Around 10,000 jobs could be created by government investment in nature restoration projects across the country, according to a coalition of environmental campaigners.
In a letter to chancellor Rishi Sunk, sent by the Wildlife and Countryside Link and signed by 37 campaign groups, the coalition says a £315 million investment into “shovel ready“ projects would help introduce 200,000 hectares or priorate terrestrial and marine marine habitat, create 10,000 jobs by supporting rural and urban economies and locking down millions of tonnes of carbon in pursuit of the UK's net zero target.
The coalition cites 330 nature protection and restoration projects which were either stopped by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, or could be brought forward rapidly to kickstart the economy and the government's 25 Year Environment Plan.
“Together, these projects will help to ensure that the economy recovers quickly from the current downturn and, crucially, that it remains resilient in the face of future shocks,“ the coalition argues states. “They will also help to even out inequalities, ensuring everyone can live and work in a better environment.“
A “conservation corps“ or National Nature Service for England could deliver the schemes while providing training, exercise, contact with nature and an income for unemployed people, by offering them work in a range of conservation-related activities.
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