This week’s general election is set to be one of the most important moments for nature in our lifetime. The next Government will remain in power until almost 2030, an important date for several key national and international climate targets. This means the elected party will be vital in ensuring whether we meet these targets and secure a future where nature can thrive. 

At Cornwall Wildlife Trust, we are calling on our future MPs to be powerful advocates for wildlife in Cornwall. We want them to use their influence to demand better decisions for nature – upon which we all rely for our wellbeing, food, water, and the very air we breathe. The importance of nature’s recovery must be placed at the very centre of political debate, and it must be done now. 

We know the public care about nature and want more done for its protection and restoration. A recent poll** by The Wildlife Trust shows environmental issues are a key concern for voters. 79% of participants believe nature is important for our wellbeing and economic prosperity, while 39% will be voting on Thursday based on environmental policies offered by candidates. Polls aside, the feeling of the general public is easy to see when you look at recent events such as the Restore Nature Now march, when over 60,000 people took to the streets of London to urge political leaders to tackle the UK’s wildlife crisis and act now on the climate emergency.  

But despite efforts to include plans for nature in their manifestos, political parties are still failing to understand what is at stake here, to take the appropriate, measured action needed and place nature at the centre of their pledges. This is felt by the majority of the public, with the poll revealing they think the main parties are doing poorly on tackling river pollution (78%), nature loss (71%), climate change (69%), ensuring communities can benefit from nature (65%), and supporting sustainable food production (63%). So why are politicians still not getting it?  

Cornwall is home to a range of wildlife and beautiful wild places, which desperately need support. We need to move away from the short-sighted thinking that putting money into restoring nature takes away from other resources. Nature underpins everything – our physical health, mental wellbeing, food production, and economy - and it is possible to preserve it in a way to benefit all aspects of life in the U.K.  

From increasing funding for farming methods that benefit both farmers and the environment, to ensuring sustainable fishing methods are used to protect our seas, and to protecting our wild places to maintain the thriving tourism industry in Cornwall, it is important to recognise the role nature has at the centre of it all. For example, tourism accounts for an estimated £2.4 billion a year and supports approximately 53,000 Cornish jobs. Without policy to protect the beautiful, wild places and nature in Cornwall that help attract over 5 million visitors a year, our economy is bound to suffer. Politicians need to stop thinking of nature as an isolated policy area and recognise that it’s crucial across society. 

Cornwall Wildlife Trust has been working hard to show our political candidates how much the people of Cornwall care about the nature and climate crisis. We have held hustings in five of our six constituencies to give local candidates and people the chance to discuss all things climate and nature (the sixth was cancelled due to an early election being called). The turnout to these hustings has been inspiring to see and demonstrates that nature is far more important than politicians are giving credit for.  

There is still time for us to work together to urge our next MPs to use their platform to lobby for nature-friendly policies. Not only for Cornwall, but for the whole of the U.K. You can sign our open letter to call on our MPs, whoever they may be on 5th July, to be powerful voices for nature in Parliament, helping bring back our lost species, protect our wild places, and give the future of nature a chance.  

**Poll info: Commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts, Savanta interviewed 2,221 UK adults aged 18+ online between 31st May and 2nd June 2024. Data were weighted to be representative of all UK adults by age, sex, region and SEG. Savanta is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.