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conservation: Leaders Warn of a ‘Perfect Storm’ Threatening England’s Wildlife

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25 November 2025 
By James Hamilton

Barn owl, adult sitting on fence post. Credit: rspb-images.com

​England’s wildlife is facing one of its most serious threats in decades, according to two of the UK’s biggest conservation charities.

The RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts — together representing more than two million supporters — are sounding the alarm as the Government accelerates its “Build Baby Build” development agenda.
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With the Planning and Infrastructure Bill approaching its final stages, potential weakening of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) rules, and further rollbacks in the latest Budget, conservation leaders say England is now on the brink of a perfect storm for nature.

A Turning Point for Nature Protection
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Vital safeguards for wildlife remain missing from the Planning Bill. At the same time, proposed exemptions for small development sites could undermine the entire BNG system — one of the Environment Act’s flagship mechanisms designed to ensure nature recovery sits at the heart of development.

Experts warn that exempting smaller builds from BNG could collapse England’s emerging nature market just as it begins to function. And with signs that the Chancellor may introduce additional planning deregulation, conservation groups fear the Government is preparing a fresh assault on protections for habitats and species.
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This all comes amid a growing tide of anti-nature rhetoric from some senior ministers, highlighted in a recent Environmental Audit Committee report.
Four years on from the cross-party passage of the Environment Act, campaigners say the political landscape for nature has darkened dramatically.

Public Support for Wildlife Is Rising — As Protections Are Falling

While many in Government push for deregulation, public opinion is moving in the opposite direction. Recent RSPB polling shows that most people strongly value wildlife and do not want nature sacrificed for short-term economic gain.

Nearly 65,000 people have already emailed their MPs demanding strong nature safeguards in the Planning Bill. More than 20,000 respondents have pushed back against plans to weaken BNG.

RSPB: “Nature is in freefall”

RSPB Chief Executive Beccy Speight says England’s wildlife is approaching crisis point: “Wildlife that once thrived across England is now squeezed into small pockets, stripped from our everyday lives. Four years after all parties promised to help nature recover, we should be celebrating progress — yet instead we’re fighting a developer’s charter that drags us backwards.”

She warns that nature is being blamed for delays it has little to do with: “Bats and newts make up just 3% of planning appeals. The real barriers are poor policy, land banking, and a lack of skilled planning staff.”

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