Vote for nature

By Laura Brook

Head of Nature Recovery

Time is of the essence when it comes to restoring nature. Our country, alongside many others, has signed up to a binding commitment to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. This commitment cannot be something that sits enshrined in words but fails to deliver the actions, policies and incentives needed to achieve a real impact on the ground. Right now it is May 2024, a mere five years and seven months away from the end of 2030 and the nature recovery target. It is also the day of my Local Elections, and how that will pan out remains unknown as I type this blog. What I can be sure of is the results are likely to jump-start conversations around the upcoming General Election, which we know needs to be held before the end of January 2025.

The Government that comes into power following the next General Election is likely to oversee the majority of the time left until the 2030 deadline, so will have an immensely important role in our country’s ability to successfully restore nature. The Government can either hamper the process or ensure they put in place cohesion between Government departments, policies, frameworks, and incentives that make sure that we have the tools and commitment from our decision-makers to keep their promise to nature.

Nature is not a party-political issue as it transcends all agendas. It is undeniable that a healthy, functioning environment underpins our health, wellbeing and economy. So, we need not just a strong Government with a strong agenda for nature, but also a strong opposition party to hold the Government to account if the urgency and cohesion of decision making for our environment is veering off course.

With the recent launch of the Sussex Wildlife Trust Strategy focusing our own efforts up until 2030, we recognise the importance of this next General Election and the power that sits in everyone’s hands to keep nature on the agenda during the General Election campaign and beyond. Sussex Wildlife Trust, along with our 46 counterpart Trusts across the UK, has five clear asks for all political candidates:

1. Bring back the UK’s lost wildlife
2. End river pollution and water scarcity
3. Fund wildlife-friendly farming
4. Enable healthy communities
5. Tackle the climate emergency

We are now working to demonstrate how these five asks relate to Sussex and our 17 local constituencies. But we’re asking you to take action now.

Prospective Parliamentary Candidates are currently preparing to stand for election to become your Member of Parliament (MP). They will all be vying for your attention - and your vote.

They need to understand how important nature and healthy wild spaces are to you. They should want to impress you with their plans to tackle climate change and to bring wildlife back to your neighbourhood.

Here’s how you can act now to make sure nature is firmly on all party manifestos:

Save the date! Restore Nature Now rally in London, Saturday 22 June 

This legal, peaceful, inclusive, and family-friendly demonstration aims to be the biggest gathering of people for nature and climate that the UK has ever seen. It is both a celebration of British nature and a protest calling for urgent political action on the nature and climate emergencies.

It is supported by a diverse group of wildlife and environmental organisations including The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, The Climate Coalition, WWF-UK, National Trust, WWT, Woodland Trust, Wildlife and Countryside Link, Rewilding Britain, and Extinction Rebellion, who are united in our demand to #RestoreNatureNow.

We will be there in force, and hope to see you there too! To pledge attendance and find out more: restorenaturenow.com

Talk to political candidates knocking on your door

Are your election candidates going to give nature a voice? Ask them: ‘How is your party putting nature on the agenda, nationally and locally?’

Let us know what they are saying by rating your experiences via our satisfaction survey.

Attend this FREE webinar on ‘Achieving Change – How to make your voice heard with your local politicians’ to help you feel more confident speaking to local politicians and candidates Thursday 9th May 6pm – 7.30pm 

This free training will also include practical exercises and resources on:

• Understanding who your elected representatives are and their role within the political system
• How to craft specific ‘SMART’ asks for local politicians that will have impact
• How to engage with your local representatives and hold them to account longer term
• A peer learning space to share examples of what has or hasn’t worked so well in the past, as well as connecting with others taking action in your local area 

Sign up here

Keep an eye on Sussex Wildlife Trust’s social channels

We will be developing more information on how you can engage with your election candidates and the issues that are of importance for nature here in Sussex at the next General Election. We want all candidates to know how much nature matters to the people of Sussex and recognise that nature is a voting issue.