So much for promises.

28 October 2020

In September, the United Nations Biodiversity Summit was launched under the theme of, ‘Urgent Action for Biodiversity for Sustainable development’.  World leaders pledged to clamp down on the destruction of nature on earth. Signatories to the, ‘Leaders Pledge for Nature’, have committed their countries to put wildlife and climate central to their post pandemic recovery.

Boris Johnson urged leaders to turn the words to action, ‘We must act now, right now. We cannot afford to dither and delay because biodiversity loss is happening today’.  One of Boris Johnson’s former ministers once said of the Prime Minister’s promises “Get it in writing, then get a lawyer to look at it”.  This Prime Minister doesn’t have a good track record of delivering on his promises, whether on Covid-19, climate or anything else. Nor does his party.

At an earlier UN convention 10 years ago, the coalition government signed up to a ‘Biodiversity 2020’ strategy to halt biodiversity loss, support ecosystems and establish coherent ecological networks, with more and better places for nature.  So much for promises and rhetoric.  Funding for wildlife and environment was cut by nearly one-third and 17 of the 20 targets set have been missed. According to the RSPB we have actually gone backwards on six of them. It has rightly called the last 10 years a lost decade for nature. The long-term picture is bleak too: the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth and more than 40% of species are in decline – 10 per cent face extinction.

But back to the Prime Minister’s promise of protecting 30 per cent of land in the UK. The small print of this pledge reveals that, in his view, 26 per cent is already taken care of because it includes all national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, so in reality we are pledged to add 4%.  Many, if not all of our national parks, are wildlife deserts because of overgrazing and deforestation. 

Several of our national parks include upland peat bogs privately owned and annually burned to allow for grouse shooting. The burning season began this month – causing huge damage to the peat drying out the soil and releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere – all to support the grouse-shooting industry.

Nor will legislation going through parliament deliver the protection of nature that is so urgently needed.  The Environment Bill, which Defra boasts will “lead the world by setting ambitious goals for nature and biodiversity” actually takes us backwards by weakening environmental protections we have had up to now as members of the EU. The proposed environmental watchdog is neither independent, nor will it have the power to levy fines. If this Government is serious about protecting nature, the first step should be to strengthen this Bill and restore funding to existing agencies.

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