounts falling due within one year:
Balance at 1 April 1,152) 2,131)
Amount released to incoming resources (1,152) (2,131)
Amount deferred in the year 2,620) 1,152)
_______) _______)
Balance at 31 March 2,620) 1,152)
_______) _______)
Deferred income: Balance at 31 March 7,020) 5,076)
_______( _______(
Deferred income includes lease premiums of £910,000 (2011: £924,000) received and amortised over the life of the
leases. Income of £3,110,000 (2011: £2,652,000), where restrictions exist, was deferred in the year; this amount
comprised grants of £3,116,000 (2011: £2,542,000), and commercial trading of £92,000 (2011: £110,000).
16 Annual commitments under operating leases
Properties and equipment are leased by the RSPB for defined periods. The annual cost of these is shown
below:
2012) 2011(
Land
Other) Total) Total(
and)
buildings(
Length of lease remaining £’000( £’000( £’000) £’000(
Less than 1 year 425) 42) 467) 752)
2-5 years 430) 40) 47470) 399)
Over 5 years 881) - ) 881) 553)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
1,736) 82) 931,811,818) 1,704)
_______) _______) _______) _______)
Lease payments of £2,002,000 (2011: £1,902,000) were charged to the Consolidated statement of financial
activities during the year.
17 Contingent liabilities
Contingent liabilities relating to charitable work carried out by other organisations, on behalf of the RSPB,
amount to £736,460 (2011: £416,000) at 31 March.
The trustees have given indemnities to Executors under the standard terms for legacies received; they believe
the chance of significant claims arising as a result of these to be negligible.
www.rspb.org.uk 35

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
18 Statement of funds – charity and consolidated
The purpose for which funds are held can be analysed as follows:
Consolidated
1 April)
2011)
Incoming)
Outgoing)
Other)
recognised)
gains)
/ (losses))
£’000(
Transfers)
31 March)
2012)
£’000( £’000( £’000)
£’000) £’000(
Unrestricted funds:
General funds 35,056) 85,185( (84,258) 100( 1,277( 37,360)
Pension liability (33,501) 2,941( -( (16,192) -( (46,752)
Designated funds: ( (
Land fund 35,536) -) -) -) 145) 35,681)
_______) _______) _______( _______( _______( _______)
Total unrestricted funds 37,091) 88,126) (84,258) (16,092) 1,422) 26,289)
Restricted funds:
Nature reserves 89,107) 2,838) -() -) (72) 91,873)
Other tangible assets 419) 441) (258)) -) -) 602)
Conservation on RSPB nature
reserves 657) 14,775) (14,023) 9) (166) )1,252)
Conservation – research, policy
and advisory 3,922) 13,768) (12,548) -) (1,184) 3,958)
Education and communication 34) 924) (885) -) -) 73)
_______) _______) _______( _______( _______( _______)
Total restricted funds 94,139) 32,746) (27,714) )9( (1,422) 97,758)
Endowment funds 3,312) (1,195)) (9) 27) -) 2,135)
_______) _______) _______( _______( _______( _______)
Total funds 134,542( 119,677) (111,981) (16,056) -) 126,182)
_______) _______) _______( _______( _______( _______)
(
Charity 134,542) 99,330) (91,634) (16,056) -) 126,182)
_______) _______) _______( _______( _______( _______(
Wholly owned subsidiaries:
March Farmers)
(Washland)) Ltd)
31 March 2012)
£’000)
RSPB Sales Ltd)
31 March 2012)
£’000)
Incoming 94) 25,405)
Outgoing (57) (20,290)
_______(
_______(
Profit (Gift Aided to the Charity) 37) 5,115)
_______)
_______)
Advantage has been taken of the exemption given by FRS8, Related Party Disclosures, from disclosing
transactions and balances with wholly owned subsidiaries.
A review of funds during the year resulted in the net transfer of £1,422,000 reflecting restricted income
received during the year which related to prior year’s expenditure from unrestricted funds.
