Government paper on the Environment
26th July, 2010
The White Paper on the Natural Environment provides a real opportunity to lay the foundations of nature conservation for the 21st century, according to Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.
The conservation organisation makes this statement ahead of a public consultation - expected to be announced today - and sets out its recovery plans for the UK’s wildlife and fragmented habitats. The 47 Wildlife Trusts, of which Worcestershire is one, believe the time is now for the Government to establish a vision for the restoration of the natural environment which will help society achieve its ambitions for nature.
With scant existing legislation to encourage the restoration of the natural environment or the creation of new habitats on a significant scale, The Wildlife Trusts are looking for the Government to deliver real improvements.
Colin Raven, Director of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, said “The White Paper is potentially as significant as the build up to the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act.
“This was one of the most important legislative changes for nature conservation, establishing the UK’s first coherent approach to conserving our environment. And it was done in an era where we were reconstructing a nation – although money was very short, nature was seen as a key part of our future.”
In the 1940s, The Wildlife Trusts’ founders successfully pressed for laws to protect some of the most special habitats but these were emergency measures. They were refuges from which it was always hoped nature would re-emerge. Outside these places habitats were lost on an unprecedented scale. As demand for land for agriculture, housing and development increased, so space for wildlife and natural processes decreased.
Over the last one hundred years or so more than 95% of wildflower meadows have disappeared and 90% of heathland across the country. 
Worcestershire is no different. Our county is lucky enough to have around 20% of remaining lowland meadows and grasslands in the UK but they’re still scarce. Worcestershire Wildlife Trust own the Devil’s Spittleful nature reserve, between Kidderminster and Bewdley, one of the county’s largest remaining areas of heathland. The long-term aim is restore adjacent land back to heathland in an attempt to maximise the survival of heathland-specific species.
Over the past 15 years, The Wildlife Trusts have been working with local people, businesses, organisations and authorities at a landscape-scale. Every Trust is working within its local communities to inspire people about the future of their area: their own Living Landscape. Worcestershire Wildlife Trust has identified seven priority areas across the county from the Forest of Feckenham to the Stour Valley.
Ahead of the recent election, The Wildlife Trusts lobbied for the new Government to introduce a White Paper on Restoring Nature so it reflected the needs now facing society by taking responsibility for this critical issue.
To ensure The Wildlife Trusts’ vision for A Living Landscape can be achieved in our lifetime, the conservation organisation sets out what it believes needs to be the fundamental framework for the White Paper for Nature. It should:
• Set out a new vision - be ambitious about the restoration and recovery of the natural environment and all the systems which underpin it
• Protect and enlarge ‘core’ wildlife-rich areas - value and conserve existing protected places such as Local Wildlife Sites (LWS), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) which lie at the heart of this new era for nature conservation. They cannot be allowed to be traded in or to erode
• Put wildlife back on the map - map out priority areas for ecological restoration. To create connections between core areas in the form of corridors and stepping stones to provide both functional and physical connectivity for wildlife across a landscape
• Give wildlife room to manoeuvre - set out policies and incentives which allow the protection and value of areas already rich in wildlife. Expand and buffer these areas and make the wider landscape more permeable
• Restore natural processes - such as flood protection, carbon absorption, crop pollination and water filtration, so they can operate to their full potential for people and wildlife. All are fundamental to our health, well-being and a successful economy
• Ensure there is wildlife everywhere - inspire every community to develop local solutions to the particular challenges for restoring nature in their area
• Inspire a new type of partnership - act together with central and local government, agencies, the private sector and voluntary bodies to inspire and enable cross-boundary co-operation. And support the voluntary sector in its delivery
Speaking about the potential for positive change, Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, added “The Wildlife Trusts believe the time is now for the Government to help society achieve its ambitions for nature by taking a look at the legislation, policies and funding mechanisms needed to restore wildlife on a landscape-scale.
“Nature is not a luxury. With the UK facing unprecedented economic uncertainty and pressures for energy generation, food production and housing, there is a risk we overlook the very basis of our economy and our society; the natural environment upon which this all depends.”
More Information
Wendy Carter, Communications Manager, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust on 01905 754919
Anna Guthrie, media & PR manager, Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts on 01636 670075 aguthrie@wildlifetrusts.org
Tanya Perdikou, media & campaigns officer, Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts on 01636 670057 tperdikou@wildlifetrusts.org
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