Reflections from UK Charity WCMC on changes to UK immigration rules

Today, changes to UK immigration rules come into force which will diminish the ability of the many conservation organisations working internationally and based in the UK to tackle the nature and climate crises. From our perspective at WCMC, a UK charity working in collaboration with the UN system, these changes will have a profound effect on how we work.

In recent years, the opening of the labour market in the UK allowed organisations like ours to sponsor visas for citizens of any nation to work with us. This was a boon. We attracted many nationalities who brought a huge diversity of skills, insights, perspectives and knowledge from a range of cultures. Our own organisation has benefited hugely since 2020. We went from 20 nationalities to more than double that in just four years and are considerably stronger for it.

New amendments to the rules will undermine this progress whilst disproportionately affecting early career professionals — so often the ones who are thinking in new ways, who have the energy and passion to act and who hold the hope for a better future.

Like climate, nature knows no borders. The global challenge of biodiversity loss therefore needs international cooperation and collaborative design of solutions. The continuation of both crises represents a collective failure to work together as humanity in response. In addressing these complex issues, we depend on diverse perspectives and collaborative efforts. In diversity there is strength, there are answers, there are new ways of solving old problems.

The multicultural shift we have experienced in our own organisation in the past four years has enriched our approaches and overall effectiveness in addressing environmental challenges and in particular to work internationally on conservation priorities for the UK. Success stories we hear from other organizations echo these sentiments, emphasizing the positive impact of an inclusive approach.

Restricting our access to skilled international professionals from diverse backgrounds, will inevitably reduce our ability to rise fully to the challenge of the climate and nature crises. We sincerely hope that policy and legislation in this area is kept under regular review and that the current policy is not the last word.

Jonny Hughes (WCMC Chief Executive Officer), Matt Jones (Chief Impact
Officer) and Melanie Reed (WCMC Head of People).