Experts share insights in Havant at national wildlife Mitigation Meet Up
May 2025
More than 120 wildlife mitigation professionals from across the country gathered in Havant on Friday 16 May for this year’s Mitigation Meet Up. This flagship event brought together experts dedicated to encouraging wildlife-friendly behaviour among countryside and coastal visitors.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr Tony Juniper CBE, renowned environmentalist and Chair of Natural England, who underlined the importance of sharing knowledge, experiences and data across the country.
The event was held at the Havant Plaza Conference Centre and was organised by Bird Aware Solent, a partnership based on the south coast. It works to protect coastal birds while allowing people to enjoy the natural environment responsibly.
The day featured a series of hands-on workshops covering topics such as communicating with dog walkers to promote nature-friendly habits, the latest developments in behaviour change science, and new methods to support consistent data collection across organisations — an important step towards more effective project evaluation.
Anna Parry, Partnership Manager of Bird Aware Solent, described the day as a great success: “It was inspiring to see so many dedicated professionals come together, share ideas and learn from each other. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and especially to those who gave their time for free delivering such high-quality workshops.”
Mitigation Meet Up serves as a vital platform for collaboration among organisations working to reduce the impact of recreation on wildlife. As momentum continues to build, it was announced that next year’s event will be hosted by the Bird and Recreation Initiative (BARI), based in Poole Harbour.
Among those sharing their expertise at this year’s event were Joshua Edwards from the RSPB and Dr. Kerry Traynor from the University of Liverpool who both talked to delegates about reaching new audiences for wildlife messaging through social media.
Becky Fisher from the Somerset Wildlife Trust led a workshop on behaviour change science, while Durwyn Liley from Footprint Ecology, in collaboration with Bird Aware Solent’s Thomas Marceau, conducted sessions on effective data collection.
A discussion between Marc Turner from Natural England and Jason Reeves, Head of Policy from CIEEM (Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management) about the opportunities and challenges arising from the Government’s recent planning reform proposals was a popular choice among delegates.
Shona Jenkins from Coast and Country Canines and Nat Light from PACT Dog, led workshops focused on engaging with dog walkers. Other sessions discussed identifying the best ways to engage with the public, sharing wildlife messages with watersports enthusiasts, and developing educational strategies which encourage nature-friendly behaviour.
Bird Aware Solent works on coastlines around the New Forest, Southampton Water, Portsmouth, Chichester and Langstone Harbours and the northern coast of the Isle of Wight. It is formed of a partnership of 19 different local authorities and wildlife organisations.
Bird Aware aims to mitigate the likely impact of bird disturbance as a result of additional homes built in the Solent area, and the resulting increase in recreational visits. It focuses on educating people about the birds and encouraging positive behaviour change.
