WORD is that The Wildlife Trusts have withdrawn their boycott of Global Birdfair.
Some 17 months ago, one of their affiliates, the one that represents Leicestershire and Rutland, unexpectedly pulled the rug on hosting the original Birdfair event.
It put out a statement which read: "The current format of Birdfair is heavily influenced by travel and tourism, with exhibitors travelling from 80 different countries to attend.
"The carbon footprint generated both by the event itself and the activities it promotes does not now fit well with our own strategy towards tackling the climate crisis."
Contributing to the boycott decision was an apparent bust-up between LRWT management and Birdfair's co-founder and longstanding organiser, Tim Appleton.
Neither LRWT nor any of its sister trusts took stand space after Mr Appleton took the bold decision to organise an alternative event, Global Birdfair, which made its debut last year.
But now it seems there has been a change of heart.
It has emerged that The Wildlife Trusts, are set to take space at this summer's event at the Rutland Showground between July 14-16.
Whether the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, which now has new leadership, will book its own individual stand, as it did in the past, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, the Global Birdfair team has released this preliminary list of organisations and individuals which have already booked for 2023:
* 2by2 Holidays
* A Focus On Nature
* African Bird Club
* Carry Akroyd
* Albatross Birding and Nature Tours
* Alcedo Wildlife Tours
* All India Birding Tours
* Richard Allen, Artist
* Anglian Water
* Asian Adventures
* Asturias Tourism Promotion Board
* Atropos Books
* Aurora Expeditions
* Clinton Banbury Art
* BBC Wildlife Magazine
* Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge
* Bellbird Tours
* Biebrza Wildlife Trust
* Bird Observatories Council
* Birda
* Birding Haapsalu
* BirdLife International
* BirdLife Malta
* Birds Chile
* Bird's Wildlife & Nature
* Birdtour Asia
* Birdwatching Magazine
* Bloomsbury Publishing plc
* Bluetail Birding
* Bradt Guides
* British Birds
* BDWCA (British Decoy & Wildfowl Carvers Association)
* British Dragonfly Society
* Birdfinders
* Brazil Birding Experts
* British Dragonfly Society
* Butterfly Conservation
* Button and Squirt
* Cam Tag
* Canon UK Ltd
* Canopy Family, Panamá
* Committee Against Bird Slaughter
* Cornell Lab of Ornithology
* Costa Rica Birding & Birdwatching Central America
* Crane's Cape Tours & Travel
* Kate Cree Art
* Cuba Birding Tours
* Discover Rutland
* Sam Dodd, Wildlife Artist
* eBird
* Estonian Nature and Culture Tourism
* Extremadura Tourism Board
* Eyebrook Wild Bird Feeds
* Falklands Conservation
*Falkland Island Holidays
* Fair Isle Observatory Trust
* Farakunku Lodges The Gambia
* Far South Expeditions
* Finches' Friend
* Fronteras de Ecoturismo
* Fujifilm UK Limited
* John Gale, Artist
* Geckoman, Sculptor
* Jane Gibson Sculptures
* D Smith Glasscraft
* Grant Arms Hotel
* Greentours
* Greenwings Wildlife Holidays
* Hawke Optics
* Heatherlea
* Heritage Expeditions
* Hero's Engine Works, Artist
* Iceland Birding
* Inala Tours
* Alison Ingram, Artist
* Jetwing Travels Pvt Ltd
* Bruce Kendrick
* Simon King Wildlife
* Langur Eco Travels, Bhutan
* Lawson's Birding, Wildlife & Custom Safaris
* Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
* Letaka Safaris
* Richard Lewington, Artist
* Limosa Holidays and WildWings
* Livingstone African Safaris Ltd
* Lynx Nature Books
* Mac Group - Benro, Tenba & Shimoda Designs
* Manakin Nature Tours
* Mariposa Nature Tours
* Stephen Message Art
* Ken Mullins Books
* Mythic Hippo Photography
* NHBS
* Rebecca Nason Photography
* Nattergal - Boothby Wildland
* Naturetrek
* Neotropical Birding and Conservation
* OnTrack Safaris
* Operation Seabird
* Oriental Bird Club
* Oriole Birding Ltd
* Ornithological Society of the Middle East , The Caucasus and Central Asia
* Peak Boxes
* Shelly Perkins Wildlife Art
* Suzanne Perry Art
* Plantlife
* Jonathan Pomroy, Artist
* Michael Potts Photography
* Princeton University Press Group
* Chris Rose SWLA
* RSPB
* Reef and Rainforest
* Sarus Bird Tours
* Sigma Imaging
* Society of Wildlife Artists - SWLA
* Southern Sky Adventures
* Speyside Wildlife
* Jim Starr, Artist
* Sunbird Images OHG
* The Swift Stand
* The Bagh Wildlife Resorts
* The Birdway
* The Feather Lady
* The Wildlife Trusts
* David Tipling
* Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge
* Trogon Tours
* Tropical Birding
* Trymwood Studios, Art Gallery
* UK Birding Pins
* Urban Birder World
* Claire Vaughan Designs
* Venture Uganda
* Sandra Vick, Artist
* VIGT - India, Bhutan & Nepal
* WaderQuest
* Gareth Watling British Bird Paintings
* Tracy Whinray Ceramic Art
* Helen Whittle, Textile Artist
* Wild Discovery
* Wild Herzegovina Birdwatching Holidays
* Wild Sounds and Books
* Wild Your Garden Limited
* Wildbird Tours, Costa Rica
* Wildfoot Travel
* Wildlife Acoustics
* Wildlife Poland
* Wildlife Worldwide and The Travelling Naturalist
* Julie Wilson Sculptures
* Woodland Trust
* Woolley Wildlife & Forgotten Little Creatures
* World Wildlife Fund
* Yorkshire Coast Nature
The Wryneck says: It will be good to see The Wildlife Trusts back in the fold. But why the change of heart? Travel and tourism, to which they objected, remain at the heart of Global Birdfair as they did at its predecessor, Birdfair. The fact is that these holiday stands are very, very popular - they provide a colourful international dimension which adds character and texture to this popular event. What about carbon footprint? There's no getting away from the issue. Alas, as yet, no one has come up with any sort of solution - at last not one on which we can all agree.
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