Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has called on all candidates in next month's local elections to sign a pledge for nature.

The charity has written to hundreds of candidates standing for 300 seats in 11 councils across the three counties. Each one has been invited to sign a pledge saying they will 'work to create, enhance and restore nature in my council area'.

The Trust has published a webpage where people can find out who their local candidates are, whether they have signed the pledge, and contact individual candidates asking them to sign it.

Matthew Stanton, BBOWT Head of Planning and Advocacy, said:
"As David Attenborough's Wild Isles series has shown, our country is full of extraordinary and wonderful wildlife - however we are also now one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and we are living through a nature and climate crisis. We know that we can tackle both these crises by creating more nature everywhere, but that action has to start in our own back yards.

"Local councillors have fantastic opportunities to make small changes like standing up for green space and fighting unsustainable development, and these acts can add up to make a huge difference for wildlife and people. That's why we're asking all the candidates in our area to make a pledge, and we're asking everyone else to vote for nature."

The councils with elections next month in the BBOWT area are:

Bracknell Forest - 41 seats
Cherwell - 16 seats
Windsor & Maidenhead - 41 seats
Milton Keynes - 19 seats
Reading - 16 seats
Slough - 42 seats
South Oxfordshire - 36 seats
Vale of White Horse - 38 seats
West Berkshire - 43 seats
West Oxfordshire - 16 seats
Wokingham - 18 seats

Voters can find a list of candidates in their area, find out if they have signed the pledge and ask them to sign it at bbowt.org.uk/vote-nature#list-of-candidates.

The list of candidates who have signed the pledge will be regularly updated until election day.

Election candidates can find out more about the pledge and sign it at bbowt.org.uk/vote-nature-candidates, where they can also make an additional, personal commitment for nature if they choose.

The Trust is also reminding all voters that, as of this year, they will need a photo ID such as a passport or driving licence in order to cast their ballot.