Labour unveils ‘countryside protection plan’ to improve access and end decline

Labour has pledged to plant three new national forests, stop use of bee-harming pesticides and help local groups buy land to create green space near them.

The promises are among a raft of proposals in Labour’s new “countryside protection plan” which the party says will protect nature, increase access to landscapes and end declines in British wildlife.

Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed claimed “Labour are the conservers, not the Conservatives” as he pledged the next Labour government would protect and restore nature and safeguard the countryside for future generations.

It comes after environmental and conservation groups called for ambitious action from the next government to meet legal targets and international commitments to halt declines in wildlife and protect 30% of land and sea for nature.

Labour’s proposals, which have received a broadly positive response from conservation organisations, include increasing access to nature, creating nine new national river walks across England’s regions and planting three new national forests.

Labour said its planned new towns and house building will include access to parks and green spaces on people’s doorsteps, while communities will be able to create new green areas with a community right to buy that allows them to buy and restore derelict land and green spaces.

The party also pledges to accelerate tree planting and woodland creation, which is falling far behind targets to boost tree cover as part of measures to curb climate change, with a new tree planting taskforce, and grow nature rich habitats such as wetlands and peat bogs to store carbon and support wildlife.

Protected areas such as national parks will helped to become “wilder and greener”, the party said.

Labour is also pledging to end temporary exemption permits on neonicotinoid pesticides that have been linked to bee declines, and promote regenerative farming through the Environmental Land Management (Elm) scheme that has replaced EU-era agricultural subsidies.

And there are plans to set up a flood resilience task force to speed up building of flood defences and planting trees to slow water run-off and introduce a land-use framework in England, to map land and set out how it can be used for nature recovery, food production and other uses.

Mr Reed said Britain was a land of “remarkable natural beauty”, adding that: “Our children and grandchildren deserve to be astounded by the magnificence of our landscapes and coastlines and enjoy our iconic wildlife, just as we can.”

But he said: “After 14 years of Tory chaos, nature is under threat.”

He said Britain was one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with a countryside in decline, rivers, lakes and seas polluted with sewage and half of bird species under threat.

“Labour are the conservers, not the Conservatives,” he said.

“The next Labour government will protect and restore nature, safeguarding our beautiful countryside for future generations to experience and enjoy.”

Dr Darren Moorcroft, chief executive of the Woodland Trust said: “Labour’s proposals give some encouraging indications that they recognise the scale of the challenge facing nature and the countryside.

“A task force for trees, new national forests and bringing more trees into our towns and cities could all help nature recover. Critically they will make for better, healthier places to live and work, support the economy, and help us cope with a changing climate.”

But he warned that nature’s biggest challenge was the failure of successive governments to turn words into delivery, and properly value and protect nature, adding: “Whoever wins the election will need to show they have the appetite to make things different this time”.

Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said: “Labour’s promise to promote regenerative farming, to put an end to the use of bee-killing pesticides, and to improve people’s access to nature by ensuring house building has nature at its heart, are essential steps for nature recovery.

“We look forward to seeing the detail on how this will be delivered alongside housing targets and how they’ll hit the ground running to get a new delivery plan in place to meet the targets to halt nature’s decline and protect 30% of land, inland waters and sea by the end of the decade.”

Beccy Speight, chief executive of the RSPB, said Labour’s nature commitments were a “significant step forward”.

“It’s encouraging to see they recognise policies we’ve long advocated for, including the vital role of farmers by providing long-term, meaningful support, the need to protect our wild spaces and to put the right planning frameworks in place to ensure we tackle the nature and climate crisis as one.

“Now, we need to see nature placed at the heart of all political party manifestos,” she urged.