The recent government environmental announcement has alarmed many nature charities, including the Wildlife Foundation, who are urging the public to take immediate action.
In the past few days, the government has announced the retained EU law bill – threatening to roll back hundreds of laws that protect wildlife and ensure standards for water quality, pollution and pesticide use.
New infrastructure plans and investment zones as part of growth plans could erode important protections for habitat and wildlife.
Unselected
The government has also launched a “review” of the long-awaited environmental land management scheme – which aims to reward farmers for restoring nature, preventing pollution from entering rivers and providing climate protection for their businesses
Although there is no evidence that fracking is safe, England recently lifted its ban on fracking.
The proposals have drawn the ire of green charities, politicians of all political spectrums, farmers, activists and the general public – many of whom fear the government is not addressing the nature and climate crisis with the urgency it needs.
A recent poll by the Climate Coalition, a group of leading environmental groups and activists, found that only 23 percent believe governments are doing enough to tackle the climate crisis. A poll by Unchecked found voters support strong regulation – no matter how they voted in the EU referendum.
dangerous
Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trust, said:
“Nature is being attacked by a series of dangerous government decisions and we know people are outraged by new threats. Important legal protections for wildlife are at risk, fossil fuel extraction is favoured over renewables, and the government is re-planning incentives A plan by farmers to manage their land in a nature-friendly way.
“The government’s Food Security Report 2021 identifies climate change and biodiversity loss as the biggest threats to future food production – so farming in harmony with nature must be encouraged – but the government wants to deregulate, which will lead to the development of more poop and less wildlife and land that are not adaptable to climate change.
give up
Bennet added: “We call on the public to reach out to their elected representatives and share their level of concern. These actions will affect all of us – the communities in which we live, our wilderness, food security and our future. The climate and nature crisis It poses a huge challenge, and this administration’s recent proposals have only made things worse.”
The Wildlife Trust believes that abandoning regulations to protect nature and creating low-regulated “investment zones” with few planning restrictions could lead to a dramatic decline in the UK’s wildlife population.
More than 40 percent of species have declined since 1970, with 26 percent of mammals at risk of complete extinction. Currently, every river and lake in England falls short of chemical pollution standards, and only 16% are classified as good ecologically healthy, compared to the EU average of 53%.
deregulation
As it stands, the government’s ambition for nature recovery is targeting a 10% increase in nature by 2042 from 2030 levels – by which time the state of our natural world is expected to decline further.
Earlier this year, the Wildlife Trust wrote to the Prime Minister expressing serious concerns and calling for a 20% increase from 2022 levels.
Joan Edwards, policy director at the Wildlife Trust, said:
“This is the most destructive policy I have seen in over 35 years of conservation work. The government is threatening to turn a very bad situation into a total disaster at a time when nature needs us most.
“The dangerous agenda of pursuing deregulation will push beloved species such as water voles and hedgehogs to the brink of extinction, even faster than we fear. We depend on the natural world for everything from clean water to food – and it must be respect.”
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Yasmin Dahnoun is Assistant Editor ecologist.
