Manifesto: Frequently asked questions
Why has BCT published a manifesto?
We felt that it was important to set out clear priorities for what political parties need to commit to in order to enable nature recovery, specifically for our UK bat species. We began work on this towards the end of 2023 and we see this manifesto as being just as relevant as long as progress still needs to be made on the areas we have highlighted. We really hope that action is taken on these areas as soon as possible, especially as the sooner change is made, the less difficult it will be to remedy the impacts of delays.
What does BCT want to see come from this?
We hope that this manifesto inspires you to learn a bit more about the bats in your area and what needs to be done to improve their recovery. We are hoping to see increased visibility of the threats facing our bats and increased confidence in members of the public to talk to elected representatives about them. If you decide to share this with your local candidates or representatives, let us know! We have a quick online form here where you can let us know how far our manifesto reaches.
I’m particularly interested in one of the manifesto asks – how can I find out more?
You can find links to our policy pages on each of the areas here: https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work.
I’m going to a local hustings near me. What’s the best way for me to encourage the candidates to engage on environmental issues?
If you are able to, try to engage them in advance of the hustings to give them a chance to think about their answers. Giving them the time to research something first is bound to be appreciated by busy candidates and beneficial to the answer you’ll get!
In our factsheet summarising our manifesto asks, you can find some example questions you may like to ask in situations like this.
I’m in a bat group. How can I get behind this?
Bat group members received an advanced copy of the manifesto through the Bat Group Bulletin which contained a little more information than our general version. This is because we really appreciate the work that our local bat groups do, as well as their enthusiasm, so we wanted to build on their expertise with a more in-depth version.
You can make sure that all your fellow bat group members have received this by bringing it up at a meeting and encouraging discussion on what you might want to do collectively.
You can reference our asks in your publications as part of a bat group e.g. on your website or newsletter. You could also consider a letter to your local representatives or any prospective candidates to encourage them to take notice of the manifesto and commit to the actions in there.
What is BCT’s position on elections?
As with any political matter, as a registered charity in the UK, BCT is neutral. This means that we can advocate for particular policies but cannot endorse parties. This manifesto and accompanying documents are intended to provide information to interested people and empower them to engage in their local politics on an issue they care about.
It’s never too late to advocate for positive change so if you see that a political party has not adopted the quality of environmental policy that you would want them to, let them know and feel free to share the manifesto with them as an example of what you might like to see!
Did BCT do any engagement on this manifesto before publishing it?
BCT engaged colleagues in the environmental sector while we developed this manifesto. We also shared our manifesto with parliamentarians, including our wonderful Species/Nature Champions as well as other parliamentarians that are vocal about the environment. We’re happy to say that it’s been well-received and the feedback we gained from the process was really helpful.
Lots of other environmental organisations have published manifestos too so how does this work with or work against those?
We are supporting Wildlife and Countryside Link’s Nature 2030 campaign which has a number of asks for politicians. Our manifesto is complementary to this as we all want to see progress made in areas like sustainable agriculture and nature-friendly development! We would encourage you to read both and advocate for the asks that you feel most passionate about.
Where can I find more information on this beyond what's on your website?
If the information on our website doesn’t answer your question, or you would just like to discuss this more deeply with us, get in touch with the relevant member of staff. Our staff and their contact details can be found here.
Please note that due to limited capacity to respond to queries, you will not receive a response to an email that is related to issues like a specific planning proposal and responses to policy queries from members of the public will likely be limited.
