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Sunday 28 June 2015

"As a nation we value protecting the environment as highly as ever – 87% of us think it’s important."

What exactly is the 'value' of the natural world?
Futures Forum: Valuing Nature >>> What does nature do for us? >>> "managing and valuing ecosystem services"

But to what extent do we ourselves 'value' the natural world?
Futures Forum: "Ordinary people are reluctant to put wildlife ahead of immediate financial self-interest."

Saturday's edition of the Western Morning News carried several stories which would point to how highly we value nature:

Somerset MP maintains Conservative's green credentials
As that famous felt frog once said: It’s not easy being green. And over the last few weeks this has become increasingly true for Conservative MPs.
But while her party causes controversy with plans to end subsidies to onshore wind farms and extract shale gas from under national parks, Rebecca Pow is standing her ground on the environment.
The former agricultural reporter has already made her voice heard in Parliament on a range of issues – posing questions to ministers on everything from broadband and education to the UK bee pollinator strategy and tree planting schemes. She has also recently been appointed to the powerful Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee, as well as chairing all-party Parliamentary groups on animal welfare and rural issues.

Somerset MP maintains Conservative's green credentials | Western Morning News

Farming leaders urge Tesco to make meaningful commitment to industry
The National Farmers Union (NFU) is urging Tesco to demonstrate exactly how it is delivering on its promises made in 2013 to improve relationships with suppliers, shorten supply chains and improve trust throughout, after comments made by Tesco CEO Dave Lewis at yesterday’s shareholder AGM.
NFU President Meurig Raymond, who tabled a question on behalf of the NFU’s members, said while he was pleased Tesco had confirmed that it was standing by those commitments made at the NFU conference in 2013, they now needed to give firm evidence that progress is being made.
“Our members have not seen the significant changes on the ground in the way they expected. Two and a half years after making the promise that they were changing, I would encourage Tesco to give these commitments teeth,” said Mr Raymond.

Conservationists are hoping to carry out the largest coastal survey of its kind of protected bottlenose dolphins and the endangered Balearic Shearwater seabird in an ambitious one-day operation with the help of a team of volunteers.
MARINElife plans to carry out its ambitious survey on August 18 aboard nine charter boats along the coast of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall in a bid to catalogue the details of this protected species – in just one day.
The Environmental charity has launched a crowd-funding drive to raise the £6,000 it needs to carry out the survey using charter boats, teams of volunteers based on the cliffs and the help of the RSPB.


Conservationists are hoping to carry out the largest coastal survey of its kind of protected bottlenose dolphins and the endangered Balearic Shearwater seabird in an ambitious one-day operation | Western Morning News

Rural profit and wildlife can work together, says Liz Truss
Defra Secretary Liz Truss suggested in a speech, in London on Thursday, she is on the same page as Britain’s wildlife trusts in promoting the countryside and conservation – but she wants economic growth too.
She told an audience at London’s Tech City, powerhouse of UK’s digital economy, that harnessing the power of social media for the rural economy could pay dividends.
But she stressed Defra wanted to strike a balance between supporting farming and other rural businesses and maintaining the environment.


Defra Secretary Liz Truss suggested at a speech in London that she is on the same page as Britain’s wildlife trusts in promoting the countryside and conservation but she wants economic growth too | Western Morning News

This last story allude to fears that the natural environment might not be as valued as claimed:

Nature must be higher priority for government, says Devon Wildlife Trust chief executive

By WMNPBowern | Posted: June 27, 2015



Harry Barton, chief executive of the Devon Wildlife Trust

In a hard-hitting post-election message to Government - Harry Barton, chief executive of the Devon Wildlife Trust, calls for nature to be given a higher priority and urges an end to talk of the conservation movement in negative terms

Statistics on the natural environment are often pretty depressing.

Well, here’s some cheery news. As a nation we value protecting the environment as highly as ever – 87% of us think it’s important. Nearly half of us will have enjoyed the outdoors in the last week. And an overwhelming majority of people who take part in green exercise feel happier and healthier.

In Devon and the South West we’re luckier than many, being blessed with an outstanding natural environment. No wonder Devon’s population swells several times in summer. You’d think we’d be doing whatever we can to look after such a valuable asset.

Yet it sometimes seems that, regardless of what most people think, it is someone else – the government, the media, an agency – that decides what is important and what is on the agenda.

The recent general election was a case in point, with the natural environment almost absent from all the major political parties’ manifestos.

The last government was heavily criticised for its approach to the natural environment, and not just by environmentalists. All too often it viewed our natural heritage as irrelevant – or worse, an obstacle to growth. “Green crap”, the “Green blob” and “ridiculous gold plating” are all unfortunate phrases used by senior politicians in recent years.

Prioritising economic recovery in the wake of an unprecedented financial crisis may be understandable. But painting the natural environment as worthless or the enemy to recovery is not.

We have a new government now, and there’s a golden opportunity to turn over a new leaf. The UK is not about to disintegrate and we are no longer in recession. But budgets are still tight. So here are some things that the new government can do that won’t cost them or the taxpayer.

> Finish the job of designating Marine Conservation Zones. We have one of the best marine environments in the world and we need to keep it that way.

> Protect the best sites for nature and enforce wildlife legislation properly. Too many valuable sites are damaged or destroyed needlessly. It is perfectly possible to build new homes or improve our infrastructure and enhance wildlife in the process.

> When new houses are built, make sure high quality green space is include in the plans. It’s a myth that this prevents new development from being commercially viable.

> Push for a better deal for the natural environment when the Common Agriculture Policy and Common Fisheries Policy are reviewed. Too few funds are going to agri-environment schemes and too many parts of our seas still have unsustainable fishing pressure on them.

> Recognise the role natural habitats like wetlands have in reducing flood, storing water and carbon and providing a clean water supply. Landowners should be given incentives for protecting and enhancing the habitats.

> Recognise the link between our health and our access to a high quality environment and build this into healthcare policy. Inactivity alone costs us £20 billion every year.

> Finally, build nature into the national curriculum. Too few children get a chance to learn about and have hands on experiences with nature, despite evidence it is good for us.

Investing in the natural environment now will save billions in the future. The scientific and financial cases for doing so are compelling and the public support is there, but it will take courage and vision to push this agenda forward. We have some excellent MPs in the region. Let’s hope they can persuade their Westminster colleagues to treat our green heritage with the respect it deserves.


Harry Barton, chief executive of the Devon Wildlife Trust, calls for nature to be given a higher priority and urges an end to talk of the conservation movement in negative terms | Western Morning News
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