The UK must “make space for nature” and provide “genuine protection for wildlife” to restore the Wild Isles featured in Sir David Attenborough’s new TV series, experts say.
The programme says Britain has become “one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world”.
Researchers from the University of Exeter have commented on how the UK can turn the tide on the destruction and degradation of nature.
Professor Dave Hodgson, Director of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation, said: “Wild means different things to different people. What the UK really needs to do is to halt and reverse the declines of its important species, meanwhile managing species and activities that cause environmental harm. We need to protect our pollinators while managing our crop pests. We need to protect our birdlife while managing their predators. We need to protect our waters while managing pollution. We need to protect our flora while managing invasive weeds. We can do this alongside the protection of livelihoods and lifestyles, by valuing nature not just as a luxury but as an investment in long-term resilience and prosperity. Wildness will be a very welcome side-effect of our re-valuation of nature.”
Dr Pamela Buchan said: “My marine research shows that emotional attachment to the marine environment and feeling dependent upon it are the biggest drivers for action for the ocean, and series like this will bring it home to people that we are all dependent upon a healthy natural world. For those inspired to take action, I would ask them to think big. Marine and environmental citizenship includes taking action to reduce our own personal impacts on the natural world, but also trying to change the way we impact the ocean as a society. One of the most effective ways to do this is to share our concerns with family and friends because there is strength in numbers. In the UK we have a right to be involved in environmental decision-making, and we can make ourselves heard by writing to councillors and MPs, responding to consultations about planning, signing and starting petitions, and coming together to ask government to do things differently for all our benefit.”
Professor Kevin Gaston, who leads the RENEW biodiversity restoration project, said: “We need urgently to reverse the perilous state of our ecological inheritance. Biodiversity renewal is necessarily about people. It requires making more space for nature now, through our individual actions, communities, companies, and national institutions.”
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Posted On: 16/03/2023