Today, leading wildlife organisations, including Kent Wildlife Trust, publish a landmark State of Nature 2023 report. It shows that nature is continuing to decline at an alarming rate across the UK, which is already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

The State of Nature 2023 report shows:

• One in six species is now at risk of being lost from Great Britain
• The wildlife studied has, on average, declined by 19% since monitoring began in 1970
• Most important habitats are in poor condition, though restoration projects have clear benefits for nature, people and adapting to climate change

People’s concern about nature loss, climate change and degraded wild places is a significant voting issue. The Wildlife Trusts are calling on politicians of all parties to commit to an ambitious programme of policies to support nature’s recovery.

In view of the nature crisis, The Wildlife Trusts have identified five priorities for politicians ahead of the next general election:

• Bring back the UK’s lost wildlife

The next UK Government must work across departments to put nature into recovery by protecting and restoring at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. Beavers should be in every county, a nature recovery network should join up wild places, and damaging fishing practices – such as bottom trawling – must be banned.

• End river pollution and water scarcity

With the UK among the worst countries in Europe for water quality, the next UK Government must sufficiently fund enforcement agencies to do their job. By 2030, nutrient pollution from farming, sewage and development must be halved, there must be stronger protections for chalk streams, and more wetlands should be created to tackle flood and drought.

• Fund wildlife-friendly farming

The destruction of nature and impacts of climate change are the biggest threats to food security in the UK. Farmers must be supported and incentivised to help wildlife recover by creating more space for nature, significantly reducing pollution, and halving harm from pesticides by 2030. The budget for nature-friendly farming should increase to at least £4.4 billion a year.

• Enable healthy communities

More than a third of the population – nearly 9.5 million households in England – are unable to access green places near their home. The next UK Government must support the creation of more greenspace in neighbourhoods, fund and integrate green prescribing into community-based health services and enable all children to access outdoor learning opportunities.

• Tackle the climate emergency by protecting and restoring natural habitats

Nature can make a huge contribution to achieving net-zero targets if habitats are restored because peatlands, woodlands, and other wild places store carbon. Additionally, the next UK Government must integrate climate adaptation strategies across all departments, create a nature recovery network to help wildlife adapt to change, protect blue carbon stores from damage, and invest in energy efficiency.

Kent Wildlife Trust, Director of Conservation Paul Hadaway says: “In Kent, where we have already reached record high temperatures several years in a row, we have been working to restore our landscapes to make them more resilient to climate change, reduce the risk of wildfires through conservation grazing and making our landscapes wetter, in turn creating habitats where wildlife can thrive.

“This is the crux of the state we now find ourselves in. Government continues to fight against nature and relax laws that protect clean water and wildlife, yet restoring nature in 30% of our landscape is the most cost-effective way of combatting the climate crises whilst also increasing wildlife and our access to natural spaces which has been shown to have huge benefits to mental health and wellbeing.  

“In Kent We have pioneered projects like the Wilder Blean Initiative, using mega-herbivores grazing to make reduce wildfire risks in our woodlands, returned missing species including the red-billed Chough, absent from Kent for 200 years.

“We need to connect our defragmented landscapes so that wildlife can thrive, we need the infrastructure in place to allow nature recovery which is the answer to so many social challenges and it’s up to our elected representatives to ensure that is reflected in policies ahead of the next election.”

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“The State of Nature report is a stark reminder that politicians must not let nature drop down the agenda – there is far too much at stake. We desperately need better policies that fund nature-friendly farming properly, end the poisoning of lakes and rivers, and create larger wild and more natural areas – including in towns and cities.

“This next parliament is the most important in my lifetime for nature and climate action. The clock is ticking towards the 2030 deadline by which point the UK Government has committed to protect at least 30% of land and sea for nature and to halve the risks posed by pesticides. Nature recovery is fundamental to tackling climate change and improving people’s lives – history will not be kind to politicians that ignore this truth.”

Further details of top five priorities highlighted by The Wildlife Trusts are available here.