Hedgerows

Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about the protection of hedgerows.

I believe we should actively intervene to restore habitats by creating nature corridors and restoring hedgerows, which are home to a wide variety of our native species.

The climate crisis is real, and I think we need bolder, swifter action to decarbonise our economy and to protect vulnerable habitats. It is also an ecological emergency, with our planet’s animals, birds and insect species in decline and their habitats under threat.

I am aware of the CPRE’s latest report, Hedge fund: investing in hedgerows for climate, nature and the economy, and its findings on the economic benefits of investing in hedgerow restoration.

The Government states that it will publish a Green Paper before the end of the year on its approach to nature recovery in England.

I would like to see the Government specify what it will do to encourage the creation of more hedgerows.

It has also said it is committed to protecting hedgerows and that it will commit to a new, legally binding target on species abundance for 2030 which will aim to halt the decline of nature in England. It says it will set this following the agreement of global biodiversity targets in 2021.

In my view, we need ambition on rewilding, reforesting and our biodiversity targets. I believe we should not only seek to halt the decline of nature but reverse it and aim for dramatic inclines in species abundance. I am concerned the Government is not acting quickly enough and I would like to see bold and ambitious targets on this ahead of COP26 in Glasgow in November.

Protecting biodiversity, halting the decline of nature and restoring habitats and wildlife should be priorities, not just because they are key to tackling the climate emergency, but also because it is intrinsically important to protect species and to ensure wildlife can be enjoyed by everyone.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue. I can assure you I will continue to call for action to protect our hedgerows and the habitats they provide for our native species.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP