Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust calls for major improvements to draft Environment Bill to put nature into recovery

[lead]The draft Environment Bill and accompanying policy note published yesterday by the Government do not go far enough to tackle the serious environmental challenges we face or provide legal certainty for the future of our natural world, says Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust.[/lead]

We need the Environment Bill to give us:

• A Powerful Independent Watchdog: nothing can replace the full powers now held by the EU and European Court of Justice that have forced us to clean up our rivers and seas and protect key wildlife sites but a strong watchdog would make a big difference.
• Nature Targets: legal targets for nature’s recovery that politicians must ultimately achieve and regularly report on progress towards e.g. safer air to breathe in our cities.
• A Nature Recovery Network: a joined-up network of habitats that provide enough space for wildlife to recover and for people to thrive.
• Legislation is needed to drive the creation of Nature Recovery Networks, mapped and delivered locally, to protect and join-up important places for wildlife, to bring nature into every neighbourhood and to ensure everyone, whatever their background, has access to wildlife-rich natural green space.

The Government has committed in its manife