4. Nearly 1 in 6 of our UK species are at risk of becoming extinct. What would you do to improve biodiversity and help nature’s recovery on your watch?

Ian Middleton (Green Party):

“One of the biggest changes that could be made at government level to mandate biodiversity gains and nature recovery would be the Rights of Nature Bill that the Green Party has championed. This will give the environment and everything living in our biosphere similar levels of protection as we see in things like the human rights act. We need to take urgent steps to ensure nature has the best chance of recovery through the formation of nature corridors in developed areas and by protecting existing green spaces against unnecessary development.”

Veronica Oakeshott (Labour Party):

“As someone who leads an international team working to prevent tropical deforestation in my day job, this issue is very important to me.

Conservatives have left Britain one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Labour will deliver for nature, taking action to meet our Environment Act targets, and will work in partnership with civil society, communities and business to restore and protect our natural world. I personally worked on the Environment Act, winning improvements to it that I want to see delivered upon.

We will work to clean up our rivers and hold polluting water bosses to account by withholding their bonusses and through criminal charges.

As part of our plans to improve responsible access to nature, Labour will create nine new National River Walks, one in each region of England, and establish three new National Forests in England, whilst planting millions of trees and creating new woodlands. Labour will expand nature-rich habitats such as wetlands, peat bogs and forests so families can explore and wildlife can thrive, including on public land.”

Calum Miller (Liberal Democrats):

“Protecting our precious natural environment lies at the heart of the Liberal Democrat approach. We will work to be a strong voice for animals and nature in the next parliament. We have a whole chapter in our manifesto on the natural environment which you can see here: https://www.libdems.org.uk/manifesto

Nowhere is the Conservatives’ lack of care for the environment clearer than the national sewage scandal. Just one in seven of England’s rivers are in good ecological health, and every single one is below chemical pollution standards.

We will:

1. End the sewage scandal by transforming water companies into public benefit companies, banning bonuses for water bosses until discharges and leaks end, and replacing Ofwat with a tough new regulator.
2. Set meaningful and binding targets to stop the decline of our natural environment and ‘double nature’ by 2050: doubling the size of the Protected Area Network, doubling the area of most important wildlife habitats, doubling the abundance of species and doubling woodland cover by 2050.
3. Plant at least 60 million trees a year, helping to restore woodland habitats, increase the use of sustainable wood in construction, and reach net zero.
4. Pass a Clean Air Act, based on World Health Organization guidelines, enforced by a new Air Quality Agency.
5. Strengthen the Office for Environmental Protection and provide more funding to the Environment Agency and Natural England to help protect our environment and enforce environmental laws.”

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