Dear John,
Today is Earth Day, yet there is little to celebrate as nature is still under threat, with wildlife extinctions and biodiversity loss continuing in critical areas.
The UK is signed up to the Global Biodiversity Framework, an international treaty to end biodiversity loss and restore nature by 2030. However, progress has been minimal, and the UK government has neglected to support a vital solution, funding Population Health Environment (PHE) projects.
The areas richest in biodiversity are often bordered by rural, low-income communities. The healthcare sector refers to these areas as “last-mile” communities, as they lack access to safe, modern contraceptives, resulting in rapid local population growth with negative impacts on the environment.
PHE projects focus on providing voluntary family planning information and services, education on sustainable natural resource management and environmental conservation in a coordinated manner. PHE projects achieve greater results for both conservation and human welfare outcomes than single sector approaches.
You can find out more about the success of PHE projects here.
Population Matters is calling upon the UK government to promote and fund PHE projects in its future policies to reverse and end biodiversity loss. You can read a copy of the letter we sent to the Foreign Office here. | 
