The UK being the most nature-depleted country in the G7 is ‘truly shocking’,  a local councillor has said. 

Wokingham Borough Council has become the 204th council to support the Climate and Ecology Bill (CE Bill) at a meeting of the full council (November 17) when Executive Member for Climate Emergency and Resident Services, Cllr Sarah Kerr, publicly committed to it. 

The Bill, which was drafted by scientists, lawyers, and ecological economists, seeks to set a viable pathway for the UK to follow in order to help preserve its’ nature. 

England is the 7th most nature depleted country in the world, according to a recent report published by the Natural History Museum and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).   

READ MORE: Bracknell residents are giving up reporting crimes to the police

Cllr Kerr said the report is “truly shocking” and called on local authorities to be given more powers to “meet the targets the bill sets”. 

UK woodland cover is just 13 per cent of land area, according to government research. This compares to a European average of 38 per cent.

Government plans to plant 30,000 hectares of woodland per year would mean it would take ten years to increase cover by one per cent.  

The CE Bill requires the UK to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to actively restore biodiverse habitats, rather than merely protect them and to stop damaging our natural world.