Closed petition Do not remove special protection from vulnerable or near-threatened species

Closed on 8 January 2022

The Government must not remove special protections from species including red squirrels, pine martens, water voles, mountain hares, adders and slow-worms under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 (WCA), following its current review of the Act, reported in the press in July 2021.

The Government reportedly plans to change the basis on which animals are protected under Schedules 5 and 8 of the WCA to exclude species which are vulnerable (at national or regional level) and near-threatened - see https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/qqr-7/. It may suit property developers and infrastructure projects to exclude species not in imminent danger of extinction, but this risks harm to species which may be under severe threat, but whose populations have improved slightly.