our responsibility to nature, living beings and future generations

Somerset is not merely a place in which we live.

It is a living landscape of rivers, wetlands, fields, forests, hedgerows, coastlines and soils; of plants, animals, fungi and countless forms of life; and of human communities whose lives are inseparable from the natural systems that sustain them.

We recognise that life has value beyond its usefulness to us.

We therefore declare our intention to protect Somerset as a living place, and to uphold our responsibility as human beings to live within the limits of the natural world upon which all life depends.

1. The Living World

Nature shall not be regarded solely as a commodity, resource or asset.

The living systems of Somerset have intrinsic value and deserve consideration in decisions that may affect them.

We recognise the interdependence of human life with the wider community of life.

The health of our soils, waters, air, ecosystems, plants and animals is inseparable from the health and prosperity of our communities.

2. The Rights of Living Beings

We recognise that living beings should not be subjected to unnecessary suffering, destruction or exploitation.

Animals should be treated as sentient beings rather than merely as property.

Wildlife should be permitted to exist, reproduce and inhabit appropriate natural environments without unnecessary human interference.

Plants, fungi and ecosystems, while different from sentient beings, form essential parts of the living systems upon which all life depends and should therefore be protected from unnecessary destruction and degradation.

3. The Protection of Nature

Development, agriculture, industry and human settlement should operate within the ecological limits of the places in which they occur.

Where an activity threatens serious or irreversible harm to a natural system, uncertainty shall not be used as a reason for inaction.

The burden should rest upon those proposing potentially harmful activity to demonstrate that it can be undertaken without unacceptable damage to living systems.

4. The Protection of Soil, Water and Air

Clean water, fertile soil and clean air are fundamental conditions of life.

They should not be treated simply as commodities available for unlimited exploitation.

We seek to protect:

• rivers, streams, springs and aquifers;

• wetlands, floodplains and coastal waters;

• agricultural and naturally fertile soils;

• woodland, hedgerows and native habitats;

• the quality of the air;

• biodiversity and ecological corridors;

• and the natural cycles upon which these systems depend.

5. The Protection of Wildlife

Somerset's wildlife is part of Somerset's living heritage.

We support the protection and restoration of habitats that allow native species to flourish, move, reproduce and coexist.

The unnecessary destruction of habitat should be avoided, and where damage has occurred, restoration should be pursued wherever reasonably possible.

Wildlife should not be expected merely to survive in isolated fragments of land left over from human development.

6. Stewardship Rather Than Ownership

We recognise that human beings may possess, occupy, cultivate and make use of land, but such possession carries responsibilities.

Land is not merely something to be consumed by one generation.

Those who steward land hold responsibilities to the wider community, to the living systems within it and to generations yet unborn.

We therefore promote a principle of:

Use with responsibility.
Development with restraint.
Stewardship with care.
Inheritance with gratitude.

7. Human Prosperity and Nature

Protecting nature does not require the rejection of human prosperity.

A healthy society should enable people to have homes, food, energy, livelihoods, infrastructure and thriving communities while remaining within the ecological capacity of the land.

We reject the idea that economic growth and environmental protection must inevitably be placed against one another.

The economy exists within society.

Society exists within nature.

Nature is not a department of the economy.

8. The Precaution of Future Generations

Those who come after us cannot participate in decisions made today.

We therefore recognise a responsibility to leave Somerset capable of sustaining life, community and prosperity for generations to come.

We should not consume what cannot be renewed, destroy what cannot be replaced, or transfer the consequences of today's decisions to people who had no part in making them.

9. A Living Somerset

We aspire to a Somerset in which:

• rivers run clean;

• soils remain fertile;

• wildlife has room to flourish;

• native habitats are restored and connected;

• agriculture works with natural systems;

• development respects the character and capacity of the land;

• animals are treated with dignity;

• communities have access to nature;

• resources are stewarded rather than needlessly depleted;

• and human settlement exists as part of the landscape rather than in opposition to it.

10. Our Declaration

We, the undersigned, recognise that the protection of Somerset is a shared responsibility.

We acknowledge that we are participants within the natural world, not separate from it.

We therefore declare our support for the protection, restoration and responsible stewardship of Somerset's natural environment and living beings.

We call upon individuals, communities, landowners, businesses, farmers, organisations and public bodies to consider the consequences of their decisions upon the wider community of life.

We believe that what is alive deserves consideration, what sustains life deserves protection, and what is entrusted to us should be passed on in no worse condition than we received it.

Protect Somerset

For nature.
For living beings.
For our communities.
For generations to come.

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