Additional quotes:
Paul de Zylva, nature campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: “The UK's depleted wildlife will not recover on wishful thinking. Everyone wants to see ambitious funding to restore and create habitats at scale. But there's no substitute for properly protecting habitats and species. The government's Nature Restoration Levy looks set to do the opposite unless it follows robust science and upholds strong legal safeguards for species. An untested approach risks further wildlife decline instead of recovery.”
Fay Vass, Chief Executive for British Hedgehog Preservation Society, said: “If the government is serious about halting declines and preventing extinction, it must act by strengthening legislation. This means being guided by documents such as the National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy – that we created collaboratively with People’s Trust for Endangered Species, consulting over 30 leading conservation NGOs, academics, educational institutions, hedgehog rehabilitators and organisations within transport and farming sectors. We must ensure industries such as housing development are expected to scale-up their conservation work, with support; and that all threatened species are identified, considered and protected.”
Nida Al-Fulaij, CEO at People’s Trust for Endangered Species, said: “Data collected through our long-running monitoring scheme shows hazel dormouse numbers have declined by a staggering 70% since 2000. Government plans to implement a new levy where development impacts the species risk undermining current conservation efforts to recover dormice. Generating the evidence to show if and how this new proposal would work is critical before it can be implemented in law.”
Nigel Palmer, Chief Executive of Badger Trust, said: “The Planning and Infrastructure Bill allows for the killing or relocation of badgers for development and ambiguous “overriding public interest” reasons. This weakens the Protection of Badgers Act and sets a dangerous precedent that could threaten the survival of badgers. The vague language in the Bill could create legal loopholes, making enforcement nearly impossible, alongside a new offsetting system that is unproven to work for any protected species.”
Marcus McAuley, Policy Director of the Institute of Fisheries Management, said: "Salmon return to the river of their birth to spawn. It can be easy to forget about endangered and protected fishes as they are only passing by, often under our feet on this journey. The only proven way to save each distinct river population is to improve the habitat where they breed and grow in the river of their birth. They cannot be diverted to other rivers."
Kathy Wormald, CEO of Froglife, said: "Froglife urges government and developers to recognise that any planning system must be built on the strongest scientific evidence, particularly when it comes to the UK’s vulnerable amphibians and reptiles. Too often, strategic schemes make assumptions that simply don’t hold true for species with highly specific ecological needs. The mitigation hierarchy—avoiding harm first and foremost—must remain at the heart of decision-making, not replaced by untested offsetting. Our ambition should always be to achieve and maintain favourable conservation status for these species, with monitoring that is transparent and independent. Above all, we must not forget that amphibians and reptiles are sentient animals. Their welfare matters, and any system that ignores these risks means we're not only failing nature, but also failing in our ethical responsibilities."
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