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'INVEST IN NATURE'

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date16 April 2024
Publication titleHuddersfield Daily Examiner
Tony Juniper, chairman of the government agency which looks after the nature in England, said a healthy natural environment was essential for national security, prosperity and public health

He argued England had the targets and policies it needs to deliver a turnaround for nature - but suggested some areas such as reintroducing beavers to the wild were going more slowly than he would like. In the face of debates over whether the country could afford to boost wildlife and habitats or should prioritise food security over restoring nature, Mr Juniper insisted it needed to be seen as both/and rather than either/or.

And he warned it would take decades to really reverse the declines in species and habitats in the UK. In an interview with the PA news agency to mark five years in the role, Mr Juniper said concerns raised over moves such as reintroducing beavers meant "we go more slowly than ecologists and nature advocates like me would like".

Efforts to return beavers, which engineer the landscape to store and clean up water, reduce flooding and create habitat for wildlife, are waiting on Government decisions about releasing them into the wild, with some farmers concerned about their impact on productive land.

Mr Juniper said the species, which was hunted to extinction in Britain, had been missing for 400 years. So if it takes another year to get to the point where we've got clarity about what we're going to do, I don't think that's a total disaster, although as an ecologist, I can see the huge benefits that would come with that, so long as we can get everybody to the point where they can see it as well.

"We need to carefully and make sure we...

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