November 1, 2021

“Plan to support nature across government”

Through the 12 days of COP26 we’re sharing 12 expert suggestions to help Britain’s forests grow. In Wood for the Trees part 5 we spoke with Gabriel Hemery, of the Sylva Foundation, who called for a coherent, concerted plan to support nature.

Dr Gabriel Hemery is co-founder and chief executive of the Sylva Foundation, an environmental charity helping trees and people grow together. When asked for one policy suggestion to help Britain’s future forests, he said, “reflecting on the fact that no government can really deal with the fact that forestry goes over multiple generations – let alone multiple political terms… I would wish really for all departments across government to become linked in to thinking about how they deal with nature and the natural world.”  

“So I’d like the education department to sort out the fact that every school child in Britain should have access to forest school. I’d like for business to have the triple bottom line built into their their DNA and to be supported through government actions and how they’re rewarded and I’d like those to who care for the land, including our trees, to be rewarded and supported”

“So the short answer is I’d like government to bring its departments together and have a coherent concerted plan to support nature.”

Watch all twelve suggestions in this five minute film:

Find out more about the series and what we’ve learned making it at woodforthetrees.uk

See the next suggestion:

2. Bring agriculture and forestry together into one ecological unit