Recently David Cameron has stated that climate change is one of the most serious threats we face in the UK.
The battering that the country has taken this Winter has placed the power of nature, and the feeling that something is wrong into most people's minds.
At the same time, the American Association for the Advancement of Science has urged Americans to act swiftly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in a rare intervention into a policy debate.
Indeed, a leaked draft report from the United Nations warns that global warming will cause widespread conflict, displace millions of people and devastate the global economy!
But what percentage of the public are actually aware that nature is declining at a rapid rate, and that this decline poses a risk to the future of mankind, since it provides our health, water, food, air and (relatively) stable weather?
The Moving Mountains Nature Network was "born" from the STATE OF NATURE report. Please take time to read it, or at least Sir David Attenborough's introduction, to get a feel for just how wounded Mother Nature is!!
The fact that Sir David's advice to stop the Badger culling was ignored, the fact that a 219 to one vote to stop the Badger culling was ignored and now the fact that the countryside is threatened by a massive trashing for the High Speed Train 2 (HS2) project, makes it little wonder that the general public are failing to understand the importance of Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital to our future.
One thing is clear: if you present the facts to someone, they pretty much instantly care. We have an instinctive bond with nature, which is only being torn apart by politicians. Once someone is switched on to nature's cause, it inevitably leads towards a desire for a more sustainable lifestyle.
The general public DO CARE for our children's world. They deserve to be well informed, and for their family's sake, once they form an opinion, it should be acted upon, without ignorance. Politicians ignore scientists, which sounds crazy, but should that be allowed to happen when such ignorance threatens the population that voted them in?
We have witnessed individuals who care for people and planet being insulted by others using bullying tactics, but failing to answer our question as to whether the cost of damage to Ecosystem Services through mass destruction has been included in the cost-benefit analysis of the HS2 project.
I have a sixteen year old son who is studying sustainable economics and permaculture. I will not allow his passion for protection of the world and harmony between commerce and nature to be in vain. We have to leave a healthy world for future generations.
We are therefore asking for you to take the following actions, if you support our views:
1. Spread the word!: Use all methods of communication to inform the world regarding the state of nature, from lunch with your mates, to areas of your blogs, websites and media, that make space for nature information. If you need an emblem, then use ours (as long as it is used for protection of nature) or you can download the extinction symbol here
2. Join, support and volunteer for your local wildlife group. This is so important!! It was the actions of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and an alliance of wildlife groups that have managed to halt the destruction of the Sanctuary Local Nature Reserve. To find all of our wildlife organisations, you can visit our MMNN home page and view the comprehensive list of links.
3. Vote Green!!! Vote for candidates that have a passion for nature and sustainable living and economics! If the 6 million members of wildlife organisations and millions more who value our children's world use their vote to protect nature, then the voice will rise and be seen and respected. We are designing a letter that you can use to send to election candidates so please feel free to add a comment at the bottom of this article or email us at mmnnactionuk@gmail.com telling us what issues you feel should be included, so that you can receive assurances that they will be addressed by candidates. You can add your voice to our Twitter team which is using a special set of team rules to raise awareness and build the voice for nature.
4. Join a "STOP HS2" action group. HS2 really will destroy habitat, greenbelt, heritage assets and wildlife across a massive swathe of the country, and it appears that there is little regard for the adverse effects this will have on nature and human health. You can see the arguments and get involved via the HS2 Action Alliance or STOP HS2.
5. To all naturalists, ecologists, patch watchers and wildlife bloggers: please get involved in our awareness case study. We are testing to see if the information that the public use to assess the STATE OF NATURE is correct or misleading. Our research has discovered a perfect example, and given the importance of what is at stake (food security, water quality, air quality, public health etc), it is certainly vital that the public are getting the right information.
An individual who is considering the arguments for and against HS2 or any other issue that has an impact on nature, might put "nature" into google and then have a look at the Natural England (government's advisor) site, which appears on the first page of google results. To get a feel for the state of nature, let's assume they decide to take a look at the information regarding the state of English Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) (designated sites of importance to wildlife), in order to see whether nature is really in trouble.
Given that the 2013 STATE OF NATURE report found that half of wildlife species assessed in the UK have suffered a strong reduction in abundance or distribution, we found it amazing that the Natural England information states that only 0.95% of the TOTAL AREA of ALL SSSIs is declining in condition, and that a massive 96.96% meets PUBLIC SERVICE AGREEMENT (PSA) targets (because their condition is IMPROVING!!).
As regular followers will be aware, we have suspended our local nature networks, because we believe that nature requires more protection at a national level (work will recommence after the local elections). We are planning a walk that will raise awareness of the STATE OF NATURE and raise money for a community fund that will help people understand the importance of nature, and assist with conservation work on and around an SSSI. I trust that you will agree that this case study will be of benefit to our work and nature's cause. It's all about public awareness and understanding.
If you have good local knowledge regarding a LEGALLY accessible SSSI near you, please let us have your views as to whether you support the condition assessments that appear on the Natural England Site for that SSSI. You can access the Natural England information here. We would really appreciate if you could spread the word so that we get as much feedback as possible. All information will be treated confidentially, and the results will be expressed and shared without reference to contributors, for the good of nature. Please submit your views to mmnnactionuk@gmail.com
Thank you so much for your time taken, whilst reading this article.
N.B: images of Clayhanger SSSI kindly provided by Laura Moseley. You can see more of her work here
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