As few as one in 10 councils have a plan for nature recovery despite the UK being one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, the Woodland Trust says.
Research by the charity has found that only 25% of local authorities have declared a nature emergency and only 12% have a nature action plan.
UK wildlife species declined by an average of 19% since 1970 and nearly one in six are at risk of extinction, according to the Woodland Trust.
‘Local authorities – as landowners, policy makers and local champions – have a unique role in driving the change that nature urgently needs,’ said Louise Wilkinson, the Woodland Trust's nature recovery lead.
‘Many are not doing enough, and a nature emergency declaration is a vital first step in acknowledging the challenge and turning it into nature recovery on the ground.
‘By putting nature on an emergency footing, councils can take meaningful steps to reverse decades of decline and create healthier, greener communities for people and wildlife alike.’
