Farmers in England should paid to allow the reintroduction of extinct native species like the lynx big cat and beavers on their land, a Tory-endorsed report says today.
Britain has been too timid about the idea of bringing back long-gone predators compared to other countries, according to the Conservative Environment Network.
In a wide-ranging report today on how the Tories should lead on rural conservation and food production it calls for environmental land management (ELM) payments brought in after Brexit to be utilised used more widely to reinvigorate the English countryside.
It forms part of a wider ‘truly conservative, pragmatic, and ambitious’ plan for dealing with environmental problems in a way that will set the Tories apart from both Reform and Labour using new Brexit freedoms.
It includes a call for reform of water industry regulation to encourage the building of reservoirs and super sewers and using Brexit freedoms to allow farmers to go further with gene editing crops to boost domestic food production.
It has been endorsed by Tories including current shadow environment secretary Victoria Aitken and former environment secretaries Lord Gove, Baroness Coffey and George Eustice.
Species like the lynx and the pine marten can play a key role in controlling and culling non-native animals like muntjac deer and the grey squirrel, which have had a detrimental impact on native flora and fauna, it argues.
At the same time, the reintroduction of the beaver, which has already started in some areas, would mitigate the impact of greater flooding expected as a part of climate change more cheaply than engineering solutions.
In the report, Paradise Regained: The conservative case for restoring English nature, author Kitty Thompson says that public awareness of ‘which animals actually belong on these shores has been eroded’.
Britain has been too timid about the idea of bringing back long-gone predators compared to other countries, according to the Conservative Environment Network.
It says , speeding up the reintroduction of the beaver, which has already started in some areas, could help mitigate the impact of greater flooding expected as a part of climate change, and more cheaply than engineering solutions.
Species like the lynx and the pine marten (pictured) can play a key role in controlling and culling out-of-control introduced animals like muntjac deer and the grey squirrel
‘One would never venture to the Serengeti, for example, and complain that a lion has killed yet another wilderbeast,’ Ms Thompson wrote.
‘We regard natural processes that take place ”over there” as normal. We must apply the same logic at home.’
She added: ‘Returning native species to the landscape is not a novel ambition harboured by diehard environmentalists.
‘Italy has ”bear-proofed” mountainous communities; France’s hunting association membership fees help cover the damages incurred to farmers by its wild boar population; and the Spanish government compensates sheep farmers for damages caused by lynx predation.
‘Yet England remains an outlier in both Europe and the West for its timidity towards species reintroductions.
‘It took us far too long and far too many governments to devise, for example, a simple licensing regime for wild releases of native beavers. We are now lagging behind and our landscapes are paying the price.
‘Just as farmers now have Countryside Stewardship options for controlling deer and grey squirrel populations, we should embrace the role that ELMs can play in helping to restore native species to the landscape.’
Species reintroduction is a controversial subject. Critics cite the risk of lynx – which disappeared from Britain more than 1,0000 years ago – taking livestock from farms.
And opponents of beavers say their dams flood viable farmland and render it unproductive.
Grey squirrels were introduced to Britain and have pushed native red squirrels almost to extinction
The paper was delivered to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch today, outlining a vision for restoring England’s natural environment.
Several senior Tory figures backed the paper, with shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins saying: ‘True conservatism recognises that prosperity and stewardship go hand in hand: by supporting our farmers, we secure not only our food and rural economy but also the flourishing of our fields, woodlands and wildlife for generations to come.’
The report acknowledges the detrimental impact of species reintroduction but says it ‘can save taxpayers money that would be otherwise spent recreating the processes nature provides for free.’
The paper was delivered to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch today, outlining a vision for restoring England’s natural environment.
It includes a roadmap for Mrs Badenoch to tackle the crisis through the key areas of water, agriculture, the built environment and wilderness.
The paper notes that England’s most valuable habitats are ‘hanging by a thread’ and highlights how the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
But it adds that some Conservatives have recently been sceptical about the need to restore nature and do not regard its protection as a ‘proper’ priority.
‘This is misguided,’ it says.
Ms Thompson argued that neither Labour nor Reform understand the value of England’s natural world.
‘Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party should seek to claim the mantle of the party of the natural environment and farming,’ she said.
Several senior Tory figures backed the paper, with shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins saying: ‘Farmers are the stewards of our countryside, caring for the land and shaping the landscapes that define England’s character.
‘True conservatism recognises that prosperity and stewardship go hand in hand: by supporting our farmers, we secure not only our food and rural economy but also the flourishing of our fields, woodlands and wildlife for generations to come.’
