COMMENT

NOTHING is more important than saving our natural world because we need nature for everything.

But nature is in deep trouble and new proposals by the Government threaten to make things a lot worse.

Recently announced plans could see legal protections for wildlife torn up and planning regulations that protect wild places replaced by a building development free-for-all.

Worse still, the Government wants to frack for gas rather than prioritising cheaper, greener energy, and to change promises to reward farmers for restoring nature.

Wildlife has been hit by a triple whammy of modern farming systems, damaging development and climate change. More than one in 10 species are at risk of dying out. If government pursues its agenda of deregulation, those extinctions will happen even faster than we had feared.

The Government’s own report said climate change and nature loss are the biggest threats to food security.

This year’s drought shows how crops are being ruined as the world heats up. Farming in harmony with nature is not a choice – it is something we must do to guarantee we have enough food.

The Wildlife Trusts work hard to improve nature. From bringing back beavers to restoring wildflower meadows, our staff and volunteers take on important projects to give nature a helping hand.

All that incredible work is at risk if politicians don’t make the right decisions for nature. The UK says it’s a world leader on environmental issues – but we are nothing more than hypocrites if we can’t get things right at home.