This week, leading wildlife organisations, including The Wildlife Trusts, publish a landmark State of Nature 2023 report. It shows that nature is continuing to decline at an alarming rate across the UK, which is already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. 

The State of Nature 2023 report shows: 

• One in six species is now at risk of being lost from Great Britain 

• The wildlife studied has, on average, declined by 19% since monitoring began in 1970 

• Most important habitats are in poor condition, though restoration projects have clear benefits for nature, people and adapting to climate change 

People’s concern about nature loss, climate change and degraded wild places is a significant voting issue. The Wildlife Trusts are calling on politicians of all parties to commit to an ambitious programme of policies to support nature’s recovery. 

In view of the nature crisis, The Wildlife Trusts have identified five priorities for politicians ahead of the next general election:

1. Bring back the UK’s lost wildlife
   The next UK Government must work across departments to put nature into recovery by protecting and restoring at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. Beavers should be in every county, a nature recovery network should join up wild places, and damaging fishing practices – such as bottom trawling – must be banned. 

2. End river pollution and water scarcity
   With the UK among the worst countries in Europe for water quality, the next UK Government must sufficiently fund enforcement agencies to do their job. By 2030, nutrient pollution from farming, sewage and development must be halved, there must be stronger protections for chalk streams, and more wetlands should be created to tackle flood and drought.

3. Fund wildlife-friendly farming
   The destruction of nature and impacts of climate change are the biggest threats to food security in the UK. Farmers must be supported and incentivised to help wildlife recover by creating more space for nature, significantly reducing pollution, and halving harm from pesticides by 2030. The budget for nature-friendly farming should increase to at least £4.4 billion a year. 

4. Enable healthy communities
   More than a third of the population – nearly 9.5 million households in England – are unable to access green places near their home. The next UK Government must support the creation of more green space in neighbourhoods, fund and integrate green prescribing into community-based health services and enable all children to access outdoor learning opportunities. 

5. Tackle the climate emergency by protecting and restoring natural habitats
   Nature can make a huge contribution to achieving net-zero targets if habitats are restored because peatlands, woodlands, and other wild places store carbon. Additionally, the next UK Government must integrate climate adaptation strategies across all departments, create a nature recovery network to help wildlife adapt to change, protect blue carbon stores from damage, and invest in energy efficiency.

Georgia Stokes, chief executive of Somerset Wildlife Trust, states: 
“We know that Somerset’s nature is in decline. As is the case across the UK, much of our wildlife is currently under threat from pollution, habitat loss, and our changing climate. The State of Nature report highlights the need to understand more about these population declines and the different pressures affecting wildlife on both a UK and local scale. 

“Through this and our own regional State of Nature report, which our team is currently producing, we now know more than we ever have about the state of nature in Somerset — but we also know we need to go further, by continuing to build on our knowledge of habitats and species, expanding the monitoring of wildlife as much as we can, and by making critical changes that put nature first. We’re calling on our politicians to use this evidence to ensure that nature recovery is reflected in all decision making and in all policies ahead of the next election.”