Time’s running out for nature, but the approaching General Election is a key moment to act.
The General Election is taking place on Thursday 4 July, and will be crucial for nature. This is because the UK Government has made a legal commitment to protect 30% of our land and seas for wildlife by 2030, which means it absolutely must happen in the next parliament.
Hitting these targets could mean that the nature we all love could finally start to recover.
This General Election is our time. It’s our time to ensure our candidates know that nature can’t wait any longer, and neither can we.
Beccy Speight, the RSPB’s CEO says: “Here in the UK, we care deeply about nature. But last year’s State of Nature report laid out a grim picture, finding that there’s been no let-up in the decline of our wildlife over recent decades, with one in six species now at risk of being lost from our shores.
“But there is hope: while we know the threats, we also know the solutions. But we simply aren’t acting fast enough or at a big enough scale to tackle the nature and climate crisis. We’re calling for urgent action and a much stronger commitment to nature’s recovery from politicians of all parties, because we cannot afford to wait any longer.”
The birds and other wildlife we all love need us to act now. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted places on earth and much of our wildlife is continuing to decline. We’ve seen 38 million birds vanish from our skies in the last 50 years, 97% of our wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s, and a quarter of all our mammals are at risk of extinction from the UK.
Therefore, we need commitments from all political parties to take action to tackle the nature and climate emergency.
Specifically, we need to see more and better funding for nature-friendly farming. As a huge amount of land in the UK is farmed, it must play a central role in helping nature. If we want nature to recover, it’s vital that farmers are supported in helping to tackle the nature and climate emergency alongside food production. Nature must be at the heart of how we farm our land.
We also want to improve the protected space for nature. That’s not just nature reserves, though they form part of that too. Sadly, just 7% of land in England is protected for nature, and only just over a third of that is in good condition.
But these are huge asks. We can’t tackle the nature and climate emergency alone. That’s why we need political action, and why all candidates must put nature on the political agenda. Together, we can all put the pressure on so that they do the right thing for nature.
On Saturday 22 June, we’re marching in London to be a voice for nature. When you march with us, you’re joining a community of passionate and like-minded people. We’ll be gathering at Park Lane, London W1K, between midday and 1pm on Saturday 22 June. From there, we’ll march through London before ending up in Parliament Square at around 2.30pm.
We’re speaking together with passion, and a purpose. Come and join us!
Make sure you’re registered to vote
Nature can’t vote, but you can. Make sure you’re registered to vote in the next General Election.
Find out some more ways you can take action for nature with the RSPB here.
