campaigning

Elections to the European Union Parliament are being held in North West England on 4^th June: why should you use your vote?

On 4^th June the people of North West England will have the opportunity to go to the polls to elect eight of the 738 Members of the European Parliament. Those seeking election as MEPs will have to address four of the biggest environmental challenges facing Europe today.

For general information on these elections in the North West visit http://www.northwestvotes.gov.uk.

The Challenges- What are they and what should our MP’s do to tackle them?

1.    Safeguarding and restoring our natural environment – the biodiversity and ecosystems on which we all rely

Astley Moss

MEP candidates should commit to introducing a new target to champion the recovery of wild habitats and species by 2020, many of which are currently in severe decline. In order to meet any new target the visionary EU Birds and Habitats Directives must be maintained and strengthened and €3-4 billion must be provided annually from the EU budget to manage the Natura 2000 network of protected areas.

The Birds Directive Natura 2000 sites in our area are: Leighton Moss, Martin Mere, Mersey Estuary, Mersey Narrows and North Wirral Foreshore, Morecambe Bay, South Pennines, Ribble & Alt Estuaries, and South Pennine Moors. The Habitats Directive sites are Calf Hill & Cragg Woods, Liverpool Bay, Manchester Mosses, Morecambe Bay, Morecambe Bay (Limestone) Pavements, North Pennine Dales Meadows, Rochdale Canal, Sefton Coast, and South Pennine Moors.

2.    Promote healthy food production, and secure a healthy and wildlife-rich rural environment

Freemans Pasture

MEP candidates should commit to pursuing wholesale reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), starting by linking the receipt of subsidies - funded by public money - to the delivery of public goods; such as a wildlife-rich countryside that benefits us all. 
 
3. Preventing climate chaos

MEP candidates should commit to ensuring that the European Union will lead the call for an ambitious agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol at the Copenhagen summit in December. The EU must commit to at least a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The 2020 target of 20% of all energy generated being from renewable sources must also be met – without damaging the natural environment.

4. Securing productive and healthy seas

Bottlenose Dolphin – Image by Doug Perrine

MEP candidates should acknowledge the failure of the Common Fisheries Policy and commit to its reform – in its current state it continues to lead to over-fishing, and the slaughter of dolphins, porpoises and seabirds that are inadvertently caught in nets and lines by European Union fishing boats. In addition, immediate action is needed to complete the designation of marine Natura 2000 sites. Parts of Liverpool Bay and Morecambe Bay have been designated off North West England, but generally the process has slipped woefully behind schedule and too many areas remain unprotected and vulnerable.

Elections to Lancashire County Council are being held on 4^th June: why should you use your vote?

On 4^th June the people of administrative Lancashire County will have the opportunity to go to the polls to elect their representative to Lancashire County Council.

For general information on the Lancashire County Council elections visit http://www3.lancashire.gov.uk/lccelections.

How can Lancashire County Council can play its part in delivering ‘A Living Landscape’.

County Hall

Lancashire County Council has many powers to deliver for our wildlife and wild places. It runs an ecology service and a countryside service across the county, advising planning authorities on the impact of development proposals on the county’s wildlife and wild places. It works with The Wildlife Trust and Natural England to maintain a register of the county’s best places for wildlife. It is the county’s education authority overseeing schools, libraries and outdoor education centres. It makes planning decisions on how and where minerals are extracted and how and where our waste is disposed of in waste management facilities, landfill sites and incinerators. It also oversees the management of the county’s highways, including wildlife-rich road verges. And it works with partners to restore derelict, underused and neglected land – including restoration for wildlife.

Key questions

The following are perhaps the key areas where Lancashire County Council candidates could deliver most if elected.

Winners and losers

Brown Hare-Image by A2 Media

Up-to-date biological information is essential for making accurate decisions on planning and development, and underpinning sustainable land use.  What action would your candidates take to ensure that such information is available, such as through a Lancashire natural environment records service?

