Wildlife and climate campaigners unite for what could be the biggest ever march for nature 

Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust are encouraging everyone to ‘unite for nature’ by supporting the family friendly ‘Restore Nature Now’ demonstration in central London.

The event is backed by a wide-range of nature, wildlife and climate groups – including The Wildlife Trusts – plus high-profile campaigners such as Chris Packham.  The organisers hope the demonstration will be the largest-ever gathering of nature and climate supporters here in the UK. The demonstration will draw together thousands of people from all across the UK to call on all political parties to take urgent action to restore nature and tackle climate change.

With the UK on record as one of the worst nations for nature loss, environment campaigners are encouraging everyone who cares for nature to come together and march through London before gathering to send a clear message in Parliament Square. The simple demand will be ‘Restore Nature Now’. 

Even if you can’t join the march, there are still plenty of ways to support the campaign. You can contact the Trust by emailing takeaction@wildsheffield if you want details of local events or have any questions about it. People can also pledge support through restorenaturenow.com, where there are lots of links to online workshops and creative ideas.

Scarlett Smithies, Nature & Advocacy Support Officer from Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust will be attending the demonstration. The legally organised event is being billed as both a celebration of UK nature and a much-needed protest for urgent political action to tackle the nature and climate emergencies. She says: “With a General Election now confirmed for 4th July, it’s crucial that nature’s voice is heard. We’re asking everyone to help ensure that nature is given the priority it deserves, by calling on all political parties to Restore Nature Now.”

The march will be peaceful and inclusive and is supported by a diverse collection of wildlife and environment groups and organisations including the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, The Climate Coalition, WWF-UK, National Trust, WWT, Woodland Trust, Rewilding Britain, Extinction Rebellion – and of course – Chris Packham. Together we are signalling that the upcoming General Election must be a turning point for nature – before it is too late.

© We have to go further and work faster. Ianaction is simply not an option

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Political focus on nature and climate in this country needs a huge upgrade. People understand the seriousness of the nature crisis and demand that elected officials do the same. Nature charities are backed by millions of supporters and this event will see many of these as well as our volunteers and anyone who cares about nature taking a collective stand. We can lose the embarrassing badge as one of the most nature-depleted countries on earth, but we have got to go further and work faster together. Inaction is simply not an option.”

Chris Packham, TV Broadcaster and Wildlife Campaigner said “As conservationists and environmental groups we have to accept that the dire state of nature- both in the UK and globally- has happened on our watch. So now’s the time for bolder action, stronger demands, braver tactics and a new way of working… together. Ticking a box, signing a petition, sharing a post- it’s simply not enough when we are facing the collapse of our living systems. It’s time for all of us to take to the streets, shoulder to shoulder, whoever we are and demand our leaders Restore Nature Now.”

The UK is shockingly ranked as one of the worst countries in the world in terms of nature loss. A staggering 1 in 6 wildlife species are at risk of extinction in Great Britain. A range of Government policies have also been rated as inadequate to deal with the scale of the nature and climate crisis. 

We are a nation of nature-lovers and polls regularly highlight high levels of concern over inadequate UK climate and nature action. Results from two nationwide-surveys conducted by The Wildlife Trusts showed that irrespective of voting choice, nature matters to people across the electorate. 93% of voters reported that they feel nature loss is a serious threat to humanity.

The Restore Nature Now event will be a joint vocal show of support for action from across the nature and climate sectors, uniting to let all political parties know that action must be taken to restore nature now. 

Find out how to join the Restore Nature Now demonstration at www.restorenaturenow.com