Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust calls for support in face of 'damaging' government policies

While best known as the charity that cares for wildlife areas across Nottinghamshire, the trust’s roots are as a campaigning organisation established in the 1960s – and six decades on, the trust continues to fight for better protection for nature across the country.

Erin McDaid, trust head of communications, said: “Many of our nature reserves would not exist if it were not for our campaigning work.

“While we’ve had many battles in the 30 years I’ve been with the trust, I’ve never experienced anything like the threat to our wildlife and wild places posed by the dangerous deregulatory policies announced by the government since the summer.”

So far this year, the charity has responded to 150 planning applications due to concerns over impacts on wildlife.

However, the trust views recent announcements linked to the Government’s Growth Plan as a direct threat to nature.

Erin said: “We’ve had some tremendous success fighting wildlife’s corner recently, especially where we’ve stood with local campaigners, but the raft of potentially damaging deregulatory polices announced by the Government since the summer came as a real blow.”

These include a Bill which could see up to 1,000 environmental laws wiped from the statute books. The trust says the Bill also gives powers for ministers to repeal, re-write or replace laws with little scrutiny by parliament and contains a deregulatory ‘lock in’, which could make effective environmental regulations difficult in future.

If the Bill becomes law without significant change, NWT believes it will be harder than even to protect wild species and places from damaging development or impacts such as water pollution.

Erin said: “We cannot continue to allow nature to disappear.

“Against the backdrop of climate and ecological crises, we are often the last line of defence for nature. Our work within the planning system and supporting local campaigners is vital, but if followed through, recent policy announcements could drastically undermine the framework we have relied on to fight nature’s corner.

“Our fight is not a party political one. We have always sought to stand up for nature regardless of who is in Government and will continue to do so.”