Avon Wildlife Trust Urges Local MPs to Act Swiftly for Wildlife - Rare chance to reverse the decline of nature in England

Avon Wildlife Trust is urging local MPs across the region to use the unique opportunity given by two major Government consultations on farming and planning, to reverse the decline in English wildlife and influence policy on how we build new developments and farm the land in the future.

Avon Wildlife Trust chief executive, Ian Barrett, has today met Bristol East MP, Kerry McCarthy, at the Trust’s Folly Farm nature reserve in the Chew Valley, and asked her to use her voice to press for stronger protections for nature and wildlife in planning and farming policy to ensure there are wild places and species within our region and across England for future generations to enjoy. In addition, AWT is encouraging everyone across Avon who wants to see nature’s fortunes improve, including local authorities, nature-friendly farmers, wildlife experts and planners, to respond to both consultations which end in early May.

The consultations present a very rare opportunity – the first in living memory – to influence the future of both national farming and planning policy and how these impact on nature in England. Precious wild places and the species that depend on them have suffered catastrophic declines over the past 70 years – intensive farming and urbanisation have been major causes.* Now the public has a chance to call for a visionary approach to the environment – one that means planning rules and farm support and regulation work together towards the recovery of our nature and wildlife.

Ian Barrett, Avon Wildlife Trust Chief Executive, says:
“This is a critical time to stand up for wildlife and make our voices heard. Decisions about housing and farming are fundamental to wildlife’s future and the right policies now will mean we can create a Nature Recovery Network and stop the continuing loss of our wildlife.

“I know that Kerry McCarthy is well aware, from her time as Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, of the much-needed changes in the way payments are made to farmers to achieve higher environmental standards for managing the land. Today was a good chance to hear her views.”

As well as showing Kerry McCarthy what’s at stake for Avon’s landscapes in future farming policy, Ian Barrett discussed the urgent need for wildlife to be taken more seriously in planning decisions, including calling for protection for Local Wildlife Sites to be reinstated. There are more than 90 Local Wildlife Sites across Bristol – areas of open space rich in wildlife. Many are within Kerry McCarthy’s constituency and she has campaigned to protect some of these sites. They provide the best places for wildlife in cities and need safeguarding from any development.

The consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework is here; it closes on 10th May. The rules that guide planning for development will shape the future of housing. About 36 square miles of land are used by new developments every year and so the outcome of this consultation is hugely important for wildlife. The Wildlife Trusts want to see rules that:

Protect wildlife and secure recognition of Local Wildlife Sites (which lose protection under the current proposals)
Integrate wildlife habitats into new developments – for wildlife and people
Commit to an improvement for wild species and habitats from all development (‘net biodiversity gain’)
Require that new developments contribute to a national ‘Nature Recovery Network’ by including this in local planning strategies

The consultation on the future for food, farming and the environment closes on 8th May. It asks where public money, in the form of subsidies to farmers, should be spent in the future. It will also help to establish how the rules and standards for land management should be set and enforced. Farming practices are one of the key reasons for wildlife decline in the countryside, so if we want nature’s recovery we need a revolution in the way that farmland is managed. What works for wildlife will be good for people, too. Farmers need healthy soils and large populations of pollinators, like bees, to grow crops. We need clean, healthy water running into our rivers. We need a wildlife-rich countryside to relax in. To ensure this, The Wildlife Trusts want to see rules that:

Reward farmers and land managers for the benefits they provide for society, like clean water, healthy soils and a wildlife-rich countryside
Replace the Common Agricultural Policy with a system that supports public benefits and environmental outcomes for society
Changes the culture of regulation, making it easier for farmers to help nature without being weighed down by paperwork, inspections and bureaucracy

Learn more about The Wildlife Trusts national #ActSwiftly campaign. Swifts arrive back to the UK in late April and early May. The swift is a bird that needs towns and the countryside to nest and feed in; it is emblematic of the need for wildlife-rich habitats in both environments.

ENDS

Contact: Naomi Fuller, Avon Wildlife Trust Communications Manager Naomi.Fuller@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk 0117 9177270 mobile 07458 091433

Editor’s notes

*For information about wildlife decline see the latest State of Nature report, 2016. It shows more clearly than ever before that nature is in serious decline across the UK. Over the last 50 years, 56% of species have declined, while 15% are at risk of disappearing from our shores altogether. For the main drivers of decline turn to pp 12 & 13 of the actual report pdf here.

** A nature recovery network is a plan for wildlife and the environment. It is a map which sets out the key sites that need to be protected and the key areas where there should be healthier habitats and more wildlife. The Wildlife Trusts believe that without a plan like this, there will be no real progress.

Swifts

Breeding

Swifts traditionally nested in hollow trees, caves, and rocky crevices. Now they have mostly become reliant on buildings, nesting under the eaves. Swifts are monogamous, pairing for life, and will return to the same nest site each year. You could have the same pair of swifts nesting under your eaves for over a decade.

Threats

IUCN cites as the major threat: building renovation, re-roofing or demolition which leads to a loss of nest sites. The design of modern buildings often leaves no space in which they can nest. Nest boxes can be added to (or even built in to) buildings to provide a nesting space for swifts. Swifts are insectivorous, requiring a large volume of flying insects. The use of pesticides (or any other actions reducing insect volume) therefore presents a serious threat.

Status

Amber conservation status in UK which means that they have suffered declines and need help. It’s hard to assess the extent of decline, but BTO data (from Breeding Bird Survey) shows a 51% decline between 1995 and 2015.