36 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
18 Statement of funds – charity and consolidated (continued)
The Charity holds a 33% joint venture interest in Yayasan Konservasi Ekosistem Hutan, a non-profit
organisation registered in Indonesia and established to facilitate the acquisition and management of the
Harapan Rainforest, Sumatra. Based on the latest financial statements available for the year ending 31
December 2011, the Charity's share of the net assets, income and losses were £546,000, £538,000, and
£35,000 respectively (2011: £551,000, £671,000 and £63,000). We are not aware of any transactions that
would significantly alter these figures for the year ending 31 March 2012. The results have not been
consolidated into the core financial statements; to do so would not materially alter them.
During the year ended 31 March 2012, the Charity paid £2,067,864 (2011: £1,442,000) to Yayasan Konservasi
Ekosistem Hutan of this, £245,647 was funded by the European Union. As at 31 March 2012, RSPB debtors
and creditors in relation to Yayasan Konservasi Ekosistem Hutan were nil (2011: £207,000 loan repayable
on demand) and nil(2011: nil) respectively.
Unrestricted funds include free and general funds that are not designated for particular purposes.
Designated funds comprise the Land Fund which represents land and buildings purchased using
unrestricted funds including the investment in March Farmers (Washland) Limited.
Restricted funds comprise:
• The Nature reserves fund represents the historic cost of nature reserves acquired using restricted funds
and a further £2,158,000 (2011: £2,931,000) held for specific future acquisitions.
• The other funds held for charitable objectives include grants received of £1,597,000 (2011: £1,647,000) in
advance of the associated work being carried out.
Endowment funds comprise the following expendable endowments:
• The Hanson Environment Fund granted an endowment of £1,000,000 in 2002 for the creation and
management of Needingworth Wetland Nature Reserve. Investment income, net of fees, for this
endowment is currently accruing to the fund. During the year, £46,000 (2011: £6,000) was expended on
the Nature Reserve.
• The Homes and Communities Agency’s Parklands Funding, administered by Essex County Council,
granted an endowment of £1,444,000 in 2011 to create and enhance a high quality landscape on the
South Essex Marsh of which, £1,162,000 (2011: £282,000) was spent during the year.
www.rspb.org.uk 37

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
19 Analysis of net assets between funds
The trustees consider that sufficient resources are held in a suitable form to enable them to be applied in
accordance with any restrictions imposed, as set out below:
Unrestricted funds Restricted) Endowment) Total)
General( Designated) funds) funds) funds)
£’000( £’000( £’000) £’000) £’000)
Asset type:
Nature reserves -) 35,681) 89,715) -) 125,396)
Other tangible assets 4,117) -) 602) -) 4,719)
Investments 15,026) -) 13,556) 2,135) 30,717)
Current assets 27,444) -) -) -) 27,444)
Current liabilities (8,317) -) (2,625) -) (10,942)
Long term liabilities (910) -) (3,490) -) (4,400)
_______( _______( _______( _______( _______(
Net assets excluding pension liability 37,360) 35,681) 97,758) 2,135) 172,934)
Pension liability (46,752) -) -) -) (46,752)
_______( _______( _______( _______( _______(
Net assets (9,392) 35,681) 97,758) 2,135) 126,182)
_______( _______( _______( _______( _______(
Free reserves which are available to be applied at the discretion of the trustees are held as investments or
working capital:
Unrestricted funds Restricted Endowment Total
General Designated funds) )funds) ) funds)
£’000) £’000) £’000) £’000) £’000)
Net assets excluding pension liability
37,360)
35,681)
97,758)
2,135)
172,934)
Less : Operating assets:
Nature reserves )- (35,681) (89,715) )-( (125,396)
Other tangible assets (4,117) -) (602) -( (4,719)
_______( _______( _______( _______( _______(
Available reserves 33,243) -) 7,441) 2,135) 42,819)
Less : Held for specific purposes:
Restricted and endowment -) -) (7,441) (2,135) (9,576)
Working capital requirements (6,323) -) )-( -) (6,323)
Threat fund (9,381) -) )-( -) (9,381)
_______( _______( _______( _______( _______(
Free reserves 17,539) -) -) -) 17,539)
_______( _______( _______( _______( _______(
20 Connected charities
The RSPB is one of the global partners in BirdLife International (registered charity number 1042125), an
umbrella organisation for entities with similar objectives throughout the world.
