News / Climate
Environmental groups hold rally outside Defra office
A number of protesters from across the environmental spectrum stood outside Defra’s offices on Thursday calling on the government to protect the UK’s wildlife at all costs.
Members of Avon Wildlife Trust, XR Bristol, Vegan Now, Bristol Airport Action Network, Soil Association and Animal Rising were among the environmental groups in attendance at the Bristol branch of Defra, the Department of Environmental, Farming and Rural Agriculture.
They joined over 40 environmental groups that came together nationally on Thursday as part of the Restore Nature Now rally, organised by wildlife presenter and conservationist Chris Packham.
is needed now More than ever
The protest comes after the latest ‘State of Nature’ report was released on Wednesday, revealing stark figures about the decline of the UK’s nature.
A broad coalition of groups came together in solidarity, surrounding issues of sewage, animal rights, airport expansion, soil and housing
The report found that one in six wildlife species are at risk of being lost, and that wildlife had declined by 19 per cent in the UK since monitoring began in 1970.
Chris Packham joined protesters outside DEFRA’s London, where he criticised the government’s latest green-lighting of Rosebank oil field.
Packham has become a vocal opponent of the Conservative government’s environmental policies, and recently launched a documentary on Channel 4 discussing the need to peacefully break the law to save our environment.
At the Bristol rally on Thursday, protesters handed letters to staff at the DEFRA offices signed by Packham, which read: “We are here to show our deep concern about the state of nature in this country and our frustration with the lack of effective action.”
“Good science, including that delivered by Defra staff, is not being used to good effect. Our politicians instead follow the interests of powerful polluting industries.
“To protect and restore our dwindling biodiversity, we need robust initiatives, implemented much faster, with much more investment and at much greater scale.
“We want you to be given the necessary direction, funding, and power tio act to protect our precious natural environment.”
Speaking at the Bristol rally, Jane Stevens, from Clevedon, and Julia Hammond, from Southville, said they worried about the impact of Bristol’s housing climate on biodiversity.
“There are no regulations, and people don’t seem to know the repercussions of their actions.”
But they praised the community action in Bristol, with many local groups in the city taking matters into their own hands to restore urban nature.
James from Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN) action said he was attending the protest in response to the government’s lack of response to the loss of species.
Bristol Airport recently announced plans for a £60m transport hub at the airport which could see hundreds of tonnes of concrete poured over greenbelt land.
All photos: Mia Vines Booth
Read next:
- Just Stop Oil protesters march slowly through Bristol
- The eco-artists using creativity to fuel their activism
- Meet the revolutionaries behind Bristol’s food movement
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