SHONA HAS JOINED A CAMPAIGN to protect our natural world by signing the Letter to the Future, a major new campaign run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

The letter calls for better investment in nature by politicians, urging them to consider our natural, as well as our financial, future when making decisions about how to tackle the country's pressing economic problems.

The RSPB aims to gain tens of thousands of signatures to the letter before the next general election, showing the Government that people care about nature as well as the economy and want to see it protected for the benefit of future generations.

A whole host of famous faces have already put pen to paper, including Bill Bryson, Alison Steadman, John Thompson and Mackenzie Crook. Shona has joined them, signing the letter to show her support for the six aims of the Letter:

• Create a countryside fit for wildlife;
• Safeguard our sealife;
• Stop extinction;
• Save tropical forests;
• Stop climate chaos;
• Inspire children through nature.

Commenting on the issue, Shona said:

"As an MP, the case for animal welfare has always been of the utmost important to me. However, at the moment we need to start taking a step back and thinking of the welfare of animals and the environment in the future. Precious habitats are being lost, many species face extinction and the threat of climate change looms large.

"The Government has invested billions of pounds to save the economy and we owe it to future generations that this massive investment addresses not just the needs of today but the needs of tomorrow. We need to create a healthy economy and a healthy environment.

I am supporting the RSPB's Letter to the Future because I want future generations to be able to grow up in a world with tigers and sparrows, tropical rainforests and bluebell woods - basically, a world worth living in."

The RSPB's head of Sustainable Development, Martin Harper, also commented:

"The Government faces tough economic decisions but these musn't be taken at the expense of the environment. We are calling on the Government to recognise this and ensure future generations will be able to appreciate the natural world as we do. It's vital that politicians support us in this campaign and we are very grateful to Shona for lending her support."

To find out more about the Letter to the Future or to sign it yourself, visit:

www.rspb.org.uk/lettertothefuture

18 March 2010