Further information about this organisation can be obtained by writing to BirdLife International at
Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 0NA.
38 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
21 Cash flow statement
(a)
Net cash inflow from operating activities:
2012(
£’000(
2011(
£’000(
Net incoming resources for the year 7,696) 13,725)
Depreciation on fixed assets 3,257) 2,531)
Interest and dividends received (376) (528)
_______( _______(
10,577) 15,728)
Profit on sale of tangible assets (195) (224)
Movement in working capital: )
Decrease / (Increase) in stocks 1,272) (1,658)
(Increase) / Decrease in debtors (((2,072) 2,645)
Increase / (Decrease) in creditors 2,585) (5,401)
_______) _______)
1,785) (4,414)
Movement in pension scheme (2,941) (2,355)
_______) _______)
Net cash inflow from operating activities 9,226) 8,735)
_______) _______)
(b)
Reconciliation to short-term cash:
Short-term cash at 31 March 2011 5,689) 3,872)
Increase in cash in the year 1,029) 1,817)
_______( _______(
Short-term cash at 31 March 2012 6,718) 5,689)
_______( _______(
Analysis of short-term cash
1 April)
2011)
£’000(
Cash flow)
£’000(
31 March)
2012)
£’000(
Short-term cash 5,689) 1,029) 6,718)
_______( _______) _______)
5,689) 1,029) 6,718)
_______( _______( _______(
www.rspb.org.uk 39

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
22 Pensions
The RSPB operates a defined benefit scheme for the benefit of eligible employees. The assets of the scheme
are held separately from those of the RSPB, being invested by professional fund managers, in accordance
with guidelines issued by the Trustees of the pension fund.
The Society’s contributions are determined by a qualified actuary on the basis of triennial valuations using
the projected unit method. The contributions have been agreed and recorded in a Schedule of
Contributions dated 30 June 2010.
A full actuarial valuation is undertaken by the Pension Trustees and their advisors every three years and
the last full valuation was carried out as at 1 April 2009. In the years when a full valuation is not required
an actuarial report is produced and the latest was carried out as at 1 April 2011. At this date the market
value of the scheme’s assets represented 75% of the liabilities. This meant the deficit amounted to £33.8m.
The assumptions that have the most significant effect on the results shown in the actuarial report are those
relating to the rate of return on investments and the rates of increase in salaries, deferred benefits and
pensions in payment. It was assumed that investment returns before retirement would be 2.15% per
annum greater than salary increases and 3.15% greater than increases to deferred benefits. It was also
assumed that pensions in payment would increase at 3.5% per annum on pensions accrued after 5 April
1997, at 2.5% on pension accrued after 1 September 2007 and at 3.0% on pensions accrued prior to 6 April
1997. Investment returns after retirement would be 4.95% per annum.
Following the results of the last actuarial valuation and a consultation with affected members, the benefits
provided to members of the Final Salary Section were reduced, with effect from 1 July 2010. In future, all
members’ benefits’ accrue on a 1/80 th basis.
The RSPB runs a Salary Sacrifice Scheme where members can opt to reduce their salaries by the amount of
their pension contribution and in return the RSPB will pay their contribution to the Pension Fund.
Contribution rates are: 7% of pensionable salary for members of the Final Salary Section and 6% for
members of the Cash Balance Section.
Changes in scheme assets, within Actuarial (loss)/gain, include an adjustment of £1.0m reflecting the
treatment of an advance contribution made by the RSPB in 2010 which was previously recognised as a
deficit recovery payment.
Financial Reporting Standard 17 – Retirement Benefits (FRS 17) requires the following disclosure.
