Dear Prime Minister…

Dear Mr Cameron,

The environmental movement has spoken out repeatedly against policies that put short term profit ahead of our countryside and wildlife, eroding our natural capital and quality of life.

But rarely have we been as incredulous as we were on Tuesday, upon hearing the Autumn Budget Statement.  The stunning disregard shown for the value of the natural environment not only flies in the face of popular opinion but goes against everything the Government said in June when it launched two major pieces of environmental policy – the Natural Environment White Paper and the England Biodiversity Strategy.

It is increasingly clear that society needs a new economic model that accounts properly for our natural capital.  Yet with this Statement, its “red tape challenge”, sudden cuts to solar subsidies, and its ill-conceived planning reforms, the Government is continuing an out-of-date approach that casts regulation and the environment as enemies to growth.

Is the environment really an obstacle to economic productivity or is it in fact the very basis of it, as well as of our national well-being?  Not a hard question to answer and there is an increasingly powerful body of evidence that demonstrates this, including the Government’s own National Ecosystem Assessment.

How can the Government tolerate this gaping intellectual and political inconsistency, and walk with open eyes down a policy path that condemns future generations to a lower quality of life and to a massive and costly struggle to rebuild the country’s natural riches?

We appeal to you Mr Cameron to show leadership and champion long-term, sustainable economic policies that will bring much-needed prosperity without destroying all that millions hold dear.

Yours,

Stephanie Hilborne, Wildlife Trusts, chief executive
Mike Clarke, RSPB, chief executive
Shaun Spiers, CPRE, chief executive
John Sauven, Greenpeace, executive director
Andy Atkins, Friends of the Earth, executive director

***

This letter appears in today’s Observer

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/dec/03/observer-letters-government-green-future

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/03/new-green-alliance-savages-osborne

***

Public Forest Estate

The government’s consultation on the future of the public forest estate has attracted a remarkable amount of interest and comment.  Opinions are being passionately and candidly articulated on both sides, and it has been fascinating to watch.  The Wildlife Trusts are fully engaged with the debates and we have already posted our main views and key concerns on our website.  

Locally, the inclusion of the New Forest has rather swamped the debate.  We have already stated on our website that the New Forest should remain in public hands and should be treated separately, given its special and unique nature.  I do not want to focus on the New Forest in this blog, but some of the other issues.  

The Trust is obviously concerned primarily about the impact on nature from these proposals.  Sites which already enjoy a level of protection such as SSSIs, SACs or those within National Parks will continue have that protection, so as long as the regulatory bodies uphold their functions, and there is funding available, it could be argued that ownership matters little. 

What fewer people seem to be focusing on is that these proposals could result in the loss of major opportunities to improve forest habitats to enhance wildlife. The recently published Lawton Review and the forthcoming Natural Environment White Paper advocate the need for landscape-scale habitat restoration for wildlife and people.   

Whilst many of the so-called Commercial forests are currently of limited interest for wildlife, it is also true that many of these have huge potential for habitat restoration – particularly where they fall into strategic areas – such as the Trust’s Living Landscape areas.  Selling these off now will limit these opportunities.

We have long been concerned by the damage inflicted on some habitats by state-funded commercial timber plantations. In some cases, a change of management could actually help wildlife, for example by removing plantations from open habitats such as heathland, or through restoring ancient woodlands which have been planted with non-native trees in the past.

We will push for an approach that protects nature and public access now and ensures that future opportunities to restore and improve habitats and wildlife are not lost. There is probably not a ‘one size fits all’ solution.  We will draw on our hands-on experience and local knowledge of the many public forests across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to propose a carefully considered, case-by-case approach that works best for people and wildlife.