We’ve had encouraging environmental plans before. Time is running out – this one must become a reality
- Beccy Speight is the chief executive of the RSPB
Make no mistake: our natural world is in crisis, and we are far beyond the point where words alone will fix it. For proof, you need only look to the annual Big Garden Birdwatch, which has shown a catastrophic decline over the past 14 years. And if you look for them in late spring, you’ll see that nightingales, turtle doves and swifts have almost vanished from our skies.
The government’s announcement this week of commitments to improve wildlife habitats could provide the platform for nature’s recovery. And the recent £3bn pledged to protect and restore nature, while not enough, demonstrates that the government recognises the scale of the task when it comes to delivering the targets agreed under the Environment Act and the global biodiversity framework set at Cop15. Defra has, on paper at least, attempted to rise to the challenge.
