Page 12 - Wildlife News April 2017
P. 12
National news
Green groups unite for
Following the vote to leave the EU, environmental organisations are asking Government to keep the EU’s
Farming Environment
Keep Keep
Controls on pollution of our Protection for important
rivers, soils and seas wildlife sites
nicholas watts matthew roberts
Introduce Introduce
Investment to restore our soils, A world-leading Environment Act,
rivers and countryside to full and map nature’s recovery
ecological health
matthew roberts UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
T hirteen major environmental Greener UK is concerned that wildlife The Wildlife Trusts are asking
organisations including The Wildlife could be forgotten in the rush to attract Government to:
Trusts have formed a new coalition new investment or make new trade n Bring in a world-leading Environment
called Greener UK. Their aim is twofold: deals. This might reduce the protection
first, to ensure that wildlife’s fortunes we give our most important wildlife Act and map nature’s recovery;
improve when we leave the EU; and sites, or the vigour with which we n Invest public money in restoring our
second, to persuade the UK’s Governments control pollution.
to seize this moment and lead the world in soils, rivers and countryside to full
nature’s recovery. The coalition is calling on the UK ecological health;
Government to keep as much of the EU’s n Complete the UK’s network of Marine
The 13 organisations in the coalition environmental protection as possible Protected Areas and ensure we fish
speak for almost eight million members – when we leave, and uphold it into the sustainably.
but many more people support the future. It is also asking for sustainable and “We have secured real, tangible and
coalition’s objectives. In a recent YouGov effective farming and fisheries policies, positive change in the past and are
poll, eight out of ten British adults thought underpinned by safeguards for important determined to do so again,” says Stephanie
we needed the same or stronger levels of wildlife sites and species, pollution control, Hilborne. “The people of the UK want their
environmental protection after we leave and marine protection. wildlife back. Now is the time to call for that,
the EU. on behalf of this generation and the next.”
“This coalition is powerful because its Eight out of ten adults think
moment has come,” says Stephanie Hilborne, we need the same or more
Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts. “If environmental protection
these islands are to change fundamentally,
let’s make that change a good one.”
12 Wildlife news / April 2017
