Dr Cath Price, Membership & Engagement Officer

Last October, Government stated that whilst putting resources behind habitat restoration efforts, the reintroduction of lost native species was ‘not a priority’. The Wildlife Trusts would beg to differ.

Responsible, properly managed reintroductions are a vital conservation tool. Every lost species triggers the loss of other species in an ecosystem. It’s a bit like taking rivets out of an aeroplane, one here, one there, they’re only small, it won’t matter – until the whole thing collapses. We’re looking at a collapse already. Without reintroduction to replace lost species and bolster the population of threatened ones, there is no chance of rebuilding healthy ecosystems for the benefit of wildlife, but also for our own, human, existence.

I’m passionate about wildlife and I believe it has a right to exist for its own sake. However, we must remember that we all depend on healthy ecosystems and natural processes to purify the environment. We need healthy forests, grasslands, rivers and oceans to provide us with clean air and water. We need clean farmland to provide our food. When we re-establish lost species we restore ecosystems, replacing the lost rivets that hold life together. We rebuild our life support system from the fragmented thing it has become in the last century. Keystone species such as beavers (already coming to Shropshire through a SWT project), large grazing animals and apex predators are essential cogs in the wheel that drives biodiversity and ecosystem health, allowing nature to thrive, and we humans with it. Not a priority? I don’t think so. I don’t want my grandchildren to be on the flight when that final rivet falls out.

Luke Neal, Head of Landscape Recovery

As we head to the polls, one crisis demands your attention - the deteriorating state of our rivers and the de-funding of the agency tasked with protecting it. For over a decade, the Environment Agency has suffered relentless budget cuts under austerity, with funding slashed by over 50%. This financial starvation has left England's environmental watchdog in shambles. Morale is at rock-bottom, and some teams face staggering 80% vacancy rates.

The consequences? Our lands and waters pay the price. With fewer boots on the ground, pollution violations go unchecked. Landowners lack guidance to prevent minor issues from escalating into environmental calamities, or access to funding that would help them. Lack of visible enforcement enables a slow poisoning of our natural treasures.

Studies have shown that officers on the ground are crucial for cost-effective pollution prevention. Yet, we do not see the investment required as the Agency's resources dwindle. While groups like the Wildlife Trusts continually work to enhance nature, they cannot replicate the legal authority of a properly empowered Environment Agency. This election, we face a stark choice.

Do we resign ourselves to rivers choked with sewage and plastic pollution? Should we accept poor practices that lead to run-off from farms and towns? Or, do we vote for parties prioritizing environmental protection - empowering and funding the Environment Agency to safeguard our nation's natural heritage?

The environment is the ultimate cross-cutting issue, impacting all ages, incomes, and communities. This election, demand representatives who will champion environmental protection by properly funding the Environment Agency.

Emma Jones, Agricultural Advisor
Jess Nott, Agricultural Advisor

Agriculture makes up most of UK land use, with over 50% as enclosed farmland such as fields of crops and livestock that makes up most of the Shropshire countryside. If we just work to reverse the decline in nature and the environment on our reserves and at home, we are missing a massive part of the picture.

Through our work with farmers, we have seen their passion for where they live and work, as well as their desire to leave the world and their farms in a better place for the next generation. However, they have seen years of being encouraged to a system of high inputs with a race to the bottom and little space made for wildlife. By supporting farmers to shift towards regenerative, wildlife-friendly methods, farming has huge potential to deliver a green rural renewal.

Delivering multifunctional land use that integrates nature will be a new concept for many, so requires support to improve understanding and develop trust in change. We need investment to help build the skills and knowledge needed to help farmers adopt a range of new practices with confidence.

Wildlife-friendly farming has been proven to support sustainable farm businesses that in turn can steward the land for future generation and secure our food supply.

Ellie Leach, Senior Education Officer

Shut your eyes and think back to the best of your school day memories. What can you see? What can you smell? What were you doing that day?

Being active in the outdoors throughout their education increases how much children learn whilst also improving wellbeing and enabling them to make sense of the world around them, through relating what they were taught in school to their own lives.

With increasing rates of obesity and poor mental health in young people, Shropshire’s natural spaces and its wild inhabitants are ready and waiting to make a difference. We passionately believe that by sharing our knowledge and experiences with schools, through embedding outdoor learning, we can improve outcomes for children and young people.  

Children who spend time outdoors at school tell us that they are happier, and staff tell us that children are more engaged and can recall information more effectively. What does that mean? Happier learners, teachers, and families who have the tools to develop resilience, positive mental and physical health, and well-being, in an age where stress, anxiety, and a busy modern life can often take over.

Those with strong nature connectedness are more likely to have pro-environmental behaviours in the future, further helping our natural environment recover and protect it for future generations.

Every child has the right to learn in and about nature; to reach their full potential and experience all that life has to offer – what will you do to make this a reality for every child?

Richard Grindle, CEO

The scientific consensus on global warming is now unarguable. The impact it will have on Shropshire’s wildlife and on farmers and communities is already becoming clear. March was the wettest in 40 years, and the warmest on record. 2023 saw the worst floods in living memory. Species which have historically thrived here are moving north or declining completely. 

The solutions are just as clear: the technology to decarbonise the economy already exists. The price of inaction will be far greater than the cost of doing the right thing now. All that is lacking is political will and the right incentives for people to act. It has been desperately disappointing to see commitments watered down and deadlines fudged; and this vacillation will only discourage families and businesses from making the changes needed. 

Nature is suffering from climate change, but nature-based solutions can play a vital role in addressing the crisis. Our woods, wetlands, and crucially our soils have the potential to lock up vast amounts of carbon if properly managed. But this requires concerted action to put nature into recovery and to support regenerative farming.

This is not and must not be a party political issue, still less a ‘woke’ issue: climate change is affecting everyone and we all have a stake in decisions made by the next government. A recent nationwide survey by The Wildlife Trusts shows that 59% of voters consider environmental issues to be at least as important as other issues facing the country. Every candidate and party in this election stands to gain if they commit to supporting bold and sustained action on climate change.