The most important global summit for nature in decades – the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as COP15 – starts in Canada today (7 December). What happens there will directly affect wildlife in Cumbria.

The conference comes at a time when the latest study suggests the Earth’s wildlife has plummeted by almost 70% in the last 50 years. The state of nature in Cumbria is not much better and recent Government actions risk making a bad situation even worse. This will mean red faces on the world stage at COP15 and diminish the UK’s power to negotiate.

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – and in Cumbria, wildlife has suffered over recent decades from intensive farming, forestry and water pollution. Unfortunately, the Government’s Retained EU Law Bill threatens to remove vital wildlife protections and the targets they propose to set for nature’s recovery are not ambitious enough.

Stephen Trotter, Chief Executive of Cumbria Wildlife Trust said:

“Bold and urgent action is needed to tackle the twin nature and climate crises at COP15. It is vital that we see a dramatic improvement for wildlife in the next eight years, in order to fulfil the critical ambition of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030 – something that the UK Government has promised but needs to deliver.

“In Cumbria, we and our many partners are working hard to restore nature – to help wildlife recover and to help us mitigate and adapt to a changing climate. But recent Government decisions – as well as lack of action in other areas – risk undermining nature’s ability to recover. We need to see the Government set out far more ambitious targets for nature if it’s to keep its commitment to pass the environment on in a better state to the next generation.

“Shockingly, the Government’s current plans are likely to mean even less wildlife in 20 years’ time than we have now. We’re asking our MPs to ensure a truly ‘world leading’ target that aims to leave the next generation with more nature – not less.”

We want to see the UK Government take the following action:

• Set ambitious targets to restore the abundance of nature at home. The Government is due to publish their Environment Act targets – but current proposals will mean even less wildlife in 20 years’ time than there is now. We want to see a target to increase species abundance by at least 20% by 2042, compared to 2022 levels.

• Help set ambitious global targets to halt and reverse catastrophic declines in habitat and wildlife by 2030 at COP15.

• Scrap the Retained EU Law Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament, because it threatens the laws which protect wild places and species across the UK from the Scottish highlands to the Isles of Scilly.

Please see the Wildlife Trusts’ COP15 briefing note here. COP15 runs from 7^th to 19^th December – please get in touch if you’d like to speak to one of our experts or find out more about the state of nature in Cumbria.

The Wildlife Trusts declared an ambition to help the UK reach the 30 by 30 goal two years ago and have since begun a number of new projects to help nature recover. See our list of 30 by 30 projects here.