Vote for Nature

We are dependent on the natural world in every aspect of our lives. The air that we breathe. The water we drink. The food we eat. Our physical and mental health. We need nature and we need wildlife. Sadly, nature in Essex is in a state of critical decline and the time to act is now.

Essex boasts some of our most important wildlife and habitats in the UK that deliver real benefits as well as delight us. It is among the last remnant populations of native oysters, each of which is capable of cleaning 200 litres of our water per day, while one hectare of our underwater seagrass meadows can store two tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and hold it for centuries. Essex is one of the UK’s last strongholds of the awe-inspiring nightingale, which has declined by 92% since 1970.

Decades of pollution and habitat loss, in large part due to the sheer volume of development in Essex – so often seen as the UK’s ‘residential county’ – has depleted our wildlife and wild places.

Nature in Essex is declining at a speed never previously seen – and it shows no sign of slowing. It is no longer enough to simply protect what remains. We need the next Government to put nature into recovery, on land and sea, for the sake of both people and planet.

Without urgent action, we are complicit in irreversible damage. To secure a future for Essex where both people and nature can thrive, we’re calling on all political parties to commit to three things:

1. Ensure funding for wildlife-friendly farming → double the current budget
2. Increase access to nature → support the provision of outdoor learning opportunities
3. Protect Essex’s carbon coast → use nature as the solution to climate change

Read the full Wilder Essex Manifesto