Natural England

Natural England publishes the first report into the state of the natural environment

Natural England today (Monday 19 May) called for a new approach to managing our natural environment if it is to stand any chance of adapting to the next 50 years of unavoidable climate change and modern pressures of development. On launching its State of the Natural Environment report, Dr Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, said:

“England needs a new approach to conservation if we are to effectively tackle the modern pressures on land created by climate change and development. The natural environment is increasingly under threat, both within and especially away from protected areas.

We need to find ways to manage our landscape to create a mosaic of uses so that we can help wildlife survive – be it through a new ‘national park’ around the length of England’s coastline, better use of the green belt or improved use of public funding for farmers to deliver a better natural environment. If we don’t act, there’s a real danger some of our most precious wildlife will be lost forever and lives will be poorer for it” concluded Helen Phillips

The report has highlighted some real environmental gems in the region including:

• The West Midlands Meres and Mosses, along with the Cumbrian Lakes and Norfolk Broads, is considered one of England’s three ‘lake districts’. This region has one of the only areas of ‘inland salt marsh’ in the UK – Pasturefields Saltmarsh in Staffordshire, designated as a Special Area of Conservation. Staffordshire also has Chartley Moss National Nature Reserve – the largest example of a floating peat bog, or schwingmoor in Britain. On the Shropshire/Welsh border sits Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses, one of Britain’s largest and most southerly raised mires, important for its extensive body of peat. In addition to their diverse range of wildlife, peat bogs have a role in tackling global warming as they form important ‘carbon sinks’.
• Our region has extensive networks of rivers, canals and lakes, providing a wildlife resource of European importance – we have 821 km of navigable waterways, the highest total for any region in England. These bring good, accessible opportunities for recreation and a boost to the regional economy. Birmingham and The Black Country alone has 184 km of working canals and is said to have “more canals than Venice”. The Cannock Extension Canal in Staffordshire is designated as a Special Area of Conservation, as it supports floating water-plantain Luronium natans. A very large population of the species occurs in the Canal, which has a diverse aquatic flora and rich dragonfly fauna, indicative of good water quality.
• Our 16 National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in the region are very important for recreation – particularly those, such as the Wyre Forest, in or near urban areas. Our regional NNRs received 1.9 million visitors in 2005/06 – 18% of all visits to NNRs throughout England – with Sutton Park in Birmingham being one of the most visited in the country with over 1 million visitors each year.
• Other NNRs within the region include Wren’s Nest in Dudley, a classic geological site of exceptional importance, being one of the most notable geological locations in the British Isles and visited and studied by geologists from all over the world. Moccas Park NNR in Herefordshire is one of the largest and most diverse examples of wood pasture surviving in Britain, and is said to be second only to Windsor among parklands in Britain.

The findings from the report have led Natural England to publish a Manifesto for the Natural Environment, which outlines what needs to be done to set the nation on a greener path by tackling difficult questions to help protect our future assets.

Ciaran Gannon, Regional Director for Natural England in the West Midlands, said:

“Everyone should have an interest in the natural environment – it is a fantastic resource available to everyone. The natural environment gives us opportunities to enhance our life, our health and our well-being. Whether we engage through walking and exercise, conservation or leisure, we all need to take responsibility for what’s around us. We have unique features in our region and need to be aware that doing nothing to enhance and protect these regional treasures is just not an option”.

To play our part in finding solutions in the West Midlands, we will be working at a landscape scale to join up fragmented habitats and reverse the historic decline in biodiversity through a clearer understanding of the effects of climate change and by better targeting of the £39 million of annual funding through our Environmental Stewardship scheme.

We will also work closely with the West Midlands Biodiversity Partnership to deliver the Landscapes for Living 50 year vision for enhancing and restoring biodiversity in the region.

The region will use its statutory position to ensure that conservation and the natural environment is at the heart of planning and transport proposals. We will encourage the use of green infrastructure, exemplified in our recent work with Growth Points, to help future urban areas be more climate change-proof and to highlight the importance of access to the natural environment for people’s health and well-being.

Our National Nature Reserves will continue to be a priority; we will be working with partners to transform a number of them into ‘first class visitor destinations’ to help reconnect the public with nature. Work is already well underway in the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire through partnership working and a first stage Heritage Lottery Fund grant, where over 20 projects are planned covering landscape, biodiversity, historic environment, access, social exclusion, training, carbon reduction and business support to local food producers.

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Notes to editors

For interviews with Natural England’s experts, copies of the report, manifesto and accompanying photographs, please call the National Press Office on 08456 039953, press@naturalengland.org.uk or for regional information contact Nikki Davies, West Midlands office on 01905 362952, mobile 07814 415486, nikki.davies@naturalengland.org.uk

For more information about Natural England visit: www.naturalengland.org.uk Copies of the report and manifesto will be available online from 19th May. Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. We conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings.