Wildlife charities urge mayoral candidates to commit to supporting nature in Norfolk and Suffolk
They say it's vital for our environment, our economy and our health
Wildlife charities urge mayoral candidates to back bold new nature recovery plans for Norfolk and Suffolk
Environmental charities are calling on candidates in next year’s Norfolk and Suffolk mayoral election to put nature at the heart of their policies, saying healthy ecosystems are essential for jobs, health and communities.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the Woodland Trust, Essex & Suffolk Rivers Trust, Norfolk Rivers Trust, the National Trust and the RSPB have come together to welcome the launch of Local Nature Recovery Strategies for both counties.
The strategies set out where restoring and protecting habitats will deliver the greatest benefits to wildlife and people, from rewilding projects and river restoration to planting hedgerows and greening towns.
Rupert Masefield, planning and advocacy manager at Suffolk Wildlife Trust, said the new mayor must commit to leading nature’s recovery.
“We know how important nature is to all of our lives; it underpins jobs and the economy,” he said.
“In Norfolk and Suffolk, the biggest employment sectors are tourism and the visitor economy, and nature and our amazing wildlife places are one of the big reasons people come and visit.”
He added that nature “provides us with the water we drink and helps make the air that we breathe cleaner”, saying time spent outdoors also improves people’s health and wellbeing.
“It’s really important that the mayors invest in and support looking after our natural environment,” he said. “We’re asking the mayoral candidates to commit to driving forward the delivery of the things that these strategies identify, to bring nature back in Norfolk and Suffolk.”
Mr Masefield said the new mayor will have influence over planning, transport and growth policies.
“All of these things can, by building nature into them, help deliver nature alongside the new housing, infrastructure, economic growth and jobs that we need,” he said.
Christine Luxton, chief executive of Suffolk Wildlife Trust, said:
“The publication of Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy is an important step towards bringing back the wildlife and habitats we have lost from our county.
“The leadership of the new mayor is going to be critical. Whoever becomes the mayor will be able to set nature in our two counties on a path to recovery.”