Tell the UK Government they must do better for nature

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has finished its passage through Parliament and will now become law. Since the UK Government introduced the Bill in March, we’ve been fighting to ensure the best outcome for nature. Thousands of you, our members and supporters, have stood with us and supported our campaign – thank you.  

However, as the Bill made its way through Parliament, the UK Government decided it would not include simple measures that would protect precious species, like Swift bricks, or protection for irreplaceable habitats, like chalk streams.

And they refused to safeguard vital nature protections for our most precious species – iconic and much-loved wildlife such as Dormice, Red Squirrels, Golden Plovers and Bitterns.

In the closing phases of the Bill’s passage through Parliament, the UK Government offered several assurances about how they intend the Bill to work, but they also chose not to include these in the law itself.

This means there is little to stop them changing their minds, and nothing binding a future government to their words. If that happens, this law will allow developers to carry on building – even if it causes irreversible harm to species and the places where they live. 

This isn't the secure future nature needs or deserves. With nearly one in six species threatened with extinction from Great Britain, we urgently need to protect nature not push it aside.

The lack of provision for nature in the Planning Bill comes on top of other worrying moves, including consultations on removing the requirement for developers to contribute financially to nature’s recovery through Biodiversity Net Gain.

Take these actions and the continuing use of anti-nature rhetoric from some of our most senior ministers and what do you get?

A clear picture of a UK Government determined to put nature in the firing line and make it the scapegoat for our economic troubles.

But nature isn’t an obstacle to progress. It touches every part of our lives and underpins our economy. And we know that development can be delivered in a way that protects our wildest places and scarcest species.

We’re determined to stand up for wildlife and our precious wild places. But we need your help.

Email your MP today and tell them you’ve had enough. Tell them what nature means to you and that you want it to stay protected. It’s quick and easy to add your support. 

They may think nature doesn’t have a voice but, together, at this crucial moment, we can prove them wrong.