The UK electorate has narrowly decided to leave the European Union. About 70% of the UK’s environmental safeguards and legislation is a result of European legislation which includes the laws that:
- help ensure our beaches and air are clean;
- ban bee-harming pesticides; and
- protect important habitats and species.
European protected species and habitats are legislated under by the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations Act 2010 (now known as the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017) which transposes the EU Habitats Directive into UK law.
The UK will remain part of the EU for a period of 2 years from the date the government issue a request to leave under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon. The prime minister has said that he will leave this job to his successor, and so the earliest that we will leave the EU is October 2018. The Conservation Habitats and Species Regulations Act will have to be revoked or amended to change the level of protection given to habitats and species, or the licensing process as they are independent UK law, regardless of their EU origins.
Wildlife legislation is unlikely top be priorities in the vast number of EU influenced laws we have that may need changing and so it may be several more years before these are amended. Re-writing the various EU intertwined parts of the statute book is huge task likely to take many years. Further challenges will also arise from issues such as legal precedent and case law.
Species protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act such as nesting birds and reptiles, or badgers that are protected by the Badgers Act 1992 will not be affected unless these acts are also subject to amendment in the future.
So as far as protected species surveys and licensing procedures are concerned, it is likely that there will be no significant changes until at least October 2018.
For more information about the Ecology Services we can offer, call us on 029 2065 0331, contact us on info@acerecology.co.uk or click here for examples of our work.
