Page 15 - Wildlife News Dec 2017
P. 15
Stephanie What would it
Hilborne OBE is look like?
Chief Executive of
The Wildlife Trusts An Environment Act to:
Could there be a lot ■ Set ambitious, measurable, long-term aims for nature’s recovery
more nature in our lives ■ Establish the key environmental principles that should guide decisions at
by 2040? every level, including the principle of access to nature
Restore nature Set limits
■ Make sure vital wildlife sites ■ Control emissions and
are protected on land and at discharges of pollutants
sea
■ Minimise use of natural
■ Set plans for expanding and resources like water and sand
joining up habitats
■ Restore the health of our soils
■ Map out where new habitats in hills and floodplains
should be established
So that:
So that there is: ■ Air and water is clean and our
■ A greater diversity and
soils high quality
abundance of wildlife ■ Future generations can grow
everywhere
■ More wildlife-rich woods, food
meadows and wetlands ■ Heavy rainfall causes less
■ More thriving seagrass beds
and reefs at sea flooding
healthcare and education for all, and made Achieved with
us safer in the workplace. The 1949 National
Parks and Access to the Countryside Act and ■ Highly effective regulators
its successors have protected some vital ■ Serious investment from both private and public sectors
rich wildlife sites. But we know this is not ■ Financial incentives for environmental benefits
enough, and soon we won’t have the ■ Evidence-based, tailored advice and guidance
safety net of the EU courts either.
The UK and each country within it Checked by
needs visionary legislation that explicitly
aims for nature’s recovery on land and at ■ Airtight accountability and transparency
sea. Only Governments can ensure there ■ Regular monitoring of progress towards targets
is a long-term framework that puts nature ■ Appropriate penalties
back into our landscapes, townscapes ■ Access to environmental justice through the courts
and society.
We all deserve a world-class Wildlife news / December 2017 15
environment: clean air, clear water, a stable
climate, healthy seas and thriving wildlife in
the places we love. So do future generations.
If we all make enough noise, and explain
this is what we want, it can happen.