Changes in the present value of the defined obligation:
2012)
£’000(
2011)
£’000(
Defined benefit obligation at start of year 134,066) 121,075)
Current service cost 4,130) 4,055)
Interest cost 7,412) 6,951)
Member contributions 66) 48)
Actuarial losses 9,732) 4,304)
Benefits paid (2,697) (2,367)
_______( _______(
Defined benefit obligation at end of year 152,709) 134,066)
_______( _______(
40 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
22 Pensions (continued)
Amounts recognised in the balance sheet:
2012)
£’000(
2011)
£’000(
Present value of funded obligations (152,709) (134,066)
Fair value of scheme assets 105,957) 100,565)
_______( _______(
Net liability in the balance sheet (46,752) (33,501)
_______( _______(
Changes in scheme assets:
2012)
£’000(
2011)
£’000(
Fair value of scheme assets at start of year 100,565) 86,417)
Expected return 7,550) 6,702)
Actuarial (loss)/gains (6,460) 3,106)
Employer contribution 6,933) 6,659)
Member contributions 66) 48)
Benefits paid (2,697) (2,367)
_______( _______(
Fair value of scheme assets at end of year 105,957) 100,565)
_______( _______(
Amounts included in Statement of financial activities:
2012)
£’000(
2011)
£’000(
Current service cost 4,130) 4,055)
Interest cost 7,412) 6,951)
Expected return (7,550) (6,702)
_______( _______(
Amount charged within net movement of funds 3,992) 4,304)
Actuarial loss 16,192) 1,198)
_______( _______(
Amount charged to statement of financial activities 20,184) 5,502)
_______( _______(
The major categories of scheme assets as a percentage of total scheme assets:
2012) 2011)
Equities, hedge funds and commodities 80.0%) 81.0%)
Bonds 10.5%) 10.0%)
Property 7.0%) 7.0%)
Cash 2.0%) 1.5%)
Insured policies 0.5%) 0.5%)
_______( _______(
www.rspb.org.uk 41

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Notes to the accounts
22 Pensions (continued)
Actual return on the scheme assets during the year:
2012)
£’000(
2011)
£’000(
Actual return on the scheme assets during the year 1,090) 9,808)
_______( _______(
Principal assumptions expressed as weighted averages:
2012) 2011)
Discount rate 5.10%) 5.50%)
Rate of increase in salaries 3.85%) 4.05%)
Rate of increase of pensions in payment 3.20%) 3.40%)
Rate of increase of pensions in deferment 3.20%) 3.40%)
Inflation 3.20%) 3.40%)
Expected long-term return on plan assets 6.10%) 7.35%)
_______( _______(
To develop the expected long-term rate of return on assets assumption, the trustees consider the current
level of expected returns on risk free investments (primarily government bonds), the historic level of the
risk premium associated with the other asset classes in which the portfolio is invested and the
expectations for future returns of each asset class. The expected return for each asset class is then weighted
based on the asset allocation to develop the expected long-term rate of return on assets assumption for the
portfolio.
Weighted average life expectancy for mortality tables used to determine benefit obligations:
2012) 2011)
Years)
Years)
Member aged 65 (current life expectancy) – male 22.7) 22.0)
Member aged 45 (life expectancy at 65) – male 25.0) 23.9)
Member aged 65 (current life expectancy) – female 25.5) 24.8)
Member aged 45 (life expectancy at 65) – female 27.9) 26.7)
Analysis of amount recognised in the Consolidated statement of financial activities under FRS 17:
2012) 2011) 2010) 2009) 2008)
£’000) £’000( £’000( £’000( £’000)
Benefit obligation (152,709) (134,066) (121,075) (84,710) (89,462)
Fair value of scheme assets 105,957) 100,565) 86,417) 62,577) 78,498)
_______) _______) _______) _______) _______)
Deficit (46,752) (33,501) (34,658) (22,133) (10,964)
_______( _______( _______( _______( _______(
Actual less expected return on assets (6,460) 3,106) 15,085) (26,391) (12,848)
% of scheme assets (6%) 3%) 17%) (42%) (16%)
Experience loss arising on liabilities
-) - (1,139) -) -)
% of scheme liabilities 0%) 0% (1%)) 0%) 0%)
42 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
How you can help the RSPB
How you can help the RSPB
There are many ways you can help and this section
outlines the most common ways people support us -
just choose whatever suits you.
Join the RSPB
Whether you want membership for yourself or
someone else, why not join today?
