General Election 2024

The election results are in but what's next for nature?

Here are five asks we think the new government should prioritise in their first 100 days.

The UK is already classified as one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries, and with less than six years until the legally-binding 2030 deadline to secure nature's recovery, the incoming Government will be responsible for turning this around. The Wildlife Trusts called upon all political parties to commit to a plan to finally halt and reverse the decline in wildlife.

Our five priorities for the next UK Government:

1. Bring back the UK's lost wildlife

Immense pressure from decades of pollution and habitat loss has driven our wildlife into catastrophic decline - but we can still put nature into recovery. The next UK Government should launch an Olympic-style cross-government delivery project to protect and restore at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030.

2. End river pollution and water scarcity

The state of our rivers is a national disgrace. The UK is ranked as one of the worst countries in Europe for water quality, with pollution beyond legal limits caused by a toxic cocktail of sewage and agricultural pollution. Our rivers are no longer suitable homes for wildlife, they are not fit for people to swim in, and thanks to climate change and growing demand, we are seeing water availability decrease before our eyes. This is a crisis, which the public wants to see urgently resolved.

3. Fund wildlife-friendly farming

By supporting farmers to shift towards regenerative, nature-friendly methods, farming has huge potential to deliver a green rural renewal. Farming is too often unsustainable, but with management of over 70% of UK land, farmers should be a significant part of the solution.

4. Enable healthy communities

More than 1/3 of the population - nearly 9.5 million households in England - are unable to access green places near their home. Improving access to natural, wildlife-rich places where we live, learn and work will transform people’s lives, improving health, happiness, and hope across communities.

5. Tackle the climate emergency

We are in a climate and nature emergency, and the two are inextricably linked. Climate change is driving nature’s decline, and the loss of wildlife and wild places leaves us ill-equipped to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to these changes. One crisis cannot be solved without the other. The UK has a legal target of Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Nature can make a massive contribution to achieving this, or an even more ambitious target — but only if our damaged ecosystems are restored.

In this section

Restore Nature Now

Thanks for marching with us in London on 22 June

Take action: email your election candidates

Thanks for contacting your local candidates

Nature in your constituency

How will election candidates address local issues, and what will they do to protect and restore nature in your constituency?

The election results are in, so what’s next for nature?


The election results are in, so what’s next for nature?

Here are five asks we think the new government should prioritise in their first 100 days.


Nature, who cares?

Nature, who cares?


Get nature on the agenda

Get nature on the agenda


Vote for nature

Vote for nature