Five years left to halt nature loss, charity warns

A wildlife charity has warned there are only five years left to halt biodiversity loss.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust is dedicated to protecting wildlife in the county and restoring its natural environment.

On Tuesday it launched the Mission 2030 campaign to tackle climate change and restore habitats, aiming to raise £1m over three years.

Chief executive Christine Luxton said the charity could not protect the county's nature without the help of the public, and that simple steps like changing how often lawns are mowed could help.

At COP15, the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in 2022, nations agreed to protect a third of the planet for nature by 2030 in a landmark deal.

However, scientists last year warned not enough had been done towards this goal.

"We are now recognising we are halfway to 2030 and what we want to do is really try to ramp up our efforts as a county to try and get there," Ms Luxton said.

"It's something that's about everyone playing their part and that for me is the joy of being a local wildlife charity.

"Wildlife didn't disappear overnight all in one go, we lost it little by little, and actually, that's how we can bring it back by everyone playing their part and that is what Mission 2030 is about."

Ms Luxton said the £1m fundraising goal would enable Suffolk Wildlife Trust to place nature advisors within communities as well as working with schools and businesses.

She added "every little helps" and urged individuals to look at things they "have control over" such as holding back on cutting the grass.

"We can't turn around the fortunes of nature by ourselves. What our role can be is to amplify nature's voice and help everyone play their part," Ms Luxton added.

"It's like ripples in a pond, if we throw the stone, we want those ripples to spread out across the county and everybody to do their bit.

"Then collectively we get the shift we need for nature."

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