Remember nature in your will
If you have had a lifetime's pleasure from nature, why
not help ensure its future by leaving a legacy to the
RSPB in your will? Any amount, large or small, will be
put to excellent use.
Campaigns and appeals
Support our campaigns and appeals and you can help
our work to secure a healthy environment for birds
and wildlife. We need your support to help wild birds
and the wild places they live in - and to demand better
laws to protect them.
Shopping
Buy your gifts, bird food, binoculars and a range of
other products. Or support us through RSPB Energy,
holidays and more. All sales benefit the RSPB.
Get involved
Writing letters and e-mails direct to your MP and other
decision-makers can really make a difference for birds
and wildlife. Join other RSPB campaigners and make
sure your voice is heard.
Fundraise for wildlife
Have fun and meet like-minded people. Learn new
skills and put old ones to good use. And help birds
and wildlife while you do it.
Local groups
RSPB local groups are a great way to meet new friends
and help out the RSPB where you live. They are open
to all and you will receive a very warm welcome.
Volunteering for the RSPB
Looking for an exciting and interesting way to make a
difference for wild birds and the environment? Why
not consider volunteering? You don't have to know
anything about birds to volunteer with the RSPB.
For more information on how you can support the
RSPB please visit our website www.rspb.org.uk or
telephone Membership Services on 01767 693680.
www.rspb.org.uk 43

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements 2011-12 – thank you for supporting us
Members
The support and loyalty of our members is critical to
the success and achievements of the RSPB. Meeting
the rigorous conservation targets that we set would
not be possible without the enormous contributions
that members make. Members help in many ways,
all of them equally important: financially, through
volunteering, by supporting RSPB campaigns
through letter writing, and by helping to deliver
RSPB projects on the ground through local groups.
Community Groups
RSPB local groups, RSPB Wildlife Explorer groups
and RSPB Phoenix groups worked unstintingly over
the year. Local groups provide a great focus for us in
local communities, involve many people in our
work, and raised over £431,500 for RSPB
conservation projects. Wildlife Explorers (our junior
members) raised more than £23,000 to help Save
Birds of Prey.
On behalf of the RSPB, RSPB local groups and
Wildlife Explorer groups throughout the UK, we
would like to thank Awards for All (supported by
the “good cause” Lottery distributors across the UK)
for their continued support of local projects through
their community grants scheme.
Volunteers
The RSPB enjoyed the support of over 17,600
volunteers last year, giving the RSPB a gift of time of
over 1,017,782 hours. This is equivalent to an extra
591 full-time staff working for nature conservation.
These volunteers helped with virtually every aspect
of the RSPB’s work, and we cannot thank them
enough for their generous support. Additionally,
594,684 people gave an hour of their time to
participate in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, and
90,043 took part in our new survey Make Your
Nature Count.
Legacies
This year, as ever, we are grateful to individuals who
generously remember the RSPB in their wills. The
income generated in this way makes a significant
impact on the amount of conservation work we are
able to carry out throughout the year. Whilst it is
impossible to thank each and everyone of our
benefactors, there are a few we would like to
mention:
Ronald Charles North
Vera Constance Messam
Eileen Nora Campbell White
William John Else
Stephen Cooper Shepherd
James William Hardcastle
Anna Margaretha Moesker
Mary Collins
Kathleen Mary Davidson
Stanley James Baldry
Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund has provided essential
support for RSPB projects to restore and secure
natural heritage for current and future generations
to discover, learn about and enjoy. Big Lottery has
helped us create opportunities for people from all
backgrounds to have greater access to the natural
environment, involve local communities and
provide sustainable energy initiatives. The RSPB is
indebted to HLF and BIG for their continued
support for our work.
