The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has raised concerns today as the government ruled that horizontal fracking can go ahead. Plans for fracking at Cuadrilla’s site in Lancashire have been given the go ahead by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.



The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has raised concerns today as the government ruled that horizontal fracking can go ahead. Plans for fracking at Cuadrilla’s site in Lancashire have been given the go ahead by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.


Anne Selby, Chief Executive of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust said “We have been raising concerns for a number of years. As a conservation charity, wildlife is our number one priority and we will continue to monitor this as it progresses. We now need to stand together and ensure the best possible outcome for wildlife.


Our main concern has been the disposal of water from the process, and we would be keen to hear more on the plans for this. Now is the time to renew our concerns over the protection of areas currently under protection for wildlife, we need to ensure these remain protected.


It is disheartening that plans seem to continue around carbon based energy and we would like to see much more focus and effort on securing effective renewable energy for the future”


Climate change is presenting a significant and serious long-term threat to biodiversity and people across the world.

The Wildlife Trusts believe we need:

• a reduction in energy demand and for energy efficiency measures to provide the central focus of the Government’s approach to sustainable energy policy;
• a reduction in dependency on fossil fuels (coal, natural gas and oil);
• Government funding prioritised on the development and implementation of renewable technologies;
• the restoration of ecosystems, such as peatlands to absorb carbon (and a range of other natural services) to help mitigate and adapt to human induced climate change.

All forms of energy generation will entail some environmental costs and we believe that the risks and benefits associated with each need to be weighed against each other and considered in the context of location and scale.


In 2014, the report, Are We Fit to Frack?, was launched by the Angling Trust, the National Trust, RSPB, the Salmon & Trout Association, The Wildlife Trusts and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. It is supported by a cross party group of MPs including Zac Goldsmith, Alan Whitehead and Tessa Munt.
The report contains ten recommendations for making fracking safer as the Government continues its push to get companies to apply for licences to explore and drill for shale gas.