Writing to your MP

Postbox - writing to your MP

Write to your MP

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Write to your MP

A hand crafted letter outlining why nature is important to you and what you want your MP to campaign for on your behalf has a huge impact. Add your voice to the mix and help us achieve positive action for wildlife as part of our Wilder Future campaign.

One hand crafted letter from one constituent is important, a handful from severalĀ shows it's an issue and a dozen or more could indicate that it's something requiring more urgent action.

Add your voice to the mix and help us achieve positive action for wildlife.

At the moment, we're campaigning specifically to ensure a progressive and powerful Environment Act, helping us to build a Nature Recovery Network that is enshrined in law. You canĀ find out more about that campaign here, and we hope you agree with our aims and are able to write to your MP specifically about this.

ButĀ a letter from you should be about what you feel strongly about,Ā and a voice raised for nature and the environment - whatever it may specifically be about - helps to raise the profile of this cause with your representative in government.

We've collated some top tips for writing your letter, and listed stepsĀ on how to find out who to send it to.

Our handy tips

Writing your letter

  1. Include your name and address. They need to know you are a genuine constituent, and to have an address to send a reply to.
  2. Be succinct. Your letter doesnā€™t need to be more than two sides of A4. Your letter will be clearer if you focus on one topic, e.g.,Ā The Environment Act or the badger cull.
  3. If it's your first time writing to your MP, be sure toĀ introduce yourselfĀ with a paragraph about who you are and why you care about the wildlife in your area.
  4. Use the EPIC format. The acronym ā€˜EPICā€™ is a useful way to remember how to structure the main part of your letter. After the introductory paragraph, your letter should follow this structure:
    E = Engage your MP with a short summary. Get your MPā€™s attention with a dramatic fact or short statement. There are lots of hard-hitting facts about the decline of nature in our country, or about other causes you might be writing about:
    ā€¢ More than half of the UK's species are in decline;Ā 
    ā€¢Ā 44 million birds have gone from our countryside since the 1960s;
    ā€¢Ā Of the 218 countries assessed for ā€˜biodiversity intactnessā€™, the UK is ranked 189, making it one of the most nature-depleted in the world;
    ā€¢ 97% of our flower-rich meadows have been destroyed;
    Pick something that is relevant to your letter that you have personal knowledge of - or one of these - that you really care about.
    P = State the problem. Present the causes of the problem you just introduced. For example, in our campaign for a strong Environment ActĀ we're arguing that aĀ lack of strong legislation has allowed the destruction of nature and habitat for the sake of short economic gain. In the case of bovine TB and badgers,Ā badger culling to eradicate bovine TB is scientifically unsound. Several scientific studies have demonstrated that culling increases the prevalence of bTB in the badger population, and results in it spreading to other areas.
    I = Inform the MP about the solutions. If you're writing about the Environment Act, we believe a new Act will need:
    ā€¢ Nature Targets: legal targets for natureā€™sĀ recovery that politicians must ultimatelyĀ achieve and regularly report on progressĀ towards;
    ā€¢ A Nature Recovery Network: a joined-upĀ network of habitats that provide enough spaceĀ for wildlife to recover and for people to thrive;
    ā€¢ Nature Watchdog: an independent body toĀ help people challenge bad decisions made byĀ Government and councils, which have aĀ negative impact on wildlife and our naturalĀ environment.
    Please do point them to our recent report ā€˜Towards A Wilder Britainā€™ here:Ā https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2018-06/Nature_recovery_network_final.pdfĀ The report includes ideas for specific wildlife goals which you can reference, but itā€™s also okay to keep it more general.
    If you're writing about badgers, then we are calling for a vaccination programme, you can find more about that hereĀ 
    C = Call to Action. Now you need to let your MP know what you want them to do about it all.Ā 
    For our Environment Act campaign, we suggest you ask them to speak to their party leaders and DEFRA teams about the Environment Act, and the issues youā€™ve raised.
    In relation to the badger cull, the Wildlife Trusts are calling for an immediate halt to the badger cull, investment in a vaccination programme and other long-term solutions, including farm biosecurity.
  5. Ask for a response.Ā Make sure they know you want to be kept informed about this matter. However, even if you don't get a reply, your letter will be read and logged, so will still make a difference.
Rod Wood - Hare

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