As Spring Action Month comes to a close, Fundraising Officer, Anthony Howarth, reports on some of the exciting goings on over the past four weeks.

Today is the International Day of Biodiversity, which marks the end of Population Matters’ Spring Action Month. What a month it has been! Here’s a quick recap of some of the highlights:

We marked Earth Day by launching our Spring Action Month on 22 April and since then we have welcomed 18 new members.

Supporters from far and wide, from the UK to the Canadian Pacific coast, have taken part in #NoMowMay, providing insects with valuable early spring habitats and encouraging biodiversity in their own back gardens.

Speaking of letting the grass grow for biodiversity, in his BBC Wild Isles documentary series Population Matters patron Sir David Attenborough recently urged people not to mow until at least mid-July. He said:

Nowhere here is richer in wildflowers and insect pollinators than our traditional hay meadows. Sadly, in the last 60 years, we’ve lost 97% of this precious habitat. But with nature friendly farming, meadows can be restored to provide a haven for wildlife. It’s all about the timing. Delaying mowing until mid-July allows birds and insects to complete their breeding and flowers to set their seed.

Like several of you, I planted tomatoes from seed to reduce food miles and raise money by selling seedlings and plants later in the year.

Our fantastic fundraisers have undertaken a variety of challenges, raising both awareness and funds. We had our first marathon runner since 2019 in Dom Scruton, who ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon on 14 May. Longstanding member John Waldron completed an 8 mile fell walk with his family on 12 May as part of #WalkThisMay. Together they raised hundreds of pounds for Population Matters while spreading valuable awareness.

We hope Spring Action Month has inspired you to think about the environmental impact of unchecked population growth and the ways we can take steps in our local environments to help. Our campaign to achieve a sustainable human population will protect the natural world and allow us all to live within our planet’s natural limits. In the meantime, we need to reduce the impact of those of us already here.

As we move further into spring and summer, we would love our supporters to continue thinking about biodiversity, engaging with our campaigns such as HumaNature, and taking action for our planet.

We would like to thank everyone who has taken part in Spring Action Month. Our work wouldn’t be possible without you.