EU laws are good for wildlife - act now to keep it that way!

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, 29 June 2015
EU laws are good for wildlife - act now to keep it that way!
dormouse / Hugh Clark

By Ian Hepburn

Head of Conservation

You can’t go far in any media currently without tripping over commentaries on the European Union. A vast spectrum of views are expounded. From unmitigated, dogmatic vitriol to thoughtful, measured, well-informed reportage … and everything in between. And all this will only increase as the political stage warms up towards a UK referendum sometime in 2016.

Centre stage is currently dominated by the €urozone drama and challenges to the fundamental Treaty principles: the free of movement goods, services and people. But away from the limelight, the European Commission is gathering evidence and public opinion this year to determine whether the ‘nature directives’ – the 1979 Birds Directive and its younger sister, the Habitats Directive (adopted in 1992) – are “fit for purpose”.

Laws to safeguard nature are vitally important. The European nature directives are no exception. There’s a wealth of evidence that wildlife in the UK and the rest of the EU would be worse off without the nature directives. TWT’s report 'It’s Our Nature’ gives a glimpse of some of the tangible benefits. A more forensic assessment published in Science demonstrates that the most threatened European birds have fared better over the last 30 years as a result of the Birds Directive. The analysis shows breeding population trends of the species which are specially protected in the EU (listed in Annex 1 to the Directive, and including red kite, avocet, nightjar and kingfisher) are more positive than non-Annex 1 species within the EU, and also more positive than the same Annex 1 species outside the EU.

In Sussex, we’d find it more difficult to safeguard sites supporting European Protected Species (listed in the Habitats Directive, and including bats and dormice) and habitats of European significance like chalk streams, heathlands, coastal dunes, shingle beaches and seagrass beds if the Nature Directives were to be watered down or, even worse, if they no longer applied to the UK. Some of our most valued places for nature, such as Rye Harbour, Ebernoe Common and Malling Down nature reserves, might lose the special legal protection they deserve and need.

Conservation organisations throughout Europe are working hard to secure these hard-won laws that protect nature. But we urgently need public support – your support – if we’re going to win this battle. There’s political pressure to eliminate or to reduce the power of European environmental legislation. There’s an opportunity to safeguard the nature directives by contributing to the European on-line public consultation which is under way now and closes on July 24th.

Follow this link to The Wildlife Trusts’ webpage which will guide you through the simple process to respond. Conservation organisations have provided guidance to help answer the consultation questions. This is an important action: every individual response counts. So please help us to protect wildlife by defending the European laws that help us.

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Comments

  • Richard Keymer:

    I support you – in fact I have already filled in a very long questionnaire from the EU or European body for nature conservation on this topic. Crucial we succeed as national laws very weak – eg old species rich sem-natural grassland has no protection outside of statutary sites, despite losing 97% of them – same goes for ancient semi-natural woodland. Why are the Wildlife Trusts not running campaigns on such matters? All very quiet.

    30 Jun 2015 14:16:12

  • Janice Parsons:

    As a grandmother I support nature conservation. It is essential we respect and look after all aspects of nature for future generations.

    02 Jul 2015 05:27:27

  • John Frankham:

    The United Kingdom is a nation of nature lovers. I simply don’t believe that an independent UK would compromise the protection of wildlife. Indeed as an independent nation we could forge our own path, improving protection for our own native species and habitats.

    22 Mar 2016 12:37:17

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