Desperate to arrest the effects of the Government’s increasing erosion of – supposedly – protected environments, the National Trust has resorted to emailing its members with a pre-drafted letter to email to their MPs urging them intervene.
A pre-scripted letter, which may be edited by the sender, is provided in a link. By entering the member’s email and postcode, the email goes direct to the inbox of the relevant local MP.
Nature Protections a Barrier to Economic Growth
The UK is ‘one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world’ but the Government is presenting existing protections as a barrier to the country’s economic growth which would appear to be evidenced by current epic-scale building construction. It is actively removing measures to protect the environment, at total odds with its promises to restore nature.
What the National Trust is Asking the Government
The National Trust is asking the Government for three things:
- To ‘Restore nature now – the Government must honour the UK’s commitment to manage 30% of land for nature by 2030. That means designating more space for nature and paying our farmers properly to help nature thrive.’
- To ‘Defend nature and wildlife – stop weakening the laws that protect them. Introduce a strong Water Reform Bill to safeguard rivers and seas, and make polluters pay.’
- To ‘Build places to be proud of – demand neighbourhoods are rich in nature and end unfair access to green space’ and start ‘by publishing the Government’s long-promised action plan by the end of the year’.
Developers Fail to Make Good Habitat Destruction – Wild Justice’s Findings
When a body issues planning permission, there are legally binding conditions which stipulate specific ecological enhancements.
In 2024, wildlife campaign group Wild Justice published a report of findings regarding the fulfilment of wildlife protections and promises made by developers and construction companies when permitted to build.
In support of the National Trust’s concerns, the findings, unsurprisingly, were that a high percentage of habitat and species enhancements were missing.
Invertebrate boxes 100% missing
Hedgehog highways: 83% missing
Bat boxes 75% missing
Reptile hibernacula 85% missing
Bird boxes 75% missing
The failings in terms of plant biodiversity are equally concerning:
Native hedges 48% missing
Woodland seed mixes 82% missing
Trees on planting sites 39% missing or dead
Wet grassland 60% missing or damaged
Wildflower grasslands 59% incorrectly sown or damaged
There is a lot of work to be done, but will the crowd-pleasing promises of more houses outweigh the cries of nature?
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