44 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Acknowledgements
Charitable Trusts, Non-Governmental Organisations and Individual Donors
We are grateful for the support received and would particularly like to acknowledge the following:
Adessium Foundation
Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and
Petrels
Arrowgrass Capital Partners LLP
A J H Ashby Will Trust
Geoff Ball
The Banister Charitable Trust
Basel Zoo – Across the River
The Gordon & Ena Baxter Foundation
BBC Wildlife Fund
BirdLife International
BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme Lost
Species Fund
British Birdwatching Fair
British Trust for Ornithology
Edward & Dorothy Cadbury Charitable Trust
Cambridge Conservation Initiative
Mr Ronald Glyn Carr Will Trust
Mrs M M G Carter Deceased Will Trust
Alfred Chandler
Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey
Miss Joyce Stephanie Collard Discretionary Trust
Conservation International – Global Conservation
Fund
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)
Mrs Peter Edgson Trust
Ellem Foundation
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
Frankfurt Zoological Society
A M Frost Discretionary Trust
The Gannochy Trust
The Helen and Horace Gillman Trusts
The A B Grace Trust
The Doris Louise Hailes Charitable Trust
Richard Hale
Peter Harrison MBE
Mrs Iris Hulse Discretionary Trust
J E V B Charitable Trust
Henry Kenner & Deirdre Boyle
The Kirby Laing Foundation
The A G Leventis Foundation
Mr Peter Lund and Mr David Lund Discretionary
Trust
Miss Helen Rachael Mackaness Discretionary Trust
Miss J A Matthews
Robert McCracken QC
Joan Montague Discretionary Trust
Mull and Iona Community Trust
Nationale Postcode Loterij, Netherlands
The National Trust
The Nature Trust (Sandy) Limited
Northern Ireland Environment LINK
The Oglesby Charitable Trust
Susan and Franklin Orr
The Orr Mackintosh Foundation
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
Mr Brian and Mrs Nancy Pattenden Discretionary
Trust
The Peacock Charitable Trust
Charles Pettiward
Mr A Rafinski
Rapid Response Facility
RBS CommunityForce
Restore UK
Alice Richie Irrevocable Trust
The Robertson Trust
The Rufford Foundation
Save our Species (SOS)
Scottish Environment LINK
Scottish Power Green Energy Trust
The Shears Foundation
Smart Energy for Europe Platform (SEFEP)
Nini Isabel Stewart Trust
The Suffolk Foundation
Sir John Swire CBE
Teesside Environmental Trust
The Tree Council
Mrs C Tremeer
The Tubney Charitable Trust
Mrs Margaret Turner Discretionary Trust
University of Cambridge
University of Durham
University of Leeds
Vogelsbescherming Netherland
Wales Environment LINK
David and Christine Walmsley
Michael and Rosemary Warburg
Waterloo Foundation
The Joan Whitehead Trust
Whitley Animal Protection Trust
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
Wildlife & Countryside LINK
Geoff Woodard
John Young Charitable Settlement
www.rspb.org.uk 45

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Acknowledgements
Landfill Communities Fund
We are grateful for funding support from the following organisations through the Landfill Communities Fund:
Angus Environmental Trust
Argyll & Bute Council
Banbridge District Council
Biffa Award
County Durham Environmental Trust Ltd
Down District Council
EPAC through Groundwork Pride Ltd
Fermanagh District Council
Glasgow City Council
GrantScape
Highland Council
INCA
Million Ponds project in association with Biffa
Award
Newport City Council Landfill Communities Fund
Newry & Mourne District Council
North Lanarkshire Council Environmental Key Fund
Perth & Kinross Quality of Life Trust
SITA Trust
Smith Skip Ltd
Staffordshire Environmental Fund
Ulster Wildlife Trust Landfill Communities Fund
Veolia Environmental Trust
Veolia Havering Riverside Trust
Veolia Pitsea Marshes Trust
Viridor Credits Environmental Company
Waste Recycling Group Ltd (WRG) through Waste
Recycling Environmental Ltd (WREN)
46 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Acknowledgements
Business Supporters and Trading Partners
The RSPB enjoys successful partnerships with business supporters to our mutual benefit. We would particularly
like to acknowledge the following:
ACE UK
Audioboo
BBC Wildlife Magazine
Bloomsbury Publishing plc
BP through the Scottish Forest Alliance
Bupa Care Services
The Caravan Club
Carillion plc
CEMEX UK Ltd
Chevron
Co-operative Bank
Co-operative Financial Services
Cumnock and Doon Valley Minerals Trust
Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund
Dorling Kindersley Ltd
The Famous Grouse
Fulham Heating Merchants Ltd
The Green Insurance Company
Hartley Anderson Ltd
Hoseasons Group
JD Sports Fashion plc
Jeanie Media Ltd
Just Go! Holidays
Northern Ireland Electricity
The Otter House Group
Paramo Nikwax Ltd.
