Cuts in conservation budgets could seriously harm our environment
15th July 2010
The Wildlife and Countryside Link said reducing funding for rural projects would have a "profound" effect on wildlife, landscapes and people.
Short-term savings would create "huge, long-term" economic costs, it said.
The Department for Rural Affairs said the 2011-15 budget would be announced in October following a spending reviewThe coalition, which includes the RSPB, RSPCA, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Earth England and the Wildlife Trusts, warned that an "austerity countryside" would push species towards extinction, damage rivers and hurt the rural economy.
It said that without funding for protected areas, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, reedbeds would dry up, heathlands would vanish and rivers and canals would get clogged up.
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Reducing the budget for wildlife-friendly farming and land management measures - known as higher level stewardship - would threaten species such as smooth snakes, bees, butterflies and bats, as well as wildflowers and woodlands, it added.
At sea, a lack of conservation measures could damage reefs and seagrass beds, while an increase in illegal fishing could put pressure on fish stocks.
Squeezing the budget could also derail plans to record footpaths and bridleways and lead to the loss of ancient rights of way, it said.
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