Surrey Wildlife Trust is calling MPs in Surrey to sign Greener UK’s Pledge for the Environment as Britain prepares to trigger Article 50 and leave the EU.
The Trust is among 13 major environmental organistations which have united in a new Greener UK coalition, to persuade the government to put the environment at the forefront of its plans in a post-Brexit Britain.
167 MPs across the country have already signed the pledge and agreed to do everything in their power to make the UK a world leader on the environment. However, to date, only one MP in the county of Surrey has done so; Jonathan Lord, Conservative MP for Woking. This is an appallingly small amount of public support from our local MPs, and needs to be changed.
Surrey Wildlife Trust is one of 47 Wildlife Trusts across the UK calling on the Government to match or exceed current environmental, wildlife and habitat protections after Brexit.
The Dartford Warbler, which under EU protection, has thrived.
EU laws have made a big impact on water quality in Surrey’s rivers and the air that we breathe. European protection means threatened species such as Nightjars, Dartford Warblers and Woodlarks have been given space to thrive; Chobham Common, Wisley and Ockham Common and Hankley Common are all safeguarded for their rare heathland habitats under European classification as Special Protection Areas for birds.
As explained by the Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Chief Executive, Nigel Davenport, “the EU has provided a strong framework of wildlife protection and funding for environmental projects, which has reduced the speed of wildlife loss and begun to turn the tide of fortune for some species in Surrey.”
"Therefore it is fair to say that the decision to leave the EU brings significant long-term risks for our wildlife and environment. The Trust desperately needs support from all of our MPs in the county to pledge to build a better future for our wildlife and wild places."
"Funding for environmentally friendly farming must be retained and developed further, and legislation to protect wildlife should be strengthened, not weakened, in an independent UK."
Stephanie Hilborne, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trust added that, "now is the moment to put nature and wildlife back on the map, with a legislative framework to support this, so we do not falter."
"Every way you look at it, despite the strong protection we have for some sites and some species, nature is still struggling, and the only way for the UK to reverse the fortunes of its wildlife now is to be forward-looking and ambitious."
Ask your MP for stand up for wildlife in the county by signing Greener UK’s Pledge for the Environment here: www.green-alliance.org.uk
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