PD Ports
Puffin Post
PURE
Questmark Ltd
Ricoh Europe plc
Scottish & Southern Energy
Scottish Power
Scottish Power Renewables
Swarovski Optik
Talisman Energy UK Ltd
Tarmac Ltd
The Telegraph Media Group
Tesco Stores Ltd
Two Ravens Press Ltd
Turcan Connell
United Utilities plc
Vital Earth Ltd
Zegrahm Expeditions
www.rspb.org.uk 47

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Acknowledgements
Support from Statutory Sector and other Public Bodies
We are grateful for co-operation and support from organisations of many kinds, and would especially like to
thank the following:
Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Big Lottery Fund – Awards for All Programme
Big Lottery Fund – Community Sustainable Energy
Programme, distributed by BRE
Bonn Convention for Migratory Species (CMS)
Cairngorms National Park Authority
Ceredigion County Council through Rural
Development Plan Axis 3
Coasts, Wolds, Wetlands and Waterways LEADER,
through the Rural Development Programme
for England (RDPE), joint funded by Defra
and the EU
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Countryside Council for Wales (CCW)
Danish Development Assistance Programme
(DANIDA)
Dedham Vale Area of Natural Beauty (AONB)
Sustainable Development Fund
Department for International Development (DfID) –
Civil Society Challenge Fund
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra)
Defra – Darwin Initiative
Department of Agriculture & Rural Development
(DARD)
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local
Government in the Republic of Ireland
Department of Environment in Northern Ireland
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Dumfries and Galloway LEADER 2007–2013, jointly
funded by the Scottish Government and the
European Commission
English Heritage
Environment Agency
Environment Agency Wales
Environment Wales
Environment Wales Biodiversity Fund
European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development (EAFRD)
European Commission – DG Environment
European Commission – LIFE+
European Commission – LIFE-Nature
European Commission – LIFE-Information and
Communications
European Commission (Seventh Framework
Programme) – EuroGEOSS project
European Commission – Tropical Forests and Other
Forests in Developing Countries budget line
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
ERDF – INTERREG IVA 2 Seas Cross-Border
Cooperation Programme 2007-2013
ERDF – INTERREG IVA administered by the
Special European Union Programmes Body
(SEUPB)
ERDF – INTERREG IVB North Sea Region
Transnational Cooperation Programme
2007–2013
ERDF – INTERREG IVB Atlantic Area
Transnational Programme 2007–2013
Event Scotland
Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) / DfID –
Overseas Territories Environment
Programme (OTEP)
Fife LEADER
Forestry Commission England
Forestry Commission Scotland
The Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty (AONB)
Forest of Dean Local Action Group, through the
Rural Development Programme for England
(RDPE), jointly funded and supported by
Defra, Forest of Dean Partnership, LEADER
and EAFRD: Europe Investing in Rural
Areas
Forth Valley & Lomond LEADER 2007–2013, jointly
funded by the Scottish Government and the
European Commission
French Government’s Fonds Français pour
l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM)
The German Ministry for the Environment (BMU),
via the German state development bank
(KfW)
Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund – Your Heritage
Highland LEADER 2007-2013, jointly funded by the
Scottish Government and the European
Commission
Homes and Communities Agency’s Parklands
funding administered by Essex County
Council
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
Lancashire County Council Green Partnership
Awards
Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park Authority
National Heritage Memorial Fund
Natural England
Natural England – Access to Nature, part of the Big
Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme
Natural England – Action for Birds in England
partnership
48 www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB trustees’ report and accounts 2011-12
