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The next Government and elected representatives will face many challenges. How they respond to these challenges could affect how well nature survives, whether on land or at sea. The health of the natural world is vital for our future and wellbeing. We all depend on it for food, clean water, a comfortable climate, enjoyment and many other things.
As the parliamentary candidates in our constituencies compete for our attention and all-important votes, we have an opportunity to bring wildlife and the environment to their attention and find out how they will rise to the challenge.
Dorset Wildlife Trust has no party political affiliations and we have no intention of telling you how to vote. We have therefore written to the candidates for Dorset from the three main parties, Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat, asking them to reply to five questions. We promised we would publish their replies on our website unaltered .
What else can you do? With 25,000 members locally and 800,000 members of Wildlife Trusts across the UK, we can make a difference. Why not put some or all of the questions to your candidates when they knock on your door?
Download & print out the questions here
| Constituency |
Dorset Wildlife Trust Members |
| West Dorset |
5559 |
| Bournemouth West |
1031 |
| Poole |
3237 |
| Mid Dorset and North Poole |
2016 |
| South Dorset |
1255 |
| North Dorset |
6225 |
| Christchurch |
2074 |
| Bournemouth East |
968 |
Dorset Wildlife Trust is an independent charity. The views and opinions expressed by the candidates are theirs and this document is not to be regarded as being an endorsement or otherwise by Dorset Wildlife Trust for, or on behalf of, any candidate, political party or parties.
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Candidates from all 3 major parties in each constituency in Dorset (where names or addresses were published) have been contacted and all the replies are published here verbatim. Candidates who do not appear on this site did not reply to our questions.
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| 1. Climate Change |
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Climate change is already altering the natural world and its impact will increase; it is predicted that Brownsea Island’s internationally important lagoon will be lost in the next 50 years due to sea level rise. An unhealthy environment is bad for people as well as for wildlife and we need to retain nature’s own ability to respond, for example in the absorption of carbon by peat bogs or the cooling effect of urban green spaces. We also need to allow wildlife the chance to adapt to the changes that do take place.
What do you propose to answer the challenge
of climate change and its effects on wildlife?
Your candidates' answers 
What Dorset Wildlife Trust is doing
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| 2. Land policy and management |
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The pressures on land are increasing, with growing demands for food, housing and energy as well as space where wildlife can thrive and people can enjoy it. The new UK Government will need to think about the use of land as a whole, with joined-up policies to maintain the natural resources that are vital for all of us a landscape-scale approach.
Wildlife cannot be saved through nature reserves alone farming and the agricultural landscape play a vital part; for example the iconic Dorset downlands depend on livestock grazing.
What role do you see for environmentally
friendly farming in Dorset’s food production?
Your candidates' answers
What Dorset Wildlife Trust is doing
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| 3. Wildlife protection |
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66,200 new homes are proposed for Dorset (38,500 in south-east Dorset, 7000 in Dorchester and 5700 in and around Weymouth) in the regional spatial strategy for South West England.
What is your view of this and what action would you take, if elected, to ensure the protection of wildlife from the impacts of new developments?
Your candidates' answers
What Dorset Wildlife Trust is doing
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| 4. Access to nature |
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Dorset is leading the way in demonstrating how access to the natural environment is important for people’s health and happiness, and volunteering is especially beneficial, with potential for substantial savings on health-care.
How would you support access to nature
and opportunities for volunteering for all?
Your candidates' answers
What Dorset Wildlife Trust is doing
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| 5. At sea |
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The seas around the UK have the potential to be among the most productive and wildlife-rich on earth. As well as providing us with food, building materials and energy, our seas regulate our climate. Dorset’s marine life has been recognised as among the most important in Europe. But our seas have been taken for granted and have had little protection just 0.001% of the UK’s sea area has been fully protected from damaging activities. The new Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 is just the beginning of taking better decisions to use and protect our marine resources.
How will you ensure that the good intentions
of recent legislation will succeed in protecting
our precious marine wildlife and sustainable livelihoods?
Your candidates' answers
What Dorset Wildlife Trust is doing
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