Everyone should be legally entitled to nature access

Wildlife campaigners are arguing that everyone in the UK should be legally entitled to equal access to nature, as one in three cannot access nature near their home.

Under plans set out by more than 60 nature, planning, health and equality organisations, including Greenpeace, Wildlife and Countryside Link and The Wildlife Trusts, communities and NGOS would have the ability to take local authorities to court if they failed to provide healthy green space.

Visits to urban parks and other green spaces nearly doubled in the decade before the pandemic, from 1.2 billion in 2009-10 to 2.1 billion in 2018-19.

According to the groups, the poorest communities fare worse, as they are twice as likely to live in a neighbourhood without nature-rich spaces, prompting calls for equal nature access to be a more prominent part of levelling up agendas.

Research by Wildlife and Countryside Link found that 80 per cent of the British public support a legal right to local nature and 85 per cent say it should be a priority for all new housing developments to include accessible natural spaces.

Craig Bennett, the chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Having access to wild places and wildlife shouldn’t be a privilege, but a part of everyday life. We know how much people treasure time spent in nature near where they live, but for many communities this simply isn’t possible. The most deprived areas have nine times less green space than the wealthiest – and poorer areas are where people’s health is the worst.

“Our towns and cities have a huge role to play in nature’s recovery. We need to create and join up habitats, enabling species to recover and benefiting people too. It is critical that nature is at the heart of all planning and development, for wildlife, communities, and climate.”