Natural England

10 November 2008

Environmental Audit Committee reinforces Natural England call for new approach to conservation

Natural England welcomed the publication today of the Environmental Audit Committee’s report on biodiversity, with its call for a new approach to halt loss of species and habitats. Natural England submitted wide-ranging evidence earlier in the year and is pleased that the Committee has drawn so heavily on its findings. The report reiterates Natural England’s call for urgent and sustained action to reverse the steep declines in biodiversity that have taken place in recent decades.

Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of Natural England, said, “All the evidence points to the fact that the quality and extent of our natural environment will continue to decline unless current policies and land management practices are changed. Failure to respond will have enormously damaging implications for our wildlife, our landscapes, our health and our quality of life.”

In its evidence to the EAC over the summer Natural England emphasised the need to join up conservation efforts by working across whole landscapes to benefit biodiversity and to restore the services provided by the natural environment upon which we depend, such as providing clean air and water, reducing flooding and storing carbon. We also need greater join-up across government and public policy, where environmental considerations need to be given much greater priority. Natural England also warned that far more needs to be done to reverse current trends of biodiversity loss and that the target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 is likely to be missed.

Sir Martin Doughty continued, “A step change is needed in the way we manage our environment. We know that focused and co-ordinated effort on the natural environment can pay real dividends. The re-introduction of the red kite, the recovery of otter populations and our continued ability to hold the line on protected areas are inspiring examples that show what can be done. But large parts of England remain in biodiversity freefall and we are still witnessing alarming declines in species and habitats. We urgently need to bring the natural environment centre stage into the ways we set public policy, develop our towns and communities, manage our farmland, utilise our resources and educate ourselves about how important the natural environment is to our future.”

-ends-