It seems like bat bashing (or newt nuking, or snail squashing) is back in vogue. We thought that the Liz Truss attack on nature was consigned to the dustbin, but the latest rhetoric from the PM and Chancellor has revived the tired growth vs nature arguments.
Let's be clear. Nature is not a blocker for growth - there is very little evidence of that. It’s very easy to cite a bat tunnel or a snail survey and pretend that if we get rid of this problem, then economic growth will appear. But are they really saying that after in-depth analysis of the causes of long-term poor growth, all the Treasury can come up with is bats, snails and newts? This is a bandwagon, and many are jumping on it.
We are calling on our decision-makers to seek, share and faithfully use evidence to inform their plans. Just as we do at Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
If they do so, they will find that nature is an enhancer, not a blocker to growth. Study after study shows that nature underpins our economy and society. It's common sense. A healthy natural environment provides the air we breathe, the water we drink, the countryside that feeds our soul and wellbeing, the wetlands which prevent our houses being flooded, the landscape which brings in the precious tourism pound and the soil in which farmers grow our food.
Nature IS infrastructure, just as much as a road, a hospital or an airport. We are in a climate and nature crisis, and the government's own analysis shows that climate and nature decline is one of the biggest long-term risks to both economic growth (note 1) and food security (note 2). This means investing in nature is the only win-win for people and wildlife when it comes to seeking growth. Put simply - we need both. That’s the prize. We must start talking about how we do that, rather than picking fights we don’t need to have.
Nature should be integrated into decision-making on big projects right at the start, rather than being seen as an, often inconvenient and costly, afterthought. The Norwich Western Link is a great case in point. There was not an adequate assessment of the impact of the proposed road on Norfolk’s wildlife and landscape at the beginning of the project, which caused the entirely predictable issues which the Council ran into later in the planning process. The data was there. It just wasn’t integrated into decision-making or adequately built into the process.
To ensure a prosperous future for our wildlife and our people, our decision-makers must change their mindset from "how can we mitigate the damage from this scheme?" to "how can we avoid the damage in the first place?"
We know that we can live in a world in which wildlife and people are prospering, and our natural environment has the recognition it deserves as the foundation upon which this world is built. We’re here on hand at Norfolk Wildlife Trust to support this vision with all the skills, knowledge and influence we can bring to bear.
Note 1:
The Dasgupta Review: it's time to invest in nature | The Wildlife Trusts
Note 2: