WWT unites with wildlife and climate campaigners in what could be the biggest ever march for nature
WWT is urging everyone who cares for nature to unite and march through London to Parliament Square on Saturday 22 June, with a simple demand to all political parties: Restore Nature Now.
This legal demonstration aims to be the biggest gathering of people for nature and climate that the UK has seen and is both a celebration of UK nature and a protest for urgent political action on the nature and climate emergencies.
The Restore Nature Now march will be a peaceful, inclusive and family-friendly event. It is supported by a diverse group of dozens of wildlife and environment organisations (including the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, The Climate Coalition, WWF-UK, National Trust, WWT, Woodland Trust, Wildlife and Countryside Link, Rewilding Britain, Extinction Rebellion and Chris Packham) who are warning that this General Election must be a turning point for nature before it is too late.
WWT Chief Executive Sarah Fowler said:
“Nature is in free-fall in the UK, and there is an urgent need for action. However, hope is not lost. We know that nature bounces back quickly when you add water. Wetlands are wondrous places; they’re mood boosters, carbon storers, water purifiers and a home to 40% of the world’s species.
“We’re proud to be joining forces with people who care and want to make a difference. On 22 June, we’re marching for wetlands, and for stronger and more timely commitments to nature recovery from all political parties.”
The UK is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for nature loss, with 1 in 6 wildlife species at risk of extinction in Great Britain. UK policies have also been rated as inadequate to the scale of the nature and climate crisis. In its annual progress report, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) said that ‘the UK is ‘largely off track to meet its environmental ambitions and must speed up and scale up its efforts in order to achieve them’. And the Committee on Climate Change has analysed UK action as insufficient to meet emission reduction targets and reported that the UK is no longer seen as a climate leader.
The UK is known as a nation of nature-lovers and polls have revealed high levels of concern over inadequate UK climate and nature action. Results from two nationwide surveys conducted by The Wildlife Trusts showed that irrespective of voting choice, nature matters to people across the electorate, with 93% of voters reporting that they believe nature loss is a serious threat to humanity. Recent YouGov UK polling on behalf of WWF-UK also showed that the majority of people (70%) think it’s possible to avoid the worst effects of climate change but more than half (58%) think it’s only possible with more drastic action.
The Restore Nature Now demonstration will show a joint voice across the nature and climate sectors, uniting to tell all political parties that action must be taken to restore nature now.
More details about the Restore Nature Now demonstration will be released in the coming weeks. WWT Supporters can find out more about the Restore Nature Now demonstration on the WWT website.
Restore Nature Now
Restore Nature Now is a group of charities, grassroots organisations and individuals concerned about nature, wildlife and climate. The demonstration is being coordinated by organisations which includes: RSPB, WWT, Woodland Trust, Wildlife and Countryside Link, WWF-UK, National Trust, Extinction Rebellion and Chris Packham. The demonstration is being supported by dozens of wide-ranging groups.