Preventing climate chaos

Brockholes Nature Reserve

The ‘Stern Report’, published at the end of 2006, highlighted the importance of helping the environment to adapt to the effects of climate change. This can only be achieved by ensuring that local authorities, statutory bodies and non-governmental organisations work together to ensure that conservation efforts operate at a landscape scale. What action would your candiates take to help make this happen? In addition, what action would your candidates take to enable Lancashire to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change in the most environmentally sensitive way - for example, through the creation and restoration of natural wetlands to combat flooding and drought?

Education, education, education

The natural world provides an important and valued resource for children to learn at all levels of education.  What would your candidates do to ensure that every child in Lancashire has access to outdoor education?

How you might help

If our voice is to be heeded we need to demonstrate popular support.

We need people prepared to write to their elected representatives on issues in their remit. This may include parish, town, district, borough, city and county councillors, our 46 Members of Parliament, and, on occasion, our Members of the European Parliament.

We also need to respond to consultations by local, county, regional and national government and by regional and national government agencies.

If you would be interested in helping at any level please contact David Dunlop, our Conservation Officer for Policy Issues, on ddunlop@lancswt.org.uk

Links

The Wildlife Trusts' British Isles website: www.wildlifetrusts.org

Our network of 47 local Wildlife Trusts and our junior branch, Wildlife Watch, work together with local communities to protect wildlife in all habitats across the UK, in towns, countryside, wetlands and seas.

Wildlife & Countryside Link http://www.wcl.org.uk

Wildlife and Countryside Link brings together environmental voluntary organisations in the UK united by their common interest in the conservation and enjoyment of the natural and historic environment.

HAVE YOUR SAY! With just a few clicks you can get involved with campaigning for wildlife without even leaving your home! 

You can sign numerous on-line petitions, where you can help to save and restore our natural environment.

Help The Wildlife Trusts to ‘Save our Seas’ by clicking here.

‘Prevent Pond Pests’ Find out why we think you should sign The Wildlife Trusts’ petition to protect our local ponds from invasive pests by clicking here

This could result in a welter of offshore windturbines forming a wall of steel across wild goose and swan migration routes between the Arctic and Lancashire, another runway at Manchester airport, or the return of the massive gas storage proposal in old salt caverns under the Wyre Estuary. Decisions on MIPs would be fast-tracked behind closed doors by a national, unelected and potentially unaccountable body. This weakens our democracy and limits local involvement in decision making – local wildlife defenders will no longer have an automatic right to comment on planning proposals which affect wildlife close to where they live. Far from tackling global warming, the Government’s proposal to speed up MIPs, such as roads and airports, will increase carbon emissions and devastate wildlife as it struggles to adapt to climate change.

The proposals to include offshore energy developments within the planning commissions remit would also undermine Government plans for protecting marine life made in consultations on its own proposed Marine Bill; and inclusion of a MIP in proposed national planning statements could override existing systems to protect our most important places for wildlife.

The construction of more barriers, such as motorways, means wildlife faces an even great challenge in moving and adapting to climate change.

What is needed now is not a backlash against sensible protection of our most important assets, but the smart use of planning so protection and prosperity go hand in hand.

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside, as part of The Wildlife Trusts, is a member of a coalition of leading environmental and social organisations which have come together out of deep concern over the Government’s proposed planning reforms. Members include the Campaign to Protect Rural England, RSPB, Friends of the Earth, the Civic Trust, Transport 2000, the Ramblers’ Association, the New Economics Foundation and the National Trust.

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside, and sister Wildlife Trusts up and down the country are currently writing to all our MPs about the Planning Bill. In particular, The Wildlife Trusts are asking that the final Bill include a requirement for Government to produce a National Policy Statement on the natural environment alongside its planned statements on energy, waste, water and transport infrastructure. For more information read our briefing, ‘A National Policy Statement on the natural environment’.

Will you join us in writing to your MP? If you don’t know who he or she is, type your postcode into the box on the House of Commons website to find out.