In my recent blog highlighting Labour Party announcements on nature, I challenged all parties to step up their plans for nature recovery to ensure that they meet the challenge to halt and reverse nature’s decline – as well as to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

Now the 4 in every 10 voters who are looking to vote with nature in mind have some real competition for their attention as the Liberal Democrats have launched their General Election manifesto, with some detailed plans on how they will restore the UK’s natural environment. 

The Wildlife Trusts are pleased to see that action to tackle sewage pollution in our rivers, waterways and beaches is a major focus of Liberal Democrats' plans, including a welcome commitment to hold big companies to account by giving them a duty to protect the environment. Poor water quality affects every single river, lake, estuary and coastal water in England and tackling this issue is an important one for voters.  

However, it isn’t possible to put an end to river pollution without equal focus on addressing the impacts from agriculture and land management – which currently accounts for 40% of waters failing their water quality targets. It is welcome to see the Liberal Democrats committing to providing proper advice to farmers and increasing the budget for sustainable and nature-friendly farming by an extra £1 billion a year, yet greater support is needed to ensure the transition is fair to farmers, can meet the target to halt nature’s decline by the end of the decade and properly tackle river pollution.

The Wildlife Trusts have long been calling for a new Wildbelt designation for nature’s recovery to fill the gaping hole in the current environmental protections: a mechanism to protect land that is in recovery, rather than simply protecting what little land is left that is 'good' for wildlife. A Wildbelt could ensure that the time and money invested in bringing nature back to that site was secured for the future and so we are very pleased that the Liberal Democrats have put a commitment to Wildbelt in this manifesto and want to see other parties now matching this pledge.

The Liberal Democrats manifesto sets out detailed action on the environment, but these actions need to collectively add up to a clear plan to reverse nature's decline and be better funded, whilst also delivering on our international commitments and legally binding targets.  

I have said this week that the electorate and history will look kindly on parties that pledge to restore nature and make our nation a happier and healthier place. Now we wait to see how the remaining party manifestos meet the bar laid down by the Liberal Democrats and Labour.