Natural England

Natural England today (Thursday 27 September) welcomes Rt. Hon Hilary Benn MP’s announcements at the Labour Party Conference that the government will legislate for the right of access to the English coast and introduce a climate change adaptation package to the Climate Change Bill.

Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of Natural England, said: “Our vision is for clear, well managed public access along the entire 4,500 km length of England’s coast to deliver real benefits for coastal communities, visitors and wildlife.

“Today’s announcement by the Secretary of State offers the historic prospect of turning this vision into reality.

“We hope the Government will now urgently bring forward a Marine Bill to deliver access for people to our coastal landscapes alongside much-needed better protection for our precious marine environment.”

Sir Martin continued, “The Secretary of State’s announcement of an Adaptation Plan for people and wildlife is timely. Adaptation is the Cinderella of the climate change debate.

“We are locked into fifty years of climate change and we need a clear national framework for action on adaptation to match the emissions reduction targets in the Climate Change Bill.”

Ends

For information about coastal access, interviews or photographs, please contact the Natural England press office. Telephone: 0845 603 9953, or out of hours 07970 098005. Email: press@naturalengland.org.uk.

Notes for editors

1. Natural England is the Government agency that works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas.

2. Natural England advised Government to introduce new legislation to provide the public with continuous access, so far as practicable, around England’s 4500km coastline. There would be careful consultation with local interests about the design and management of the access arrangements, and about priorities for improvement.

Natural England’s full advice to Government on improving public access to the English coast can be found at www.naturalengland.org.uk/about/board/feb07/210207_coastal_access_NEB_P07_03.pdf [171 kb].

3. Climate change:

Climate change is the most serious threat to our natural environment. In England our wildlife is already being noticeably affected by it. Urgent steps need to be taken to reduce levels of harmful greenhouse gases.

At Natural England we are doing our bit with a target of cutting our own emissions by 50% by 2010. We are also promoting the role that farmers and land managers must play to help achieve a ‘low carbon’ future.

The challenges for our wildlife are compounded by the fact that much of England’s natural environment is impoverished and intensively managed. There has been widespread loss of semi-natural habitat. Many of our important species are now trapped in relatively small, isolated sites surrounded by inhospitable land use. They are unable to move in response to a changing climate, which makes them vulnerable to extinction.

We want to encourage an approach to conservation management which is focused not solely on individual site protection but which seeks to rebuild the fabric of the landscape in which individual sites sit: reducing fragmentation and creating connections for wildlife across the landscape.

We want to work with a range of partners to put into practice those measures required to give wildlife the best chance of survival.

4. Marine Protected Areas

England has some of the finest marine wildlife in Europe, with dramatic underwater habitats and landscapes, and over 10,000 types of plant and animal. In England you are never more than 70 miles from the sea and we took 20 million seaside holidays in England in 2003. Our seas provide over £500 million worth of commercial fish each year supporting an industry worth around £1 billion but roughly 70% of fish stocks are over-fished and some fishing practices damage wildlife and habitats.

Marine Protected Areas could help marine wildlife recover, protect it from damaging activities such as dredging and development, and support sustainable fishing. Natural England plans to campaign to raise awareness of the importance of healthy seas and their value to wildlife, people and the economy.