Page 15 - Wildlife News April 2015
P. 15
for Britain Most politicians claim we can’t afford to
protect nature. Tony Juniper’s new book
shows how outdated that idea is.
ocean eGlieesncsuetrieoanl
Centuries of over-exploitation have cut our seas’ ✘vomtae kceoyuonutr
ability to provide food and absorb carbon. Marine
Protected Areas could reverse that trend, increase
species and expand tourism too.
FOOD PRODUCTION
Farming contributes about £2bn to UK plc and
about half a million jobs. But loss of organic
matter, chemical inputs, compaction and erosion
threaten the viability of our heritage.
improve water security at a lower cost down the runoff in the headwaters of However, such interventions deliver
than engineered alternatives, it also helps Great Britain’s longest river – the Severn. By a lot more than just reducing flood risk.
to reduce flood risk, aids the recovery of improving environmental quality upstream In relation to water supply there is a
wildlife and creates better recreational it is hoped that downstream flooding will range of co-benefits that come with this
opportunities. diminish. This, and other projects working more integrated approach, including
with similar logic, are increasingly shown for conservation. For example: the
The same can be said about pioneering to deliver results, and often at a lower cost improvement of habitats will hopefully
work being undertaken by Montgomeryshire than expensive engineered defences. As assist in reversing the fortunes of otherwise
Wildlife Trust on the Cambrian Mountains of we experience the more extreme weather declining populations of breeding dunlin
mid-Wales as part of the Pumlumon Project. conditions that accompany climate change, and golden plover.
Restoration of blanket bogs, the creation investments in nature will make more and
of more natural streamsides and changes more economic sense. Then there is our food. When it comes to
to farming practices are all helping to slow temperate produce, some three-quarters
of what we consume is grown here in the
The idea that nature must be UK. Our soils are key to continuing to do
sacrificed for progress has this, and so are the populations of wild
become deeply ingrained pollinators and pest predators that assist
with food production. All these elements of
our natural environment have been subject
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