Nature is in crisis, but its cries are struggling to be heard. It’s time for us to raise the roof.
On 22 June UK citizens will be taking to the streets of London with a great gathering of thousands united behind one simple message – Restore Nature Now.
The family-friendly, legal march will see nature, wildlife and climate groups and campaigners come together to call for all political parties to take urgent action to restore nature and tackle climate change in the UK.
In this General Election year, we hope this will be the biggest-ever march for nature – celebrating our amazing wildlife while giving it a voice at this critical time.
Marching together for nature
The RSPB is one of dozens of wildlife and environment organisations and campaigners taking part in the march through central London to Parliament Square. These include The Wildlife Trusts, The Climate Coalition, Chris Packham, WWF-UK, National Trust, WWT, Woodland Trust, Wildlife and Countryside Link, Rewilding Britain and Extinction Rebellion.
We hope nature lovers everywhere will come and join in if they can, to speak up for the wildlife and wild places which matter to them.
Every placard. Every chant. Every cheer will help show that protecting and restoring our natural world must be a top priority for the next UK Government.
-parade-restore-nature-now.jpg)
Image credit: A gathering of people helping to restore nature. Source: RSPB
Our birds and other wildlife need us to speak up
Demonstrations like this are a crucial part of giving a voice to our struggling birds and other wildlife. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted places on earth and much of our wildlife is continuing to decline. We’ve seen 38 million birds vanish from our skies in the last 50 years, 97% of our wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s, and a quarter of all our mammals are at risk of extinction from the UK.
Beccy Speight, RSPB CEO said:
“Here in the UK, we care deeply about nature. But last year’s State of Nature report laid out a grim picture, finding that there’s been no let-up in the decline of our wildlife over recent decades, with one in six species now at risk of being lost from our shores.
“But there is hope: while we know the threats, we also know the solutions. But we simply aren’t acting fast enough or at a big enough scale to tackle the nature and climate crisis. We’re calling for urgent action and a much stronger commitment to nature’s recovery from politicians of all parties, because we cannot afford to wait any longer.”
-restore-nature-now-kids-outside.jpg)
Image credit: Children sharing their voice to help restore nature. Source: RSPB
It has to be now
This General Election must be a turning point for nature before it is too late. The UK has committed to increasing our wildlife and protecting 30% of our land and seas for nature by 2030. Those we elect at this General Election will play a critical role in determining if this happens or not.
If the next UK Government makes protecting and restoring nature a priority, we’ll see the beginnings of a revival that would mean healthier rivers, seas and soils, which we all depend on. In time there would be more bees, more butterflies, more birdsong. More of the wildlife we love.
What we’re calling for
Under the simple message Restore Nature Now, all the organisations taking part are united on the five ways the UK Government can make this happen. By marching with us, you’ll be showing there’s widespread support for these actions and that the next UK Government must make them a priority.
They are:
1. A pay rise for nature
– Farmers manage 70% of UK land and have a huge role to play in supporting environmental recovery. But they need more support. We want to see the nature and climate-friendly farming budget doubled.
2. Make polluters pay
– Big businesses, from water, to retail, to energy, all contribute to environmental decline. We want new rules to make them contribute to nature and climate recovery, and an end to new fossil fuels.
3. More space for nature
– Just 3% of English land and 8% of waters are properly protected for nature and wildlife. To meet UK nature and climate commitments we need to expand and improve protected areas, and ensure public land and National Parks contribute more to recovery.
4. A right to a healthy environment
– Limited access to nature, and pollution in the air and water, affects everyone’s health. We’re calling for a commitment to an Environmental Rights Bill, which would drive better decisions for nature, improve public health and access to high-quality nature.
5. Fair and effective climate action
– We cannot save nature without solving the climate crisis. We want to see investment in warm homes and lower bills by increasing home energy efficiency, supporting active travel and public transport, and replacing polluting fossil fuels with affordable renewables to ensure we at least halve UK emissions by 2030.
Join us!
If you can join us at the Restore Nature Now march, you’ll be part of a passionate and powerful moment calling for political action on the nature and climate crisis. It’ll be a safe, legal, and inclusive march that will be empowering and great fun for everyone. Get in touch if you’re going from Milton Keynes and would like to join our party travelling together.
