This General Election we’ve been campaigning for all political parties to commit to protecting and restoring nature. We’re looking at what parties are including in their manifestos and when they comment on issues which affect nature, our experts have been responding with what we think the impact could be on our natural world.
On 8 June the Liberal Democrats announced they would create three new National Parks in England, taking the number of National Parks up to 13. The areas haven’t yet been chosen, but The Chilterns in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, the Surrey Hills and the Northumberland coast were all included in the list of possibilities. The announcement also contained a crucial commitment to boost funding for existing parks to help protect and enhance the natural environment making them ‘National Nature Parks’. This would be an important step.
Responding to the announcement, Beccy Speight, Chief Executive of the RSPB, said: “The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. To change that, whoever forms the next UK Government must combine ambition and action without delay.
“It’s good to see the Liberal Democrats have pledged to create three new National Parks and make all our National Parks work harder for wildlife. We’ve long argued that National Parks should be spaces richer in nature where wildlife can thrive.
“We urge all parties to ensure more land is protected and well managed for nature and need to see nature at the heart of all party manifestos. This election, whatever the outcome, is a chance to regain a flourishing natural world. It's now or never.”
This General Election is a crucial one for our natural world. The UK Government has made legal commitments to halt the loss of wildlife and protect 30% of our lands and seas by 2030. That’s just six years away. If we are going to restore our wildlife, it must be now. Nature can’t wait any longer.
That’s why we’re campaigning for nature to be represented in all political party manifestos and will continue to update our website with developments on our Nature Can’t Wait pages.
The RSPB is scrupulous about never taking a party-political stance and we take particular care during election periods never to imply support for particular parties or candidates.
Charities are required to be independent and politically neutral, but the Charity Commission is clear that charities can undertake political activity in support of their charitable aims.
