We know that EU laws have been effective at protecting species like migratory Brent geese in the Solent, and restoring wild places like our River Itchen. These laws are also widely supported; last year half a million people across Europe backed them in the largest response to an online consultation the European Commission has ever received.

Meanwhile new polling by the Greener UK coalition shows that 4 out of 5 Brits think we need the same or stronger levels of environmental protection after we leave the EU. People from all backgrounds and communities are nature lovers; no matter how people voted in June, it’s clear that the vast majority of us care about nature’s future.

However, despite the strong protection we have had for some sites and some species, nature is still in decline. More must be done – so the Greener UK coalition is calling on Prime Minister Theresa May to maintain and improve on protections for our wildlife and wild spaces through the Brexit negotiation process.

Parliament also has a key role to play – as of today 145 MPs from across the political spectrum have also signed Greener UK’s Environmental Pledge, committing to do everything in their power to:

• establish the UK as a world leader on the environment by matching or exceeding current environmental, wildlife and habitat protections;
• ensure that the UK leads on climate action;
• create a countryside richer in nature by supporting farmers and landowners to deliver environmental benefits alongside a thriving farming sector.

The pledge signatories include over a third of our local MPs here in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Flick Drummond (Portsmouth South), Sir Gerald Howarth (Aldershot), Kit Malthouse (Hampshire North West), Maria Miller (Basingstoke), Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North), Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North), and Alan Whitehead (Southampton Test).

This is a fantastic start, but we want to see all MPs recognising the importance of the environment both to their constituents, and a healthy prosperous future for our country. More MPs are signing up to the campaign - check if your MP has, and if not, do contact them to let them know about how important the environment is to you.

Now is the moment to put nature and wildlife back on the map, and safeguard its future. Together we can create a greener UK.