'Birdgirl' joins RSPB committee as youngest member

Mya-Rose Craig said the new role will help her to "facilitate change" in the environmental sector.

An environmental activist has become the youngest member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) advisory committee.

In her new role, Mya-Rose Craig, 18, nicknamed Birdgirl, will support, guide and champion the charity’s work

An RSPB spokesperson said the Somerset teenager was chosen for her "passion” for wildlife and the environment.

Miss Craig will be working with 10 other newly appointed young members.

She said: “When I first heard the news I was incredibly excited, because it's really going to facilitate me to be able to facilitate change.

“My role on this committee will really push them to engage with other communities and different groups of people that they wouldn't necessarily engage with.

“I feel like the charity is stepping forward and showing that they’re prepared to make change by moving forward.”

Mya-Rose Craig (pictured) started bird-watching at the age of three.

Miss Craig has been campaigning since 2015 to improve diversity in conservation work, setting up Black2Nature which runs nature camps for children from minority ethnic backgrounds, introducing them to the natural world.

It was this campaigning that led to Miss Craig receiving an honorary doctorate in science from the University of Bristol in February 2020.

She also shared a platform with Greta Thunberg at the Youth Strike 4 Climate event in Bristol in February 2020.

In her new position with the RSPB she will help to shape its strategy and actions over the next few years.

The RSPB director for England Emma Marsh said: “It is hoped that Mya-Rose’s passion for both ornithology and environmental campaigning will have a lasting impact on the charity’s plans for years to come.”