JOHN CRAVEN
Britain’s biodiversity is plummeting and it’s time the nation took action instead of expressing good intentions.
Biodiversity – the range of plants and animals found in one area – is under greater threat than at any time in our history. In the UK alone, an alarming 15% of species face the prospect of extinction.
So it’s welcome news that an independent committee of MPs is probing the underlying causes of this crisis, including climate change, urbanisation, pollution, invasive non-native species and aspects of agricultural and woodland management.
“During this inquiry, we will be considering the current state of the UK’s biodiversity, how we can prevent any further loss and the opportunities for naturebased solutions for climate change,” says Philip Dunne, chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) and Conservative MP for Ludlow.
“Sadly, we have a growing list of species threatened with extinction, such as the water vole, an ‘ecosystem engineer’ that generates new plant growth, and the hedgehog, which is an indicator of how heathy ecosystems are. Maintaining their numbers is crucial if we are to continue living healthy lives.”
Despite Covid-19 dominating our concerns, the environment remains a hot topic. This month, the post-Brexit Environment Bill is back in the Commons and the UK Climate Change Assembly will reveal its findings. Over six weekends, people from all walks of life met to thrash out how the UK can meet its legally binding target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Expect some interesting comments. Now comes the EAC inquiry, which is inviting ideas from all quarters and hopes to report ahead of two crucial UN summits next year on biodiversity and climate change – the latter being held in Glasgow.
CALLS FOR ACTION
I’ve been asking some top conservationists what they would say to the inquiry. Craig Bennett, chief executive of
The Wildlife Trusts, tells me: “Efforts to cut emissions must be matched with determined action to fix our broken ecosystems so they can help stabilise our climate. Restoring nature in the UK needs to be given top priority – we’re calling on Government, industry and local authorities to step-up investment urgently. It makes no sense to continue destroying natural habitats when they could help us. Nature’s fantastic ability to trap carbon safely and provide other important benefits is proven.”
Ben Reynolds, of the food and farming charity Sustain, urges the Government to go further, faster to fulfil its responsibilities, working alongside farmers and food producers. “The food the Government buys through the public purse, from school and hospital food through to emergency boxes, doesn’t support nature-friendly farming in the way that it should,” he says.
And the Woodland Trust’s Nick Phillips says: “We want to see greater focus on protecting and expanding native woods and trees to tackle the nature and climate crisis across the UK. Over half of the UK’s woodland wildlife is in decline, despite the fact that 95% of the public value woods most of all for wildlife. We need to turn this passion into Government action.”
These new initiatives to protect the planet nationally and globally, with another avalanche of words soon to be added to the billions already written and spoken on the subject, are to be applauded – as long as they bring positive results, not just cleverly phrased good intentions. Because for water voles, hedgehogs and everything else on Earth, time is running out.
“Restoring nature in the UK needs to be given top priority”