(Buff tailed bumblebee feeding on a thistle (c) Sam Turley, rspb-images.com)
Today’s blog is written by Vanessa Lonergan, the RSPB’s Pesticide Collaboration Coordinator, following the launch of their campaign urging the UK Government to go pesticide free.
Calling for the UK government to ban the use of pesticides in publicly run areas of our villages, towns and cities.
As part of the Pesticide Collaboration, the RSPB is supporting a new campaign calling on the UK government to ban the use of pesticides in places such as playgrounds, streets and parks.
The Pesticide Collaboration brings together over 90 health and environmental organisations, academics, trade unions and many others, working under a shared vision to urgently reduce pesticide-related harms in the UK. This campaign also builds on the work of more than 100 local authorities across the UK that have already significantly reduced or eliminated their use of pesticides.
Impacts on wildlife
Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill living things. A product may be designed to target a specific pest, but it has been estimated that less than 0.1% of pesticides actually reach their target. The remainder of these chemicals end up contaminating water and soil, affecting non-target species such as birds and bees.
Many councils have commitments to protecting and improving biodiversity in our local areas, but most of them continue to use pesticides.
Due to habitat loss in the countryside, and the large quantities of pesticides used in UK agriculture, our urban spaces can be a refuge for wildlife (including birds, bees, other insects and hedgehogs). But the overuse of pesticides by councils is destroying many of the areas where they forage for food, and contaminating the natural resources they depend upon. Pesticides will often run off hard surfaces such as pavements and paths, contaminating water courses and harming aquatic wildlife in the process.
Councils are already going pesticide free and they need resources and support
France, Denmark and Luxembourg have already banned the use of pesticides in urban areas, which proves that it is perfectly possible to manage urban spaces with non-chemical alternatives.
Here in the UK, many councils are also proving that, despite budget restrictions, going pesticide-free is achievable. With support from the UK government we can build on their efforts and take the pesticide-free movement nationwide.
Tell the new government its time to #GoPesticideFree - sign the petition here!
Further Resources
- The Pesticide Collaboration website - link here
- The Pesticide Collaboration: Campaigning for a pesticide free future - link here
- Chemical Pollution: The Silent Killer of UK Rivers - link here
- How much does the cocktail of chemicals in our countryside harm wildlife? - link here