This week, the UK Government introduced a new bill that threatens vital laws that protect places for wildlife in England. These laws – the Habitat Regulations – have played a huge part in protecting special areas and vulnerable species. We are deeply concerned that without these laws, the Government is effectively abandoning its promise to halt nature’s decline by 2030.

Not only that, but our crumbling Water Infrastructure can’t possibly handle increased development, and the government has been unwilling to force Water Companies to act.

The UK Government must act fast and:

Urgently stop threatening to dismantle the Habitats Regulations and instead look to provide the additional protection nature needs to recover.

Grow the existing network of protected sites to create more habitat for nature and deliver on our commitment to protect 30% of the UK’s land and sea by 2030

Beccy Speight, RSPB CEO said “We have such a short window to recover nature. Our wildlife needs to be on the road to recovery by 2030, or we risk destroying our own life-support system. In that context, proven effective laws should be maintained and strengthened - and definitely not weakened in any way. Nature doesn’t have time for us to backtrack, to throw aside decades of case law and start all over again. Businesses can’t afford decades of uncertainty about where and how they can build in harmony with nature. We need to stop looking backward, and start looking forward.”