Devon naturalist Sophie Pavelle to join RSPB’s England Committee

The RSPB has announced their new England Advisory Committee, with Devon’s own Sophie Pavelle, also known as ‘Sophiepavs’ on social media, joining ten new members in guiding the future plans for the RSPB across the country.

Sophie, who lives in East Devon and has been involved with the likes of the Wildlife Trusts, BBC Earth and BBC Countryfile Magazine previously, will be sharing her passion for appreciating and protecting the UK’s wildlife with the RSPB, having a lasting impact on the charity’s plans for years to come.

Speaking of her new role as part of the committee for RSPB England, Sophie said: “One of the things that I’m super passionate about is engaging the next generation of environmental advocates and custodians of nature… and I’m really looking forward to working with the RSPB to make sure we are doing everything we can to try and include a diverse public who are able to experience and enjoy nature as much as we are”

A keen zoologist, science communicator, author and environmental advocate, Sophie has built up a strong following on her social media channels, sharing her love wildlife and the environment with her 11.7k followers on Instagram. Not only this, but Sophie’s love for hiking in the area has seen her hike 600 miles across the coast of Devon and Cornwall, raising money for both The Wildlife Trusts and Surfers Against Sewage.

Now, as a member of the England Advisory Committee, she will help to form a diverse range of new voices set to shape the strategy and actions of RSPB England over the next few years.

The RSPB England committee, whose purpose will be to support, guide, and champion the work of the conservation charity, has been formed in the shape of ten new members from a vast array of backgrounds, experiences and skills.

The committee’s creation comes as a recent RSPB report, titled Recovering Together (1), showed that just 34% of people in households without any outdoor space (be that a garden, courtyard, or balcony) are within a 10-minute walk of publicly accessible natural greenspace.

As their report shows, increasing access to nature rich spaces for all is a “pressing concern”, and the charity now hopes that Sophie’s experience and passion will bring valuable insight to RSPB England, joining them in protecting nature and increasing people’s access to it.

Speaking of the new England Advisory Committee, Emma Marsh, Director for England said: “We are excited and hopeful that with such a brilliant and diverse mix of voices, passion and knowledge, our new Advisory Committee can really help to make a lasting impact on the way we work at RSPB England, driving us forwards as the fight for nature intensifies.”