Political Advocacy

The UK Government must work across departments to put nature into recovery by protecting and restoring at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. Currently only 8% of land in Suffolk is legally protected for wildlife. A nature recovery network should join up wild places, and damaging fishing practices – such as bottom trawling – must be banned.

With the UK among the worst countries in Europe for water quality, the UK Government must sufficiently fund enforcement agencies to do their job. None of Suffolk’s rivers currently meet Government targets for good water quality and ecological health. By 2030, nutrient pollution from farming, sewage and development must be halved, there must be stronger protections for waterways and more wetlands should be created to tackle flood and drought.

The destruction of nature and impacts of climate change are the biggest threats to food security in the UK. More than 70% of land in Suffolk is farmed and farmers are the custodians of nature in the countryside. They must be supported and incentivised to help wildlife recover by creating more space for nature, significantly reducing pollution, and halving harm from pesticides by 2030. The budget for nature-friendly farming should increase to at least £4.4 billion a year.

More than a third of the population – nearly 9.5 million households in England – are unable to access green places near their home, and even in a rural county like Suffolk lots of people still have poor access to nature where they live. The UK Government must support the creation of more nature-rich greenspace in neighbourhoods, fund and integrate green prescribing into community-based health services and enable all children to access outdoor learning opportunities.

All of Suffolk’s local authorities have declared climate emergencies and several have adopted the ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. Nature can make a huge contribution to achieving net-zero targets if habitats are restored because peatlands, woodlands, and other wild places store carbon. Additionally, the UK Government must integrate climate adaptation strategies across all departments, create a nature recovery network to help wildlife adapt to change, protect blue carbon stores from damage, and invest in energy efficiency.