I fully support the Wildlife Trusts' call for more protection for Local Wildlife Sites. With increasing population pressures and climate change, all sites of importance for nature conservation urgently need more protection if they are not to be lost.

Some of South East England’s most important conservation sites, like the ancient woodlands of Epping Forest and Burnham Beeches, which we manage, are protected by law under our Open Spaces Acts. But too many locally important green spaces don’t meet the criteria for designation as either SSSIs or SINCs, so they are dependent for their protection by local planning authorities which are now under huge financial strain.

Sue Ireland
Director of Green Space, City of London Corporation,