Huge nature, well-being and climate cost of coronavirus

Huge nature, well-being and climate cost of coronavirus - Wildlife and Countryside Link

Major UK nature, science and conservation organisations are warning that the impact of the coronavirus has dealt a significant blow to nature’s recovery and their ability to provide natural solutions to climate change. The charities are very concerned that the financial aid government is currently offering will not be sufficient to enable them to carry on their vital frontline work.
It’s clearly right that the Government is focused on people’s health and livelihoods now, but it must also act for the future of our planet and all the benefits our natural world provides. This is key to both people’s health and well-being and the future prosperity of our economy. In the long-term, if our environmental charities are financially compromised, we will lose the fight against climate change and environmental decline.
Our environmental charities protect 750,000 hectares of land and 800 miles of coastline, help millions of people benefit from a healthy environment, champion laws and policies to protect our planet, and are critical restorers of the millions of hectares of woodland, wetlands and meadows needed to help mitigate climate change. But without additional help, special places at the heart of communities may potentially have their doors closed permanently and access to nature reduced, treasured landscapes and wildlife could be left unprotected, and vital conservation and climate change mitigation work at home and abroad could be abandoned.