Saving nature is what we do – and one of the most pressing challenges has always been to ‘protect the best’. By accident of location or history or careful stewardship or just plain luck – some places stand out as being special for nature. Once much more would have been, but we are where we are and if there is to be a meaningful attempt to stop and reverse the loss of nature, safeguarding our best places for wildlife is crucially important.
Dungeness - one of the most designated sites in Europe, yet threats remain.
This blog has been telling the stories of some of the work we do at Dungeness in Kent, Hunterston on the Clyde and the Thames Basin Heaths. If you are a new reader – do go and have a rummage through the posts.
In the bad old days (and by that I mean pre-1981) the rate of loss of our best sites was seriously undermining attempts to save them. Things began to change in the late 70s and early 80s when, driven by the European Birds Directive, effective laws started to give nature’s finest a fighting chance.
Thirty years on and we do have the tools to be effective (on land at least – the lack of designations at sea is a whole different situation) – but the pressures are still there and appear to be increasing. There will always be new ideas and approaches seeking new developments that will affect our best wildlife sites – in our crowded islands that is inevitable. And often, remarkably often, ways forward can be found that enable development and ensure that damage to our natural environment is avoided – or if un-avoidable – compensated. The recent decision to dual the A11 is a really good example.
But when push comes to shove, when nature needs a voice, when we have to step up - we will.
Battle pants on
We would much rather not have to enter the adversarial world of public inquires and legal challenges. It would be wonderful if careful planning led always to wise decisions that ensured sustainable development. But it doesn’t always work out like that.
We’re facing an unprecedented series of high profile cases where we have to make our case professionally and thoroughly. We are not alone – as we work closely with other organisations and individuals to build the best case we can. And if you are one of those – thank you, this has to be one of the most significant ways anyone can step up for nature.
Once, in a meeting to decide our tactics on a particular case, I summed it up by saying it was time to put the battle pants on – and it stuck! Once they’re on, the costs start to rise, mounting a professional case and running it through the course of a public inquiry with the right level of legal representation means that these are not taken lightly. But to give nature the best chance means we have no choice.
We’ve launched this appeal, I do hope you can help.
Thank you
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