Two environmental groups have called for government-driven changes to land use across agriculture and other areas to help combat climate change and improve biodiversity.
The call comes from the conservation charity Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and British Ecological Society.
In the report, called Priotising Land Use In The Midst Of A Climate Emergency, the authors map out how land use changes can benefit the next government of the country.
The biodiversity report calls for changes to how the government manages land management but says these changes should be underscored by a pledge to restore biodiversity and a commitment. to decarbonisation.
It says: “If we plan well, we can build a more productive, sustainable, health-providing, just, nature-protecting and resilient economy. Reorganising land use to secure a sustainable future for all will require embracing systems-level change that will confront key tenets of current economic models.
“Economic transformation is difficult , requiring, among other things, a commitment to a clear strategy underpinned by a package of measures.
“To ensure that wildlife recovery is given the attention it requires, the environmental community needs to engage with, help develop and push for whole-society approaches that redefine our entire relationship with nature, firmly integrating nature into environmental, but also economic and social policies.”
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In comments reported by BusinessGreen, professor Nathalie Pettorelli, the report’s lead author said: “The land serves so many purposes for us, from defining, in part, our cultural identity to influencing our mental health and wellbeing through access to nature; from providing space for our homes to food for our tables; for its role in regulating air and water; and of course, for underpinning the livelihoods of many.
“But land is also a finite resource. As we face the challenges of a rapidly changing climate, growing economic demands and declining biodiversity, land is a resource under increasing pressure.
“Our current approach of how we use and engage with nature is untenable; through an ambitious and integrated approach, we can build a more productive, sustainable, health-providing, just, wildlife-protecting and resilient economy.”
Earlier this week, scientists said a UK political party that doesn’t make climate change a priority will put the “prosperity and well-being of the British people at severe risk”.
