nature

Conclusion
From the warmth of watching a child find a ladybird hidden in a log, to the thrill of watching
a thousand starlings shoaling across the evening sky, nature brings some of the most
magical moments in our lives. In the countryside, around our coasts and in our cities, the
wonders of nature are kept close to us and protected by the Nature Directives.
At the same time as looking after the natural world for
our children, these essential laws also support our lives
in other ways. Through the Directives, we benefit from
cleaner air and water, greener places to exercise and
reflect, and nature’s ability to lock up carbon or reduce the
risk of flooding.
Of course, nature is also the most fundamental economic
factor of production. At some point, every industry and
every service relies on the bounty of nature. Protecting
our natural environment and nurturing its abundance is the
only way to ensure that we maintain a truly sustainable
economy. Where businesses work together with nature
and where the Directives are properly applied, their costs
are minimal but their rewards are great.
What’s more, these vital laws are the only effective way
of ensuring that amazing migratory species are protected
all across the European Union. By taking action together,
the influence and effectiveness of every Member State
is multiplied, so that our conservation efforts – and our
efforts to encourage conservation around the world – are
more than the sum of their parts.
In this report, we have demonstrated that the Birds
Directive and the Habitats Directive must not be
weakened. We recognise that some problems do arise,
but that these are usually a result of poor implementation,
rather than a fault within the Directives themselves. Full
implementation of the Nature Directives is better for
wildlife, better for people and better for business.
We have set out a series of eight actions for realising the
full benefits of the Directives: (1) plan to restore nature
(2) science to understand the challenge (3) objectives to
plan our response (4) completing the Natura network (5)
looking after the land in between (6) lining up policies in
other sectors to complement the work of the Directives
(7) invest in nature and (8) cracking down on illegal activity.
Together, these should comprise some of the first steps in
a plan to turn around the state of nature. The Government
should undertake to complete implementation of the
Directives as the first milestone in a 25-year plan to
restore nature.
Inspired by UK conservationists, the European Union has
provided us with our most important laws for protecting
nature. The challenges are great and some will take a long
time to overcome, but we must not give up part way. In
the UK, the public, civil society and business must come
together to support the Government in completing and
upholding implementation of the Nature Directives; the
Government must play its part in making sure that they are
not weakened.
Together, we must defend the laws that defend nature.
Left: A flock of starlings coming in to roost at Ham Wall, Somerset.
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