Falkirk MP John McNally backs campaign to Save Our Wild Isles

Earlier this month he joined leaders from across business and farming, as well as participants of the UK’s first ever People’s Assembly for Nature, in the heart of Westminster, to support the Save Our Wild Isles campaign, hosted by WWF, the RSPB and the National Trust.

Following the BBC One series Wild Isles narrated by Sir David Attenborough earlier this year, which highlighted the beauty and fragility of UK nature, the Save Our Wild Isles partnership is calling on politicians to show their commitment to tackling the drivers of nature loss and ramp up ambition for its restoration.

The campaign highlights that nature is humanity's life support system. It gives cleaner air to breathe, better water to drink, and healthier food to eat. And science shows that time spent in nature makes us happier and healthier.

A spokesperson said: “However, a quarter of all our mammals are currently at risk of extinction; over the last 50 years we’ve lost 38 million birds from our skies; 97 per cent of our wildflower meadows have disappeared since the 1930s; and 92 per cent of the UK’s seagrass meadows, which can absorb carbon more efficiently than some tropical rainforests, have been lost in the last century.”

The campaign asks politicians across all parties to prioritise areas where change is most vital: strengthen legal protection for nature and make sure it’s properly enforced; put nature at the heart of all decision making; make it mandatory for businesses to do no harm to nature; and double financial support for nature-friendly farming.

Mr McNally said: “It was a pleasure to attend this important event and to hear the clear recommendations of the People’s Plan for Nature. I agree with the campaign that it is time to act with the urgency that this crisis requires, to ensure we turn the tide, and restore UK species and habitats, so that future generations can enjoy and access nature, as well as nutritious, sustainably grown food.

“The event demonstrated to me a breadth of energy and commitment to act, across business, farming and within communities – I commit to work with fellow parliamentarians to likewise prioritise this important issue.”