With just under two weeks to go until the general election, it is time to push on and make our voices louder than ever. It has been fantastic to meet so many of you at the hustings we have held across the county to discuss all things nature with our political candidates, as well as to see so many of you have signed our open letter already.

The next parliament will be critical for Cornwall’s wildlife. Despite national targets to halt species loss, many habitats are in poor condition and 15% of species are at risk of extinction. Our open letter is a message to all political parties that nature and climate targets cannot be ignored. Meeting these targets is essential to maintaining a habitable planet and time is not on our side.

Our open letter has 5 key asks: 

1. Bring back the UK’s lost wildlife - put nature into recovery by protecting and restoring at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030.
2. Tackle river and coastal pollution - fund enforcement agencies to do their job and halve pollution from farming, sewage and development by 2030 and limit ‘forever chemicals’.
3. Fund nature-friendly farming - the national budget for nature-friendly farming should increase to at least £4.4 billion a year to meet environmental goals, alongside supporting farmers to halve pesticide use by 2030 and adapt to climate change.
4. Tackle the climate emergency by protecting and restoring natural habitats - the global climate and nature crises are inter-linked; climate change is driving nature’s decline, and the loss of wild spaces is leaving us ill-equipped to sequester and store carbon. Climate adaptation strategies must be integrated across all departments, and a nature recovery network must be created to help wildlife adapt to change and protect marine and coastal carbon stores from damage.
5. Enable healthy, nature-rich communities - support the creation of more nature-rich and accessible greenspace, fund community-based health services to save the NHS money and give every child the best start in life by increasing outdoor learning opportunities.

It may only take 5 seconds to sign our open letter, but the impact of this action is huge. With the power of our combined voices we can change the narrative of this general election. The more signatures we have, the more power we have and the harder it will be for politicians to ignore.

We have been inspired to hear how important nature is to you and how many people in Cornwall care for it’s wildlife. Here are just a few of the reasons people have signed our open letter:

• Biodiversity is crucial to humanity's survival and is in turn utterly dependent on tackling and managing the climate crisis - Tony
• Nature energises me and lifts my spirits - Celia
• The decline in wildlife populations is truly staggering. Government inaction is less surprising. - David
• No nature no future - Mack
• Nature is vital for my happiness & wellbeing, moved to Cornwall from a large city years ago to have more access to nature and open spaces. - Donna
• The sky, the sea, the earth and all the living creatures make the world a better place and may we make sure that the future generations continue to enjoy it.. - Helena
• Nature is our life support system! It sustains us physically and mentally. We are a part of nature, not separate from it, and need to act accordingly. - Lynn
• For an overwhelming number of reasons… the sea, the land, the plants, the animals, the environment, the future of mankind… I want to see it protected, invested in, for everyone. - Deanne

Does this inspire you to stand up for nature and add your voice to the call? There’s still time to sign our open letter demanding our next elected MPs to take serious action for nature. With your help we can secure a future for Cornwall where wildlife can thrive.