Page 3 - Natural World Spring 2018
P. 3

Eight things farmers                                          Our biggest    nwLeowailtrdseglsia/ftnneUedtrwKuis-ssswtusied. se:
should be paid to provide                                     challenge yet

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

     8Healthy
                  people

                  Better access to the countryside means
                  better physical and mental health

                                                              Stephanie Hilborne OBE
                                                              Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts
                                                              @stephhilborne

The report shows how we                                       Wherever you are in the UK, your Wildlife Trust is standing up for
    can meet the needs of                                     wildlife and wild places in your area and bringing people closer to
                                                              nature. Contact us on enquiry@wildlifetrusts.org or 01636 677711.
 both nature and farming                                      To join your Wildlife Trust, visit wildlifetrusts.org/joinus. Natural
                                                              World, The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road, Newark, Notts NG24 1WT.
                                                              Editor Rupert Paul Layout editor Dan Hilliard Communications
                                                              Manager Lucy McRobert. Cover: Scottish red squirrel by Peter
                                                              Cairns/2020VISION

                                                                 twitter @wildlifetrusts facebook.com/wildlifetrusts

                                                              spring 2018 NATURAL WORLD 3
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