Our Government

Nature needs the UK Government to turn their words into reality.

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What’s next for nature? (https://www.somersetwildlife.org/blog/steve-mewes/election-results-are-so-whats-next-nature-somerset)

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We need bold action for nature

Two years ago, nearly 200 countries came together to agree a Global Biodiversity Framework. At the time it was enthusiastically championed by the UK – but we’ve yet to see progress on halting, let alone reversing, nature loss. It is vital that the UK Government puts in place policies and funding to reduce river pollution, protect more land for nature and halve the use of pesticides, otherwise this country will fail its targets and completely undermine the international agreement.

The nature on our doorstep is struggling, but together we can make a difference for nature, the climate, and people.

Georgia Dent, CEO, Somerset Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trusts have published a new report Local to Global: the Global Biodiversity Framework and what the UK needs to do to implement it, which outlines the steps the UK Government must take to reverse nature loss and meet global targets.

The UK Government must announce bold action for nature at home on the international stage. At present, we are only on course to meet four out of our 40 domestic environmental targets. The UK also continues to be one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

Read the report

Our priorities for the UK Government

It's up to the Labour Government to deliver on the clear mandate they have to respond to the major concern the public have over the state of our environment. With an explicit manifesto promise to “deliver for nature” and a public seeking action, we want to see the Government pledge to make fast progress on commitments to:

Protect 30% of land and sea by 2030

The UK Government played a key role in setting this global goal and has promised to meet it at home. However, the UK is falling behind, with only 2.93% of land in England properly protected for nature and just 9.7% of the sea effectively managed.

Halve pesticide harm and clean up rivers by 2030

The Global Biodiversity Framework goals include halving the damage from pesticides and reducing pollution from excess nutrients. To achieve this, the UK needs to release a National Action Plan for Pesticides (which is already six years overdue) and ensure environmental regulators can enforce penalties when water pollution laws are broken.

Publish a plan to stop nature's decline by 2030

The UK Government has said it will review its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) by the end of the year. The new version of this plan must clearly show how the UK will meet its environmental targets and global biodiversity commitments, including the policies and funding required.

Is your MP giving nature a voice?

Your MP is there to represent your views and they need to understand how important nature and healthy wild spaces are to you. They should be supporting plans to tackle climate change and to bring wildlife back to your neighbourhood.

If you have had a conversation or met your MP, we want to know!

Let us know here