Around 400 years ago, the Tudor establishment began to worry that agricultural problems and urban migration would lead to social unrest. This led to The Charitable Uses Acts of 1597 and 1601, which aimed to promote philanthropy by the wealthy. With this act, the organisations we know today as charities were born.

The UK has a long history in environmental action. Its oldest national conservation organisation is the Open Spaces Society which was founded in 1865. Early members of this society included John Stuart Mill, Sir Robert Hunter and Miss Octavia Hill. Together with Canon Rawnsley, Hunter and Hill went on to establish the National Trust in 1895.

There are a large number of national and local environment charities in the UK. ZeroCarbonCity is our global British Council campaign looking at the role of cities in the climate change debate worldwide. Some charities campaign on global issues and others focus on single issues or local concerns. The list that follows is therefore not exhaustive but includes all the main environmental NGOs in the UK.

Biology and Biodiversity
Chemicals, Energy, Acidification and Climate Change
General Environment
Industry, Design and Environment Economics
Inland Waters, Marine and Coastal Environment
International Development, Law and Policy
Soil, Rural, Landscape and Farming
Technological and Natural Hazards
Transport and Ozone
Urban Environment
Waste

Biology and Biodiversity

ARKive
Birdlife International
The British Trust for Ornithology
The Eden Project
The Field Studies Council
GeneWatch UK
The Globe Programme
Planet Ark UK
Plantlife International
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Wildlife Trusts
The Wildscreen Trust
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
The Woodland Trust
WWF-UK

Chemicals, Energy, Acidification and Climate Change

The Carbon Trust
The Centre for Alternative Technology
Changingclimate
The Energy Saving Trust
The National Society for Clean Air
ZeroCarbonCity

General Environment

Association for Science Education
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV)
The Conservation Foundation
The Council for National Parks
Eco Schools and The Environment Council
Forum for the Future
Friends of the Earth
Green Alliance
Greenpeace
The Henry Doubleday Research Association now called Garden Organic
International Institute for Environment and Development
The National Trust
Open Spaces Society
Television Trust for the Environment
The UK Phenology Network
Women's Environmental Network
Young People's Trust for the Environment

Industry, Design and Environment Economics

The Centre for Alternative Technology
The Centre for Sustainable Design
Forum for the Future
Leadership for Environment and Development
Institute for European Environmental Policy

Inland Waters, Marine and Coastal Environment

The Marine Conservation Society
Rising Tide
WaterAid

International Development, Law and Policy

The Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development
International Institute for Environment and Development
The Intermediate Technology Development Group
WaterAid
The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives

Soil, Rural, Landscape and Farming

Campaign to Protect Rural England
Common Ground
Groundwork
Learning through Landscapes
The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens
Plantlife International
The Soil Association
Sustain: the Alliance for Better Food and Farming

Technological and Natural Hazards

The National Society for Clean Air

Transport and Ozone

The National Society for Clean Air
Sustrans - the Sustainable Transport Charity
Transport 2000

Urban Environment

Common Ground
Groundwork
The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens
Open Spaces Society

Waste

ENCAMS
Waste Watch