Tell your MLAs that nature should be restored.
We all need nature. It’s essential to our lives. It’s the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. It’s our defence against scorching and flooding, and it’s the beauty in our world. It's not a nice-to-have, it is fundamental.
Right now, nature is in freefall. Today, Northern Ireland is one of the most nature-depleted places in the world. But the NI Government isn't taking this seriously enough. Wildlife continues to decline, water quality is failing, and people are increasingly cut off from the natural spaces that support their health, wellbeing and community resilience.
Nowhere is this crisis clearer than at Lough Neagh. Repeatedly blanketed by toxic blue‑green algae, it has become a symbol of environmental failure, attracting international media attention. Across NI Government, recent actions and plans send clear signals that nature is not their priority.
Yet, our most precious places - from the Mournes and the Lakelands of Fermanagh, to local woodlands, parks and coasts - are under threat. And once common species like hedgehog in our gardens, curlew and skylark in the countryside, and skate in our coastal waters are now red‑listed or in serious decline. These local species losses reflect a wider failure of Government to protect habitats.
Without proper action to restore nature, our food security is at risk, our waters will remain polluted, and the next generation will inherit a world in even deeper crisis.
There is another way. Restore nature now, and we can create thriving places.
We need your help to call for change. We are asking NI Government for three things:
1. Protect and restore nature now – Set legal targets that drive action in support of nature and fix the system that is meant to protect it. Give key landscapes and waterways, like the Mournes and Lough Neagh, protection as essential regional assets.
2. Invest in wildlife – Mobilise the funding, skills and evidence needed for nature to thrive. Create more spaces for nature and properly pay farmers to restore habitats, improve soil health, protect rivers and produce food sustainably.
3. Create resilient futures for communities – Ensure every community has access to nature-rich greenspaces and design nature into every new housing development.
It’s time to decide. Will we create a thriving world? It is time for the NI Government to do the right thing. To plan a future where people and nature thrive. To protect wildlife and support communities. It’s their duty to do so. Without nature, there is no future.
Will you speak up for nature? Add your voice by writing to your local MLA
