Wildlife laws under threat - you can help
This otter and other rare wildlife in the UK are protected by law from being killed. We take it for granted. But amazingly, right now that law is being reviewed by a small team of civil servants in Brussels. It’s the biggest secret in Europe.
But you can help, right now. It'll only take a few seconds.
We’re joining with hundreds of charities to turn a whisper into a shout. We aim to create the biggest surprise noise that Europe’s ever seen.
This is more than a petition, or simply hitting a ‘like’ button. We’re using the European Commission’s (EC) own online (and not well advertised) public consultation system and we’re going to turn it into a megaphone for everyone who loves wildlife.
We’re inviting you to join with supporters of charities across Europe to say you want wildlife to remain protected. We’re hoping you’ll be one of more than 250,000 people sending a response. It will be the biggest surprise the EC has ever received. It will give them a message they can’t ignore – that lots of us love animals, plants and natural places and you can’t just quietly remove their legal protections.
Just fill in your name, email, country and hit the Take action now button. It's that easy. Or, if you have advanced knowledge of the Birds and Habitats Directives, go to the EC’s site.
WWT’s Head of Campaigns Peter Morris said:
“You can’t underestimate the magnitude of this. It’s why a hundred leading environmental organisations are standing shoulder to shoulder with many more across Europe.
“These European laws underpin all our wildlife protections, including planning and hunting laws, which we take for granted. The protection has to be at European level because our wildlife moves across borders.
“The laws are good for people as well as wildlife. They provide a fair playing field across countries and certainty for business. They provide legal solutions to help us create homes and jobs in the short term, without destroying our natural resources in the long term.”
Both the key European nature Directives are under review: that’s the Birds Directive which stops rare birds from being killed and the Habitats Directive which protects other species like otters, bats and orchids. Both Directives also protect areas that are important homes for these wildlife, including many wetlands.
This law review isn’t linked to whether the UK should be part of the European Union or not. Regardless of membership, it’s about protecting the wildlife we share with the rest of Europe.
Find out more – here’s what WWT’s Chief Executive Martin Spray recently wrote in The Guardian. Or you can read about the review process at the European Commission's web page.
