The change is now: #ActWILD and join us in creating a Wilder Kent
Lynne Overett
For those of you reading this, many will feel disheartened by the fact that nature and wildlife were barely mentioned during the election campaign and debates. However, the result of the election did suggest that green issues are starting to take hold.
As a new dawn begins with the Labour Government, and as a Trust, we are energised and ready to support the new administration in delivering a Wilder Kent and contributing towards our national 30 by 30 targets.
During the election we asked you to #VoteWILD and vote with the environment in mind. Now, as we move into this new era of politics, we ask you and our freshly elected Members of Parliament to #ActWILD and help us in delivering a Wilder Kent.
It is interesting that we now have three more Green Party MPs advocating for environmental issues and they will play a crucial role in ensuring that the Labour Party's rapid implementation of their manifesto pledges considers environmental and climate concerns.
Overnight, we saw a predominantly Conservative county change dramatically from one Labour and 16 Conservative MPs to 11 Labour, 6 Conservatives and one Liberal Democrat. These 18 elected Members of Parliament will now be our voice as the new Labour Government begin to put into place their manifesto commitments that saw them elected. Some MPs have successfully defended their seats, such as Laura Trott and Helen Whately.
Sustainable growth
Clearly, the new government is under pressure around growth, and we understand that, and the demands associated with it. That in and of itself can be seen as a threat. When you then look at their rhetoric around net zero and Labour’s commitment to tackling climate change, that is clearly a positive.
Somewhere in between growth and net zero is the role of the environment in mitigating against one and supporting the delivery of the other, and those are the pieces that we need to see joined up.
The fact that the government is stating that it wants to be a leader again in terms of clean energy and net zero is fantastic. Kent Wildlife Trust and the conservation sector are well-positioned to support that.
Part of that transition is ensuring that we make the most of Nature-based Solutions, that we restore natural habitat that locks up carbon, we make sure that we don't emit more carbon into the atmosphere by destroying more habitats, and tackle Nutrient Neutrality rules that are leaving new homes unoccupied. There are huge opportunities in the UK without compromising food security, to do just that.
We've signed up internationally to restore 30% of land and sea for nature. In doing that, we can actually be part of delivering net zero. We can be part of making our communities more resilient and proof against a changing climate. And we can actually use nature as an enabler of things like housing, done in the right way.
We are keen to see some kind of land use framework being developed for the UK. We've got development pressures, we've got a climate pressures, we've got food security pressures, and we need to reconnect land for conservation and nature that mitigates the impacts of climate against all three of those.
All of those things need to be laced together but married up against the fact that we have a 30 by 30 commitment to restore nature and that 30% is what helps us to mitigate against the worst impacts of climate.
Those things need to be considered strategically and that's what was completely missing from the last government. The good news is this new government has an opportunity to do it.
So, with biodiversity net gain with high integrity carbon offsetting, with nutrient neutrality, all there to be made use of, Kent Wildlife Trust is ready and able to collaborate with the new administration to really deliver that growth in a sustainable way.
We know there's this huge gap in terms of nature restoration within the decade and we know the government isn't going to be able to put that level of resources into conservation at the moment, but it doesn't need to. If the newly elected Government commit to sustainable development and harnesses the tools already available to them, they will be able to unlock private sector investment to deliver it alongside its own minimised funding.
By investing in the Nature-based Solutions, businesses themselves will be able to de-risk their portfolio going forwards with a changing climate. Natural solutions that reduce risk of natural disasters via natural means. Through restoring natural habitats, individual businesses, communities and our economy are going to be much more resilient.
In the coming weeks Kent Wildlife Trust will be writing to all Kent MPs, highlighting environmental issues within their constituency and asking them to meet with us, so we can begin that conversation on how we can work together to tackle the environmental issues that impact us all.
From illegal waste disposal on wildlife sites to how we can use nature-based solutions, it is important we form part of the conversation as to how we do things better. Ultimately, if we do not embrace change, there is a risk that nature will be left behind, and if that happens, we all lose.
You can help us to by emailing your MP and asking them to work with us!
And support us directly in delivering a Wilder Kent by 2030.