The Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves (SPNR) is established by the banker and expert naturalist, Charles Rothschild (right) at a meeting in London on 16 May. Rothschild's vision was to identify and protect the best places for wildlife – a radical idea at a time when conservation work in the UK was largely concerned with protecting species from persecution or over-collecting. With Rothschild's help the Society begins to acquire areas of land - 'nature reserves' - where wildlife could be protected. The Society's offices are in the Natural History Museum in London.
The Times carries a leader on the new Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves. This kickstarts a wave of national and local press coverage for Charles Rothschild's new venture and helps to begin the process of collecting information about wildlife sites 'worthy of preservation' across the UK.
The outbreak of the First World War put the Society's plans on hold. Although Rothschild's work on gathering information on potential nature reserves was almost complete, by the time Britain entered the conflict fully the SPNR's work was slowing to a halt.
By 1915, Rothschild and his SPNR colleagues had prepared a list of 284 special wildlife sites around the British Isles they considered ‘worthy of permanent preservation’, and presented this to the Board of Agriculture. The list of potential reserves included the Farne Islands and the Norfolk Broads in England, Tregaron Bog in Wales, Bass Rock in Scotland, and Lough Neagh in Ireland. However, the list was sadly ignored, and it would take many more years for the protection of wild places to make it onto the statute.
The SPNR acquires its first nature reserve in 1919 – Woodwalton Fen in Cambridgeshire, one of the last remaining fragments of wild fenland. It is gifted to the Society by Charles Rothschild and the gift is backed up with a donation towards its ongoing management.
The Norfolk Naturalists’ Trust is founded by Dr Sydney Long and acquires Cley Marshes on the north Norfolk coast as its first nature reserve.
Herbert Smith, a retired gemologist at the Natural History Museum in London, takes over as the General Secretary of the Society.
The Government begin to think about post-war construction and the SPNR chair and finance a hugely influential Conference on Nature Preservation in Post-War Reconstruction – which ultimately influenced the process of setting up statutory nature reserves.
Encouraged by the Government, the SPNR co-ordinates the Nature Reserves Investigation Committee. Potential nature reserves across the UK are identified by 22 local Committees.
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust forms in 1946 and Askham Bog becomes its first nature reserve - a gift from the York chocolate makers Sir Francis Terry and Arnold Rowntree.
