Page 13 - Wildlife News April 2018

Eight things farmers wneLoilawrdtgesli/safnteneUtdrwKui-sswssutisde.es:
should be paid to provide
Our biggest challenge yet
1More, bigger and better
natural habitats Your membership of your Wildlife Trust is
making great things happen near you for
Using ecological mapping to coordinate wildlife and people. Thank you. Together,
farmers’ land management The Wildlife Trusts have a voice influencing
each of the four elected parliaments in the
2 Thriving UK. Our input is informed by our work in
wildlife real places, with real people, real local authorities, farmers
and businesses. We have a deep and broad understanding
Pioneering farmers have shown that you of what helps wildlife on land and at sea, and of the
can farm profitably and restore wildlife immense benefits for people and communities of being
closer to nature.
3 Abundant We’ve been on the case for more than 100 years. From
pollinators 1912, we sought to stop the draining of the East Anglian
Fens. We were pivotal in securing the 1949 Act that brought
These insects are a vital link in our food chain. in statutory conservation. We were a central voice when the
Joint action can bring them back 1981 and 2000 Acts were passed, tightening protection for
key wildlife sites. Subsequently, we led the charge for
4 Healthy Marine Acts to protect our seas.
soils Now we face our biggest challenge: securing state
backing for nature’s recovery. Protected wildlife sites are
Farmers should be paid for conserving and vital, but a healthier fabric is required if wildlife is to become
improving soil abundant again. In the last issue, we called for an
Environment Act. Now there may be political movement
5Clean towards it.
water In her first speech about the environment, the Prime
Minister reflected our ambition for nature’s recovery. Maybe
Reducing fertiliser pollution and run-off will Government is beginning to see how much wildlife means
clean rivers and lower water bills to society. The speech recognised nature’s vital role in our
mental health, and the scourge of plastic pollution. There
6Clean air and climate were fantastic words and ambitions that raise the spirits.
change mitigation But in the end, actions speak louder than words. The fact
that we depend on the natural world remains too far from
Restoring dried-out peatlands locks up the centre of government policy. There needs to be
atmospheric carbon legislation to ensure real and lasting change. Unless
governments show more leadership, wildlife will continue
7Flood risk to decline and with it our health, as even more people
management become isolated from nature.

Changing livestock and land use on hills
slows down water runoff, reducing floods

8Healthy
people

Better access to the countryside means
better physical and mental health

The report shows how we can Stephanie Hilborne OBE
meet the needs of both Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts
nature and farming @stephhilborne

If your family or friends share your interest in wildlife please
encourage them to join their nearest Wildlife Trust. There are 47
Wildlife Trusts across the UK with more than 800,000 members.
We are the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to
conserving all the UK’s habitats and species.
For links to all Wildlife Trusts go to wildlifetrusts.org

twitter @wildlifetrusts
facebook.com/wildlifetrusts

Wildlife news / April 2018 13