Ecological Emergency Declaration
Press Release: Alarm bells ringing for nature in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership, representing many environmental interests in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, has declared an ecological emergency.
At a meeting yesterday, Chair of the Partnership Lord Robin Teverson said:
“This is a statement of our intent. We commit to doing everything within our powers to promote nature recovery across Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly and respond to this global crisis. This is a call to arms for all of those who love nature and are aware of the loss of our precious natural environment.”
“The ecological emergency has been developing and deepening over decades and is still accelerating despite attempts to reverse it. We recognise that we should probably have declared this as an emergency 10 years or even longer ago. However, it is here now, and its impact is worsening by the day. The weight of evidence is overwhelming as we know from the recent Cornwall State of Nature report. Every one of us has a key role to play in reversing the terrible loss and degradation of habitats, breeding grounds and feed sources for wildlife that has taken place over the last 50 years.”
“We applaud the numerous initiatives already under way to help in the great cause of nature recovery and undertake to promote them however we can.”
Councillor John Bastin, representing Cornwall Council on the nature partnership, emphasised his support for the declaration saying:
“I am heartened to see that we speak with one voice for nature. I will be proposing to my fellow councillors that Cornwall Council declares its own ecological emergency to add its own considerable weight to all measures that help to strengthen nature. I know the Council is fully committed to playing its part in delivering nature recovery for all our sakes.”
The Local Nature Partnership will be using all its powers and influence to support local efforts by town and parish councils, business, charities, community groups, farmers, local agencies and others, to respond to the ecological emergency. It will be focussing on helping to speed up delivery of action for nature on land and sea, with a focus on investment, skills, enforcement and farming.
The partnership will also be voicing its concerns over how wildlife is protected in the planning system, issues with water quality in our rivers and seas and how few of our network of Marine Protected Areas are genuinely well managed for nature.
For enquiries please contact the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership [email protected]
For more information about the work of the partnership, please visit www.naturecios.org.uk/