Acknowledgements
Natural England – Nature After Minerals
Natural England – Wetland Vision Grant Scheme
Northern Ireland Environment Agency
Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme
administered by the Southern Organisation for
Action in Rural areas (SOAR)
Northern Ireland Tourist Board
Orkney Islands Council
Orkney LEADER
Peak District National Park Authority
Pennine Prospects
Renfrewshire LEADER 2007–2013, jointly funded
by the Scottish Government and the European
Commission
Ribble Valley Borough Council
Rural Development Programme for England
(RDPE)
Rural Tayside LEADER
Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
Scottish Government Rural Payments and
Inspections Directorate
Scottish Government Science Engagement Grants
Scheme
Scottish Natural Heritage
Somerset Levels & Moors Local Action Group,
through the Rural Development Programme
for England (RDPE), jointly funded and
supported by Defra, Somerset County
Council, LEADER and EAFRD: Europe
Investing in Rural Areas
South West Action for Rural Development
(SWARD) under the Rural Development
Programme
St Albans City & District Council
Stoke-on-Trent City Council through the Future
Jobs Fund
Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB Sustainable
Development Fund
Suffolk Coastal District Council – Economic
Development Support Fund
Teignbridge District Council
USAID/USFS STEWARD Programme
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Visit West Lothian
Welsh Government
Welsh Government Ecosystem Resilience, Diversity
and Compliance Fund
West Cornwall Local Action Group, through RDPE,
jointly funded and supported by Defra,
Cornwall Development Company, LEADER
and EAFRD: Europe Investing in Rural Areas
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
www.rspb.org.uk 49

However you support the
RSPB, whether as a
member, a volunteer, a
funder or a decision-maker,
thanks for helping make
possible all that we’ve
achieved this year.
Please help us win even more
victories for wildlife:
www.rspb.org.uk/supporting
CONTACT US
UK HEADQUARTERS
The RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire,
SG19 2DL. Tel: 01767 680551
ENGLAND
Midlands Office
46 The Green, South Bar,
Banbury, Oxfordshire
OX16 9AB
Tel: 01295 253330
Eastern England Office
Stalham House, 65 Thorpe
Road, Norwich NR1 1UD
Tel: 01603 661662
London Area Office
Second Floor, 65 Petty France,
London SW1H 9EU
Tel: 020 7808 1240
Northern England Offices
Westleigh Mews, Wakefield
Road, Denby Dale,
Huddersfield HD8 8QD
1 Sirius House, Amethyst Road,
Newcastle Business Park,
Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7YL
7.3.1 Cameron House, White
Cross Estate, Lancaster
LA1 4XQ
For all offices, ring
0300 777 2676
South East England Office
1st Floor, Pavilion View,
19 New Road, Brighton,
East Sussex BN1 1UF
Tel: 01273 775333
South West England Office
Keble House, Southernhay
Gardens, Exeter, Devon
EX1 1NT
Tel: 01392 432691
NORTHERN IRELAND
Northern Ireland
Headquarters
Belvoir Park Forest, Belfast
BT8 7QT
Tel: 028 9049 1547
SCOTLAND
Scotland Headquarters
2 Lochside View, Edinburgh
Park, Edinburgh EH12 9DH
Tel: 0131 317 4100
East Scotland Office
10 Albyn Terrace, Aberdeen
AB10 1YP Tel: 01224 624824
North Scotland Office
Etive House, Beechwood Park,
Inverness IV2 3BW
Tel: 01463 715000
South and West
Scotland Office
10 Park Quadrant, Glasgow
G3 6BS
Tel: 0141 331 0993
WALES
Wales Headquarters
Sutherland House,
Castlebridge, Cowbridge
Road East, Cardiff CF11 9AB
Tel: 029 2035 3000
North Wales Office
Unit 14, Llys Castan, Ffordd y
Parc, Parc Menai, Bangor,
Gwynedd LL57 4FD
Tel: 01248 672850
The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife,
tackling the problems that threaten our
environment. Nature is amazing –
help us keep it that way.
We belong to BirdLife International,
the global partnership of bird
conservation organisations.
www.rspb.org.uk
Girl in bluebell wood by David Tipling (rspb-images.com)
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity:
England & Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654 500-2289-11-12