Closed petition Prohibit the removal of trees/shrubs from riverbanks & in-river wildlife habitat

Closed on 30 September 2018

Vital wildlife habitat for protected species like otters bats & water voles is regularly destroyed plus nesting sites for birds & refuges for fish from predation.This is carried out without the threat of prosecution. Such actions must be licensed & subject to full environmental impact assessments.

The Angling Trust has highlighted many situations where important habitat has been removed and even on occasion found evidence of the EA removing habitat that they themselves had helped to install. Landowners and the EA need clear incentives to manage riverine environments for the maximum benefit of wildlife. Modern flood defense strategies have failed to look at the impact on river habitat removal and the wildlife that depends on it for its survival.