Devon Wildlife Trust is asking their members, supporters
and the wider public to defend nature by contacting MPs and local councillors –
both online and in person – to voice concerns over new Government proposal
Devon Wildlife Trust, alongside other nature
charities, is extremely worried about announcements made by the Government that
pose serious threats to nature, climate and food security.
Over the last few days, the Government has:
- Announced
the Retained EU Law Bill – threatening to revoke hundreds of laws that protect wild places and ensure standards
for water quality, pollution and the use of pesticides
- Announced a new planning and
infrastructure bill as well as investment zones as part of the growth plan,
which threaten to weaken vital protections for habitats and wildlife
- Launched a ‘review’ of the long-awaited Environmental
Land Management schemes – which were meant to reward farmers for restoring
nature, preventing pollution from entering rivers and climate-proofing their
businesses
- Lifted
a ban on fracking in England, despite there
being no evidence that proves fracking is safe
The proposals have caused outrage among green
charities, politicians of all political persuasion, farmers, campaigners, and
members of the public – many of whom feel anxious that the Government is not tackling
the nature and climate crises with the urgency required.
A recent poll by the Climate Coalition – a group of leading environmental organisations
and campaigners – found that only 23% of people felt the Government is doing
enough to tackle the climate crisis. Polling carried out by Unchecked found
that strong regulation is supported by voters – irrespective of which way they
voted in the EU referendum.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife
Trusts, says:
“Nature
is under attack from a raft of dangerous decisions by Government and we know
people are furious at the new threats. Vital legal protections for wildlife are
at risk, fossil fuel extraction is being favoured over renewables, and the
Government is going back on plans to reward farmers for managing land in a
nature-friendly way.
“The
Government’s Food Security Report 2021 identified climate change and
biodiversity loss as the biggest threats to food production in future – so
farming in harmony with nature must be encouraged – yet the Government wants
deregulation that’ll lead to yet more poo in rivers, less wildlife and land that’s
unable to adapt to climate change.
“We
are calling on the public to contact their elected representatives and share
just how concerned they are. These actions will affect us all – the communities
where we live, our wild places, food security, and our futures. The climate and
nature crises pose monumental challenges, and recent proposals by this
Government will only make things worse.”
Harry
Barton, CEO Devon Wildlife Trust, says:
“The
recent Government announcements could put us back decades in our efforts to
protect nature and the climate. Senior UK Government representatives have
recently referred to environmental protections as ‘burdens’, yet our economy
depends on everything that nature provides – from food protection to clean air
and water, and so much more. A healthy environment benefits our economy
greatly, and nowhere is this clearer than in Devon with its £2.5 billion
visitor spend.”
Devon Wildlife Trust argues that abandoning
regulations that protect nature and creating low regulation ‘investment zones’
with few planning restrictions could decimate UK wildlife, which is already suffering
steep declines.
Since 1970, more than 40% of species have declined in
abundance, with 26% of mammals at risk of disappearing altogether. Every river and lake in England currently fails chemical pollution standards
and only 16% are classed in good ecological health compared to 53% on average
in the EU.
As things stand, Government ambition for nature’s recovery aims to have just 10% more nature in 2042 than
2030 levels – by which time the state of our natural world is expected to have
declined even further. Earlier this year, The Wildlife Trusts wrote to the
Prime Minister expressing serious concern and calling instead for a 20%
increase on 2022 levels.
For more information, see: https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/defend-nature-0
To tweet
to your MP, visit: www.wtru.st/DefendNatureTweet
#AttackOnNature. Photo copyright Luke Massey/2020VISION (All Rights Reserved)
2021
Food Security Report. The report sets out an analysis of statistical
data relating to food security, fulfilling the duty in the Agriculture Act 2020
to present a report on food security to Parliament at least once every three
years. Read the full report here.
The
Climate Coalition. Research commissioned by The
Climate Coalition – and released on 27th September – shows 7 out of
10 Brits are anxious about the impact of climate change and only 23% believe
the Government is doing enough to tackle the climate crisis. The impact of
climate change is British parents’ biggest worry for their children’s futures.
Unchecked – Protect or deregulate? This research seeks to explore public attitudes to regulation. Read the full
report here
State of Nature. The State of Nature 2019 report also revealed that 41% of UK species
studied have declined, 26% have increased and 33% shown little change since
1970, while 133 species assessed have already been lost from our shores since
1500. Read the full report here.
Devon Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading environmental
charity, with more than 36,000 members. The charity manages 60 nature reserves
across Devon, including a range of beautiful landscapes such as woodlands,
meadows, wetlands and heaths. Devon Wildlife Trust relies on charitable
donations, grants and the generous support of its members and the general
public to raise more than £5million every year. Money raised is spent
maintaining our work for wildlife conservation and education in Devon, for
present and future generations. More at www.devonwildlifetrust.org
