Government cuts threaten Dorset’s wildlife

Dorset’s wildlife is under threat from government cuts, according to Dorset’s largest voluntary conservation organisation.

Dorset Wildlife Trust is urging the government to put long term environmental security ahead of short term number crunching when making decisions on spending cuts. According to the charity, the coalition government has pledged to be the “greenest ever,” but funding cuts of up to 40% for the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) could have a devastating impact on the countryside.

Imogen Davenport, Director of Conservation at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said, “Defra accounts for just 0.5% of total government spending. The UK is already set to fall short of the United Nations target to halt the decline in biodiversity by the end of 2010. Although biodiversity conservation has been identified as one of Defra’s top three objectives, drastic cuts to this already small budget will make this extremely difficult to achieve. The government has a crucial role in protecting and enhancing our most precious wildlife sites and species and it is essential that this is maintained.”

Among the Dorset habitats at risk are some of the few remaining wildflower meadows, now restricted to less than 1% of the county. Dorset Wildlife Trust has been working with the owners of these sites for over fifteen years to encourage and help them to enter into government schemes, which provide funding for wildlife-friendly management. Cuts to the Higher Level Stewardship grant scheme, which is administered by government agency Natural England, could reverse the progress that farmers and other landowners have made in managing wildlife habitats.

The Wildlife Trusts and other conservation charities have worked together to contribute alternative cost saving suggestions to Defra. The public can have their say on Defra’s future plans at www.engage.defra.gov.uk/reform-plan/