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New, Natural Solutions
A raft of new projects designed to help the UK tackle the climate and nature emergency have been announced by The Wildlife Trusts. This will focus on employing nature-based solutions to increase carbon storage while restoring habitats on land and at sea.
The 12 schemes include:
- A pioneering collaboration to improve huge tracts of fragmented wetlands across four neighbouring counties in England and Wales - paving the way for the reintroduction of beavers.
- Restoring precious peatland habitats across Cumbria, Durham, Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Somerset, and
- Expanding saltmarsh restoration along the Essex coast.
The projects, which will help the UK achieve its ambition of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, are able to move forward thanks to funding from players of People's Postcode Lottery.
In other areas, new seagrass habitats will be planted in the Solent, fragmented woodlands will be restored and connected throughout Derbyshire and habitat features to protect temperature-sensitive chalk grassland butterflies in Bedfordshire will be created. Support will also be given to a pioneering project to restore a kelp forest off the Sussex coast.
Tackling Crises
As the UK gears up to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November, The Wildlife Trusts - a movement of 46 nature charities - is delivering on-the-ground, natural solutions to ensure the UK plays its part in tackling the interlinked climate and nature crises.
The restoration of the natural world is fundamental to realising the ambition to restrict global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said, "Nature can be our biggest ally in limiting global temperature rises, but we have to give it a huge helping hand. We need to cut emissions at source to fight climate change - and we can also have a big impact by restoring nature because wilder places lock-up carbon.
"That means repairing the amazing habitats in our seas, rewetting peatlands, dramatically changing how we manage farmland, rewilding landscapes, and bringing back habitats that have been lost.
"Crucially, we need to fund projects that get results. Thanks to support from players of People's Postcode Lottery, we're delighted to move forward with these 12 high-impact schemes, which will help to bring nature back and store carbon - both on land and at sea."
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People's Postcode Lottery, said, "We're delighted funding raised by our players is helping The Wildlife Trusts restore habitats across the country that play a key role in accumulating and storing carbon. By helping nature thrive, these ambitious projects offer solutions to the challenges we face from climate change so these landscapes and the wildlife there can be enjoyed by future generations.
"Players of People's Postcode Lottery are supporting these projects as part of our Postcode Climate Challenge initiative, which is providing 12 charities with an additional £24 Million in funding for initiatives tackling climate change this year."
The diversity of the 12 projects reflects the vast and varied ways nature can help to tackle climate change. They also show how the UK can become a world leader in transforming its land and seas to lock in carbon and bring wildlife back as well.
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Published: 08/07/2021
