Dear sir,
The COP15 Biodiversity Conference took place in Montreal last week. It has received very little publicity despite it being a once in a decade opportunity to agree on ambitious global frameworks to tackle biodiversity loss. Nearly 200 countries met in Canada in the hope to ‘create a Paris-style agreement’ for wildlife, plants and habitats. Countries are negotiating over 12 days about 22 goals for protecting nature.
A study found that the UK is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries, with on average about half its biodiversity left - far below the global average of 75%. It means the UK is in the bottom 10% globally for nature-rich habitats. A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) study states that worldwide 69% of wildlife has been wiped out between 1970 and 2018. A crippling figure. We may think this does not apply to humanity, however we rely on this diversity in order to thrive ourselves.
In the UK the Ecology bill is about to enter its third reading in the House of Lords very soon. The Bill itself will stipulate that the UK must ‘ halt and reverse its overall contribution to the degradation and loss of nature in the United Kingdom and overseas by—
increasing the health, abundance, diversity and resilience of species, populations, habitats and ecosystems’. Ideally this legislation will demonstrate the strength required to protect what we have left.
A Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) report states that less than 5% of UK land is protected and well managed for nature and we have already lost many critical species with a great many more at huge risk. If we take bird populations alone, for example, 70 UK native birds are now red-listed as endangered to extinction. This number has doubled since 1996. What sort of situation will we be faced with in another 30 years? That is to say if we continue with our inaction.
Fortunately on a local level, Congleton Town Council has recently employed a qualified landscape architect to create a Biodiversity Plan for Congleton. This plan identifies 30 sites where there is an opportunity to promote more biodiversity. Each site will have its own specific plan, taking into account the local conditions and the views of the local residents.
The 30 biodiversity sites are:
West Heath:
• Padgbury Lane/Langdale Close/Rydal Close (CTC rewilding site)
• Thirlmere Close
• Newcastle Road linear green space
• Quinta Park Play Area
• Sycamore Avenue-Chestnut Drive
• Longdown Road-Chestnut Ave (CTC rewilding site)
• Bowness Court
• Newcastle Road-Solly Crescent
• Back Lane/Hawthorne Close group of small green space
Central:
• Hankinson’s Field (CTC rewilding site)
• Banky Fields (CTC rewilding site)
• Thames Close-Townsend Road?
• Quayside-Goldfinch Road
• West Road (former Danesford frontage)
• Stirling Close (CTC rewilding site)
Lower Heath:
Land off Hillfields Close (CTC rewilding
• Lower Heath Play Area
• Hertford Close-Riverdane Road
• Lady Warburton’s Walk. Ownership unclear (CTC rewilding site)
• Buglawton
• Mardale Close
• Havannah Lane/St John’s Road
• St John’s Recreation Ground, Play Area and River Dane floodplain
• Redfern Avenue-Buxton Road (CTC rewilding site)
Bromley Farm
• Bromley Woods (has an old management plan)
• Bromley Farm Play Area
• Windsor Place
Mossley, Astbury Lane Ends, upper Canal st
• Derwent Drive (CTC rewilding site)
• Isis Close-Tamar Close (CTC rewilding site)
• Bridgewater Close (CTC rewilding site)
• Blackshaw Close
Buglawton
• Havannah Lane – St John’s Road
• Mardale Close
• Redfern Avenue – Buxton Road
• St John’s Playing Fields & Riverside
There are also other suggested sites listed on the Congleton Town Council (CTC) website as possibilities.
This is a huge positive for our local area. Now more than ever, we must restore habitats and protect what we have left.
I have set up ‘Congleton Plant Swap and Gardening for Wildlife’ on Facebook. This group aims to boost biodiversity within gardens. Private garden space in Britain covers about 728,900 hectares (1,801,151 acres) so their potential as a haven for wildlife is considerable. I recognised that Congleton gardeners have a huge potential to boost wildlife on their own doorsteps. This Facebook group shares hints and tips on wildlife-friendly planting as well as the do’s and dont’s that will bring nature in. Feel free to join.
Employing these simple principles into your garden can be of huge benefit;
1. No pesticides/herbicide/insecticide/fungicide - there is a vast array of alternatives out there. You don’t need them in your garden or in your health.
2. Make your garden wildlife friendly, don’t be too neat, don’t over-mow your lawn, introduce wildflowers, herbaceous perennials, plant a UK native tree. (Astbury garden centre have a sale on trees in January)
3. Provide year-round flowering plants/trees/shrubs so insects have that access to nectar.
4. Get a bee house. Solitary bees are under huge threat. A bee house gives them a safer habitat in order to breed. Solitary bees are not aggressive, many have no sting, so are safe for any garden.
5. Create a wildlife pond (can be big or small, all life needs water)
6. Leave the leaves. These are nature’s winter blanket. Throwing them in the bin takes all the essential life with them. These are the birds’ essential winter food source.
7. Grow plants that are suitable for caterpillars to eat. I.e. nasturtiums, lady smock, nettles in a pot
8. Create a log-pile habitat
9. Teach others - collectively many people gardening in this fashion can be of huge benefit
Nature should now have a voice as well as a vote in decisions that directly affect it. It’s no longer plausible that we continue its destruction in order for profit making. This is why we require stronger legislation in order to protect it. This is certainly not what we have been seeing though. We can only hope for change in the future.
Many thanks
Lisa Miller
Congleton Green Party
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