Born Free backs letter to Lib Dem spokesperson, calling for commitment to nature
A coalition of environmental groups including Born Free today sent representatives to meet with Tim Farron MP, Liberal Democrat frontbench spokesperson for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and deliver the ‘Nature 2030 Open Letter’, signed by over 100,000 people across the country.
Link’s Chief Executive Richard Benwell, alongside representatives from Link’s member organisations, at the hand-in with Tim Farron MP (c) WCL
Mr Farron met with the Nature 2030 coalition in Westminster, to receive the Nature 2030 Open Letter on behalf of the Liberal Democrats and to discuss nature policy plans. Along with Born Free, the following environmental groups were represented at the meeting:Wildlife & Countryside Link, Woodland Trust, Friends of the Earth, CPRE, Green Alliance, Earth Trust.
The Nature 2030 campaigners are calling for all party leaders to make good on the promise of halting environmental decline by 2030 by showing their support for policies designed to aid nature’s recovery, including:
- A pay rise for nature, through doubling the nature and climate-friendly farming budget.
- Make polluters pay, through new rules to make big business contribute more to nature and climate recovery.
- More space for nature, through expanding and improving protected areas and landscapes.
- A right to a healthy environment, through an Environmental Rights Bill which would drive better decisions for nature, improve public health and access to nature.
The campaign, supported by over 100,000 organisations and over 100,000 signatories to the Open Letter, also calls for investment in green skills and for fair and effective climate action.
These polices are needed to achieve looming nature recovery targets, backed by all major parties. In 2022, the UK signed an international deal to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. In England, that promise is underpinned by a legal duty in the Environment Act 2021 to stop the decline of species abundance, and a commitment to protect 30% of the land and sea for nature. The Office for Environmental Protection has warned that the UK Government is not currently on track to deliver these targets in time.
In order to turn this trajectory around, the Nature 2030 campaign is asking all major parties to commit to ambitious economy-wide action and to adopt the Nature 2030 asks in full as part of their General Election platform.
Born Free’s Policy Advisor Dominic Dyer, said: “Today Born Free joined a delegation of leading wildlife protection charities to meet with Tim Farron MP to call on the Liberal Democrat Party to stand up for wildlife and nature ahead of the next election. Delivering a letter signed by over 100,000 people, we drew attention to the significant decline in wildlife species and biodiversity in Britain and the need to get behind the Nature 2030 campaign, to support nature friendly farming, make polluters pay for damage to the environment, make more space for nature and the need for an Environmental Rights Bill, ahead of tens thousands of people joining the ‘Restore Nature Now’ March in London on the 22 June.”
The Nature 2030 Open Letter was handed in to the Green Party on 15th April. Hand-in dates with the Labour Party and the Conservative Party have been requested.
On 22nd June, the ‘Restore Nature Now’ march will take place in central London to demand that all parties adopt the ambitious policies required to halt environmental decline.