Lessons from Party Conference Season: The public wants more action on nature

As summer fades and the first hints of autumn arrive, many of us feel that familiar “back to school” energy, new notebooks, sharpened pencils, and a sense of starting again with purpose. Politics is no different. Each year, as Parliament returns from recess, the UK’s political parties head into conference season: a kind of national political term‑time, complete with packed timetables, crowded corridors, and plenty of homework still to be done. 

This year, the RSPB attended every major UK party conference: Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and Reform UK. Being present at all conferences ensures we can engage constructively with every party, challenge where needed, and champion nature as a genuinely cross‑party priority. With over a million RSPB members across the UK, it’s vital that politicians of all stripes understand how deeply people care about nature and how urgently we need to act to restore it. 

Across the season, one lesson was clear: while many politicians increasingly acknowledge the scale of environmental decline, the level of action being proposed still falls far short of what is needed. Many speeches referenced the importance of nature, green spaces and environmental stewardship, yet concrete commitments were often limited or vague.  

Most worryingly, some parties set out deregulatory agendas that risk weakening the protections that safeguard wildlife, landscapes and the ecosystems our economy relies on. Deregulation may be framed as a route to growth, but the evidence just doesn’t back that up. In fact, removing or diluting environmental standards carries real risks for nature, communities and long‑term prosperity. 

For example, proposals to scrap the Arms Length Bodies without any clear plan for how their functions could be delivered better elsewhere would take us backwards, weakening the safeguards which protect ecosystems and the nature that our economy depends on.

Strong environmental governance isn’t a barrier to growth, it’s what makes sustainable growth possible. And removing the Aarhus Convention rights that allow people to challenge decisions affecting their local environment would silence communities at the moment they most need a voice. Good decision‑making depends on public participation, transparency and accountability. 

To deepen the conversation, the RSPB partnered with National Trust, WWF, Woodland Trust, the Wildlife Trusts and More in Common to run a series of panels across the conferences. These sessions brought together MPs, advisers, campaigners and local leaders to explore what the public really thinks about nature.  

The More in Common research provides one of the clearest pictures yet of public attitudes towards wildlife and environmental protections and the message is unmistakable: 

Britons overwhelmingly care about nature: four in five people say protecting wildlife is personally important to them. Crucially, voters reject the idea that environmental protections block development. Only eight per cent believe nature rules are a major barrier to building homes. People want both housing and a healthy natural environment and they expect politicians to deliver both. 

Panellists from across the political spectrum recognised that weakening environmental standards is “politically toxic”. Voters want more action on nature, not less and they want it delivered in a way that strengthens communities, supports the economy and restores pride in place. 

There were signs of hope, though more often from backbenchers and party members. The kind of encouraging comments you’d find scribbled in the margin of a school report: “Good progress, but more effort needed.” 

The Liberal Democrats passed a policy motion affirming the importance of nature-based solutions for wildfire prevention.  

At the Reform conference, many members appeared far more enthusiastic about fair standards and regulation than the leadership’s rhetoric suggests.  

Labour announced £79 million of new funding to help communities restore nature and adapt to climate impacts.  

At the Conservative Party conference, our joint panel with the Conservative Environment Network highlighted how nature underpins economic resilience. Our report The Economic Case for Nature shows how closing the nature finance gap can help deliver growth, secure long‑term jobs and improve wellbeing.  

At the Green Party conference, members voted to support new legislation requiring ministers to treat nature decline as seriously as other national security risks. 

As our team moved from one conference hall to another, swapping lanyards, scribbling notes, and navigating the political equivalent of a very busy school corridor, one truth stood out: politicians are out of step with the public with how they value nature.  

As parties prepare for the political year ahead, they must recognise that restoring nature is fundamental to Britain’s future, economically, socially and democratically. The public is ready for bold action. It’s time for politicians to hand in their homework and show they’re serious about delivering it.