Rate of decline in UK nature "alarming" says Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trusts has warned that nature in the UK is “continuing to decline at an alarming rate,” and is already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.”

The trust has unveiled five priorities in its State of Nature report for 2022 and it has called on politicians from all sides “to commit to ambitious policies to support nature’s recovery”.

The priorities are to:

• bring back the UK’s lost wildlife;

• end river pollution and water scarcity;

• fund wildlife-friendly farming;

• bring on healthy communities; and

• tackle the climate emergency by protecting and restoring natural habitats.

It has called on the next UK government to have measures in place by 2030 that include protecting and restoring at least 30% of land and sea for nature sufficiently fund enforcement agencies to do their job so that nutrient pollution from farming, sewage and development is halved.

In the same timeframe it has demanded that farmers are supported and incentivised to help wildlife recover by creating more space for nature, significantly reducing pollution, and halving harm from pesticides with a budget for nature-friendly farming increased to at least £4.4bn a year.

And it has called on the new administration to create a nature recovery network to help wildlife adapt to change, protect peatlands, woodlands and other carbon stores from damage, and invest in energy efficiency.