The driest weeks for parts of England since 1935 have left nature under pressure with wildfires devastating landscapes, habitats left parched, and wildlife endangered by concentrated levels of pollutants in low-flowing rivers.
The Wildlife Trusts are extremely concerned about the impacts on natural areas – in particular, on rivers, wetlands, and streams – and are calling on the Government to introduce a suite of measures:
· Set a fixed target under the Environment Act for reducing water use, and require the installation of meters to ensure there is enough water in rivers for nature and society
· Ensure that developers, farmers, and water firms significantly reduce pollution by:
· Investigating and penalising water companies for illegal discharges of sewage
· Enforcing rules to protect rivers from agricultural pollution
· Ensuring that new building developments help to reduce pollution, rather than only being required not to make things worse
· Bring forward ambitious farming support schemes that reduce water pollution from fertilisers and pesticides, tackle soil erosion, and restore hedgerows and wetlands
· Set out specific objectives to help nature cope with drought, fire, and flooding in the next set of UK national climate adaptation programmes
· Reinstate climate change adaptation support services for land managers, including funding to help regulate water flows to cope with floods and drought