Ospreys were persecuted close to extinction in the UK before natural re-colonisation in Scotland in 1960. In recognition of their endangered status, ospreys have the highest possible wildlife protection as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. While they have gradually expanded their range across the UK since 1960 it was only in 2023 that first evidence was found of a pair of ospreys establishing a territory in South Wales. This pair therefore became the first to successfully build a nest in South Wales for hundreds of years. UVO was launched in March 2024 using the focus of the local nest in the Usk Valley as the basis for the development of an osprey conservation charity.