It’s no secret that we all depend on nature. It’s also no secret that nature is in deep trouble.  We're facing a climate and ecological emergency.  Wildlife is in serious decline, constrained to shrinking isolated pockets and the UK is now one of the most nature-depleted places on earth.  This is as true here in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight as it is anywhere.

But the momentum for change is growing rapidly. Governments around the world are declaring nature and climate emergencies; the environment is always in the news, increasingly on the agenda; and ever more people and groups join the climate strike movement, realising they can no longer sit still.

It seems our Government can’t stay still, either. The calling of a general election provides a golden opportunity to build on this momentum. We can all urge parties and their candidates to act now and act decisively. Because that’s what nature, and we ourselves, desperately need – decisive action that will turn things around.

We are asking all parliamentary candidates to pledge to:

• Prioritise natural climate solutions at a local and national level, driving investment in wetland, woodland, heathland, meadow and marine habitats to capture carbon and build resilience to change.

• Back an ambitious Environment Act - with legally binding targets to restore nature, a powerful, independent environmental watchdog and a Nature Recovery Network to protect, expand and join-up places for wildlife.

• Help farmers to help nature – Introduce a new agricultural bill that pays for farming with nature and encourages landowners to restore and rewild our countryside for the benefit of wider society.

• Revive our marine environment through a network of Highly Protected Marine Areas and a new Marine Strategy. The Strategy should set out how we develop at sea, how we fish within environmental limits and how we restore our marine ecosystems to help tackle the climate crisis and support plentiful fish and marine life.

• Support our plans to create a wilder Hampshire and Isle of Wight.  Our aim, as set out in WILDER 2030, is for the space for wildlife to be trebled and for hundreds of thousands of local people to be supported and encouraged to take individual and collective action in support of nature.

Use your voice!

Election candidates will be going door to door and talking to you about what they stand for. You can use this chance to let them know how much you care about wildlife and show them that nature matters to us all.

If you want to quiz your candidates on what they’ll do for nature, we’ve put together a few quick questions you can ask them:

1. How will you and your party act decisively to tackle the crises in the natural environment?

You could also ask: Will you and your party commit to an Environment Act that creates connections for wildlife and tackles nature’s decline head on? 

You could also ask: Will you and your party ensure that Natural Climate Solutions are at the heart of plans to tackle the climate breakdown? 

2. What will your party do to support farmers in contributing to nature’s recovery?

If you want more detail, ask them: Will you and your party introduce an Agriculture Bill that pays farmers for helping wildlife’s recovery and other positive environmental actions?

3. What will your party do to protect and revive our seas?

More specifically: Will you make sure that our seas are managed properly, and important marine habitats are given the high level of protection they need and deserve?

       4. Will you support a wilder future locally and help to deliver the WILDER 2030 plan in your local area? 

Share these questions with others who care too!