Waveney Valley MP Adrian Ramsay proposes a motion to put nature loss and biodiversity decline on the same statutory footing as national security threats.
Adrian Ramsay, Green Party MP for Waveney Valley, has proposed a motion at the Green Party conference in Brighton which would put nature loss and biodiversity decline on the same statutory footing as national security threats.
The motion, which has garnered strong support across the party and was authored by Adrian, is due to be voted on by members at conference this weekend in Brighton. It calls for a Nature, Biodiversity and National Security Act, which would establish ecocide as a criminal offence and enshrine the Rights of Nature in law.
This comes as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband presented the findings of the UK’s national security report on the collapse of natural systems to foreign ministers and others at a private meeting during the UN General Assembly earlier this month.
Adrian’s motion follows the campaign he has led in Westminster since a Joint Intelligence Committee report in January found that global ecosystem degradation and collapse threaten UK national security. Adrian secured a Westminster Hall debate on the report’s findings after the Government initially refused to publish it, releasing it only in redacted form following a Freedom of Information request. He has since repeatedly pressed ministers on why the report has still not been published in full.
A Nature, Biodiversity and National Security Act would recognise nature loss and biodiversity decline as national security threats, strengthen planning for food, water and energy security, and improve protection from flooding, drought, extreme heat and sea-level rise.
Adrian Ramsay MP said:
“I’ve been pushing for a proper debate on this since January, because the moment I read the Joint Intelligence Committee’s findings, it was clear this isn’t just about our enjoyment of the natural environment; it’s one of the most serious threats we face. Our own intelligence services have told the Government that the collapse of natural systems threatens our national security, and ministers have sat on that report and failed to produce a response.
“That’s why I’ve brought this motion to conference. Nature isn’t separate from our economy, our food supply, our infrastructure, or our health. It’s the foundation all of it depends on. If we don’t treat it as critical national infrastructure, we’re leaving Britain exposed to risks we’ve been explicitly warned about.
“People in Waveney Valley see this every day, in flooding, in drought, in the pressure on our farmers and food supply. This motion is about making sure the Government finally treats nature loss with the seriousness our own security services already do.
ENDS
Notes
1. Motion text
The Green Party believes that the protection and restoration of nature is not only intrinsically important, but a fundamental national security priority.
The Green Party recognises that ecological collapse is a systemic threat multiplier, driving food insecurity, economic instability, damage to critical infrastructure, increased vulnerability to flooding, drought and extreme weather, and wider social and geopolitical instability.
The Green Party considers that the UK's approach to national security policy and spending should reflect the scale of the threat posed by the climate and nature crises, and that economic security, food security, water security and societal resilience depend upon healthy and functioning ecosystems.
The Green Party therefore calls for a Nature, Biodiversity and National Security Act which would:
Recognise nature loss and biodiversity decline as national security threats requiring statutory risk assessment, resilience planning and coordinated cross-government action.
Extend to England and Wales the statutory biodiversity duties established under the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026, creating a unified duty on all public bodies to protect and restore biodiversity.
Ensure national security policy and spending (PSD319) support resilience, development and prevention, alongside defence and deterrence.
Strengthen the attention in national security planning given to food security (EC951 CY400f), water security, energy security (EN001), ecosystem resilience and protection from flooding, drought, extreme heat and sea-level rise.
Strengthen food security through sustainable domestic food production, public procurement, restoration of the natural systems on which agriculture depends, and reduced reliance on vulnerable global supply chains and fossil fuels.
Enshrine the Rights of Nature in law (WH100) through the Nature’s Rights Act, providing ecosystems with legal protection and representation in decision-making.
Legally halt and reverse biodiversity loss and give effect in domestic law to the UK's international nature commitments. (WH003)
Protect and restore critical ecosystems, including rivers, wetlands, peatlands, woodlands, coastal habitats and marine environments, by addressing the systemic causes of nature loss.(EC100)
Recognise biodiversity and natural systems as critical national infrastructure essential to economic prosperity, public wellbeing and long-term national resilience.
Strengthen the resilience of food, water, energy, health and environmental systems on which social, economic and democratic stability depends.
Establish ecocide as a criminal offence in domestic law (WH130) and support international efforts to recognise ecocide as a crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Reform economic governance to recognise that long-term prosperity and national resilience depend upon maintaining healthy natural systems. (EC100)
Return water services to public ownership as a core national security measure, enabling strategic investment to modernise infrastructure, reduce leakage and build resilience to drought and flooding.(NR428)
Require all Government departments and public bodies to consider nature, biodiversity and ecological resilience in policy-making, spending decisions and strategic planning.
Consolidate environmental governance, enforcement and accountability mechanisms to ensure effective implementation, policy coherence and delivery. (WH101)
A Nature, Biodiversity and National Security Act would establish a national mission to restore nature, strengthen resilience and build long-term security by protecting the living systems upon which our economy, food supply, infrastructure, health and wellbeing depend.
