Nature is set to make a major comeback in the United Kingdom as its government recently appointed a first-ever nature envoy to combat environmental decline.
As Euronews reported, Ruth Davis, a top environmental policy expert in the U.K., is filling an extraordinary new role. As the country's Special Representative for Nature, she will be tasked with prioritizing policies that restore nature, which is critical since the U.K. is considered one of the "most nature-depleted countries on Earth."
"We depend on nature in every aspect of our lives — it underpins our economy, health and society — and yet progress to restore our wildlife and habitats has been too slow," U.K. environment secretary Steve Reed told Euronews.
However, Davis' extensive background in environmental policy should help the country's government work toward helping its natural resources recover, including saving an average of one in six species currently at risk of extinction.
"The climate and nature emergency is the most profound and universal source of global disorder," U.K. foreign secretary David Lammy told Euronews.
Lammy noted 1 million species are facing extinction and that there has been a staggering 73% decline in global wildlife populations since 1970, mostly because of a steep decrease in freshwater species.
While creating a nature envoy won't save the planet, helping nature make a resurgence in the U.K. is a great place to start. Ensuring the health of ecosystems is crucial to combat rising global temperatures, support wildlife, and protect our food supply.
With 25 years of experience, Davis is in an excellent position to lead environmental policy in the U.K. and bring nature back into balance. So far, some of her significant accomplishments include helping finalize an international pledge to stop deforestation at COP26 and leading various climate and sustainable energy campaigns.
According to Euronews, she will also maintain the U.K.'s allegiance to the Global Biodiversity Framework — a landmark deal to halt and restore biodiversity loss by 2030 — which it signed at COP15 in 2022.
"Ruth's extensive knowledge and expertise will be vital to help us deliver on our commitments to put nature on the road to recovery," Reed said.
"The government has recognised that the nature crisis is of equal gravity to the climate crisis, and that we cannot tackle one without addressing the other," Davis said.
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