Don't cut the countryside!

CNP has joined forces with other environmental organisations to paint a grim picture of a countryside starved of money by budget cuts. As members of Wildlife and Countryside Link we have issued an unprecedented warning about what the future would hold should the Government slash spending on conservation, wildlife-friendly farming and public recreation.

Paul de Zylva, Chair of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “We all know the new Government will have a hard job making difficult and far-reaching decisions about where the axe should fall on public spending. There may be a temptation to see cuts in conservation and recreation as an easy win, but in reality ministers need to think very hard before making cuts that could have profound and perhaps irreversible consequences for England’s wildlife, landscapes and people.

Could this be the future?

Loss of public money for protected sites has left the country’s best wildlife sites sadly degraded. The uplands have become degraded and their ability to lock away carbon and provide clean drinking water for millions sadly reduced. Without cash to keep paths and bridleways open, huge swathes of the countryside and coast are effectively closed to millions. People are less healthy, costing the NHS millions of extra pounds each year. In turn, the rural economy is denied the large sums of money visitors to the countryside spend each year.

For more information about what the future could look like for the countryside see our press release

Read the BBC News coverage