Share

A bird of prey in flight with red/brown feathers and a forked tail. It looks at the viewer with its head cocked to one side. It has white patches of feathers on its underwing and head and a yellow beak with piercing yellow eyes.

Red kite - Jon Hawkins – Surrey Hills Photography

General Election 2024

Helping us make the case for nature

In the run up to the 2024 general election, hundreds of you supported our campaigning efforts to put nature on the agenda. It was crucial that we sent a united message to our future political leaders - to take action to restore our natural world now. 

The new government will be responsible for turning around our position as one of the most nature-depleted country in the world. The steps they take over coming years will be critical.

It really is life or death. With wildlife in freefall, there has never been a more important time to keep the pressure on.

With the election behind us, we're looking forward to working with Staffordshire's newly-elected MPs. Our mission? To drive forward much-needed urgent action to restore our natural world and bring back lost wildlife. A healthy environment underpins our economic prosperity, food security and health and wellbeing!
Julian Woolford
Chief executive, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust

Giving nature a voice

We called on our supporters and members to help make nature a priority and you answered the plea. Hundreds completed our survey, emailed candidates and many of you joined us as we headed to London for the Restore Nature Now march.

A large group of people hold a banner that says Staffordshire Votes for Nature with Big Ben in the skyline behind them, a blue sky with thin cloud overhead

Staffordshire residents at the Restore Nature Now march in London - by Becki Emery

The shocking facts

To help voters have easy access to nature facts and figures, we produced factsheets for each area. Just how badly polluted is your local river? Which species did you used to see lots of, now you never do? How many people are deprived of nature close to their homes? They answer all these questions and more. 

These are the issues we raised with political candidates. You can continue to highlight and raise these with your new MPs.

Warning... There are some really shocking facts in here. However, we need political leaders to know just how bad things are, so they understand why they need to commit to action.

Take a look at the factsheet for where you live (click below) and use it when talking to or writing to your new MP.

The shocking facts

What we're calling for

We’ve set out three key priorities - three things which government must do to give nature a fighting chance. In the months before the election, we met with many standing MPs and Prospective Parliamentary Candidates to push forward our three priorities for nature. We'll continue to focus our efforts on urging MPs to action these priorities in our future meetings with them.

 

 

Trees lining a field

Credit: Paul Harris/2020VISION

1. Bring back Staffordshire’s lost wildlife

To halt and reverse the collapse of our natural world, we need the government to put nature into recovery by protecting and restoring at least 30% of land and water for nature by 2030. 

How can government achieve this? 

  • By increasing the budget for nature-friendly farming, so farms can be both productive and bursting with wildlife;  
  • preventing further habitat loss by ensuring new development both protects and enhances nature;
  • funding the restoration and creation of more, bigger and better natural habitats, to help wildlife recover and protect communities from the impacts of climate change.
beaver wildlife trust

David Parkyn

2. Clean up and restore our county’s rivers

Toxic levels of sewage and pollution, combined with decades of damage to our wetland landscape, has left just one out of 41 rivers in the Trent Valley river catchment rated in good ecological condition. If we want healthy and wild once again, we need to see urgent action. 

How can government achieve this?

  • By cutting nutrient pollution from farming, sewage and development in half by 2030, with proper funding for enforcement agencies to effectively monitor our watercourses and enforce penalties on polluters;
  • supporting the reintroduction of beavers living in wild in Staffordshire to restore our rivers and wetlands;
  • investing in creating and repairing wild habitats to provide a natural solution to flooding, which will protect people’s homes and businesses, and improve water quality.
Children and families

Helena Dolby for Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust

3. Let nature help

Spending time in nature is scientifically proven to boost physical and mental health. Healthy habitats also protect us from the impacts of climate change, improve food security and underpin our economic prosperity. We must ensure that everyone has fair and equal access to restorative natural places in their neighbourhood, and that natural solutions are implemented at scale across every community.

How can government achieve this? 

We’re calling on our new government to ensure everyone has access to healthy wildlife-rich places, which deliver natural solutions to local challenges. We want them to commit to:

  • Ensuring everyone has easy access to healthy natural spaces in their neighbourhood, to support wellbeing and protect them from the impacts of climate change, particularly for the communities that have the least provision today;
  • Funding and integrating green prescribing into health and social care services in the community
  • Introducing new statutory guidance to deliver learning outdoors for all, to ensure our schools support happier, more confident children who understand their impact on our natural world.