Dear Wildlife Trusts,
We enjoyed your daily updates from COP16. It was clear from all the people involved that there was a lot optimism about the recovery of biodiversity around the world. However, as mentioned several times during the updates, there needs to be less talking and more action.
The Wildlife Trusts have taken an important step by using the Global Diversity Framework and applying it to the UK. However, I feel that your report - Local to Global - lacks bite. Therefore I would like to make a few comments that I hope you will consider to improve its impact.
I am sure that you are aware that to achieve any target it needs to be clearly defined, have realistic timescales with enough money and people in place to achieve its success. But the most important element is a clear line to the person who is responsible for reaching the target. Unfortunately, many of the targets set in your report lack these elements and therefore their impact on biodiversity in the UK is uncertain. Could you revisit them and improve their detail?
The word ‘sustainability’ is used throughout the report but it is never defined. This is a common problem. For example, does it mean that the population of a species is large enough to survive predation and increasingly climate change? Maybe the Wildlife Trust could pioneer a clear definition?
Many of the targets to be delivered land on the desk of the government who are notorious at saying lots but doing very little. Are you prepared to put pressure on the government by taking them to court if they fail to meet the targets set in legislation for biodiversity?
The section covering the activities of business is very light. Business has a big impact on biodiversity mainly from their supply chains. The international consultancy company Bain & Company have produced a report called The Nature and Biodiversity Playbook for Business which is a good start. But could the Wildlife Trusts develop it further so that it can be used as part of legislation where it was mandatory for a business to assess its impact on biodiversity?
In the UK there are many positives about biodiversity that can be built on. For example, as discussed during COP16, the UK is pioneering initiatives such as ELMs where part of the government payments are being used to improve the management of biodiversity. Other positives, include farmers applying techniques such as regenerative farming that is improving biodiversity. Consumers are becoming more aware of the impact their buying habits are having on the environment. But there is no clear link between their spending and its impact specifically on biodiversity. Could the Wildlife Trusts start a campaign to increase their awareness of their impact on biodiversity?
In the UK, biodiversity is a reluctant add-on to the broader activities to combat climate change. Most of the government’s legislation about the environment squeezes in a few vague lines about biodiversity. The situation is worse with businesses where there is no mention of biodiversity at all in their annual reports. Now is the time for The Wildlife Trusts to take action and move biodiversity into the centre of the UK’s overall management of climate change.