Wildlife Trust welcomes Natural Environment White Paper

Dorset Wildlife Trust welcomes the Government’s Natural Environment White Paper, published on the 7th June, and praises the level of ambition contained within The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature.

What does Dorset Wildlife Trust think about the white paper?

Imogen Davenport, Director of Conservation at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “The Wildlife Trusts initiated the call for this White Paper because we believed the time had come for the state to show leadership in securing nature’s recovery. We welcome the vision and much that is contained within the recommendations, but we do not believe it goes far enough.”

Dorset’s leading conservation organisation welcomes support for the links between health and the natural environment and the commitment to establish Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs), to benefit whole communities and their associated wildlife. Imogen said: “By working across whole landscapes for wildlife rather than just in nature reserves we can all see the benefits. For example, DWT has helped farmers to apply for environmental grants as a group which they would not have qualified for individually; we have worked to restore traditional water meadows which will store flood water, rather than just pouring down the main channel to our towns; and we have highlighted how vital our food is to Dorset’s landscape through traditional livestock grazing. However, we are concerned that only 12 of these new NIAs across the whole of England will be insufficient.”

Imogen added: “We are pleased that the Government has announced support for new Local Nature Partnerships and look forward to playing our part in them. But they must be more than just talking shops; we work with local communities right across the county, to support them in taking action for wildlife and we want to see more practical help for local initiatives which benefit nature and people. Our natural environment is inextricably linked to the well-being of Dorset’s residents, helping local communities and businesses to thrive, providing food, giving us clean water and reviving our spirits; so we want to ensure everyone can play their part for nature locally.”

How can I get involved?

To find out more and have your say, visit www.playyourpart4nature.org.uk.
 

-ENDS-
Notes to Editor

For more information please contact Nicky Hoar at Dorset Wildlife Trust on 01305 264620.

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About Dorset Wildlife Trust www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Working for a secure future for Dorset’s wildlife enriching the quality of life Dorset Wildlife Trust works to champion wildlife and natural places, to engage and inspire people and to promote sustainable living. Founded in 1961, DWT is now the largest voluntary nature conservation organisation in Dorset, with over 25,000 members and over 40 nature reserves. Most are open daily and there are visitor centres providing a wealth of wildlife information at Brooklands Farm, Lorton Meadows, Kingcombe Meadows and Brownsea Island Nature Reserves, The Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve and the Urban Wildlife Centre at Upton Heath Nature Reserve. DWT plays a key role in dealing with local environmental issues and leads the way in establishing the practices of sustainable development and engaging new audiences in conservation, particularly in the urban areas.

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The Wildlife Trusts (TWT) www.wildlifetrusts.org

There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney. All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. We have more than 800,000 members including 150,000 members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch. Our vision is to create A Living Landscape and secure Living Seas. We manage around 2,300 nature reserves and every year we advise thousands of landowners and organisations on how to manage their land for wildlife. We also run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine wildlife. Every year we work with thousands of schools and our nature reserves and visitor centres receive millions of visitors. Each Wildlife Trust is working within its local communities to inspire people about the future of their area: their own Living Landscapes and Living Seas.

Pond diipping at Corfe Mullen Bioblitz - Nicky Hoar