Governments of course aren’t solely in control of the levers which impact our environment. But through the policies they set, the laws they pass, and critically, the public spending choices they make, they certainly have the power to put us on a path to nature recovery, or not.  

Before I turn to look at government, though, a word first on Devon’s MPs. As across most of the South West, the election brought considerable change to Devon’s political make-up, with several new to the Westminster job. I’ve met around half of Devon’s MPs since July and I have to say, it has been a pleasure. Their energy, commitment and willingness to listen has been admirable. Regardless of the party, there is a clear common appreciation for the importance of Devon’s natural environment, and several shared priorities around issues such as water quality, nature-friendly farming and equitable access to nature. Whether they know it yet or not, it seems to me that our MPs have much to agree on and I hope they will put aside party politics to work together on improving Devon’s precious natural assets through this parliament.  

Back on government, Labour made several pledges on climate and transitioning to net zero, some of which – like carbon capture and storage – are more controversial than others. Within the King’s Speech, the government announced the creation of GB Energy, a new publicly owned company that will manage and operate clean power projects across the UK. This was an innovative move by the government, but GB Energy must have biodiversity criteria in its investment framework from the outset. Otherwise, our most special places for wildlife (which are often habitats rich in carbon stores too) risk being sacrificed in the rush for developing green energy.  

In the Celtic Sea off the north coast of Devon, for instance, there is exciting potential for wind energy using new floating turbines, which can be located such that they avoid important areas for wildlife, like seabird foraging zones. However, there are currently various proposals for energy cabling coming ashore in north Devon, some of which we have submitted formal objections to, as they risk posing significant threats to protected sites on land, such as Braunton Burrows and the Taw-Torridge Estuary. The new government must step up to ensure that our essential move towards net zero benefits wildlife too – it does not need to be one ahead of the other. 

Staying out at sea, we also need Labour to go beyond the single reference to the marine environment in their manifesto and deliver much stronger marine protection and more sustainable fisheries. Whilst Devon proudly hosts the first legally enforced no-fishing zone in UK waters – around Lundy – its area is modest at just 4 sq km. Despite our world-famous marine environment, the South West has no Highly Protected Marine Areas. And even within Devon’s existing marine conservation zones, fishing using bottom-towed gear is not entirely banned, despite its non-selective nature, which leads to significant bycatch and severe seabed destruction. The Government needs to quickly move to outlaw such practices within our most precious marine areas.  

Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, can be commended for his early launch of 5 key priorities, which include ambitious pledges for nature recovery and cleaning up our beleaguered waterways. The Secretary of State also has responsibility for agriculture and arguably it is this influence over the farmed environment that has most impact on our wildlife. With 75% of Devon farmed, nature stands no chance in our county if it is not recovering on our farms.  

Devon Wildlife Trust works with hundreds of farmers across the county. We know that farmers want more nature on their land; they want healthier soils, cleaner water and resilience to the extremes of flood and drought – all things that not only benefit nature, but also secure the very future of food production on those farms. However, farmers need support to provide these wider benefits to society: ‘public money for public goods’. 

Labour promised to support regenerative farming and keep the vital financial support that promotes nature-farming and climate resilience in their pre-election pledges. However, Wildlife Trust research shows the nature-friendly farming budget needs to increase to £5.9 billion per annum to meet legally binding nature and climate targets. Will this need for increased ambition be recognised in the upcoming Budget? If rumours of a £100m cut to the agriculture budget are true, then government will be taking us in entirely the wrong direction. Let us hope those rumours are just that.  

And then there are the open goals, gaping wide after inaction by previous governments. Government would do well to take decisive action to introduce legislation finally banning the sale of horticultural peat;  to speed up licencing to release beavers into the wild (over two years having passed since legislation officially recognised beavers as a native species in England); to end exemptions which have hitherto allowed the continued use of banned ‘bee-killing’ neonicotinoid pesticides; and to deliver a Land Use Framework to give nature the space to bounce back, alongside housing growth, food production, energy development and other important but potentially competing land uses.  

It may only be 100 days, and I may be accused of being impatient, but nature desperately needs this government to turn fine words into reality now. Familiar and much-loved species – like breeding curlew, water vole and lapwing – are hanging on by a thread in Devon. Without swift action and pro-nature decisions at the much-anticipated Autumn Budget, we may soon have seen the last of these cherished species in our county. Please don’t let that happen on your watch, Sir Kier!