IN a constituency which is home to some of Britain’s most iconic landscapes, environmental campaigners are fighting to keep ‘green’ issues at the top of the agenda in the General Election.

Environmental issues are crucial to the area, say the Friends of the Lake District in their election ‘manifesto’.

The charity has three key points it wants to see addressed by the area’s Parliamentary candidates, including the protection of landscapes with adequate resources to maintain national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

It also want to see the role of the ‘farming community’ recognised and better funding for the countryside.

Friends policy officer Judith Moore said: “None of the political parties have said what their manifesto commitments for the environment are to be.

“For Cumbria this is a serious question, as our precious and spectacular landscapes underpin our economy.

“We’ve been waiting two years to hear what is going to happen to the national park extensions and a political commitment to making this happen would be a good step forward.”

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is asking prospective candidates (PPCs) to put the recovery of wildlife at the heart of the next Government’s programme.

The organisation has written to 24 of Cumbria’s PPCs requesting that they ask for: l A Nature and Wellbeing Act l Funding for the restoration of 2,020 hectares of peatland across Cumbria by 2020 l A network of marine protected areas by 2016 l Changes to the national curriculum to make caring for nature a key purpose.

Spokesman Sonia Skinner said the charity had so far had responses from seven out of 24, adding, “These issues don’t seem to be that high up on the agenda, unfortunately.”

All the major parties, with the exception of UKIP, have promised to tackle climate change, and several have pledged support for renewable energy.

But the visual impact of wind turbines, in particular, has often proved controversial in South Cumbria.

The latest local campaign against wind turbines has seen residents and parish councils protest against plans for six new turbines at Kirkby Moor.

What the candidates have to say on the environment:

ANN MYATT, Conservative

“We must protect the quality of our environment not only for local people, but also for tourism. We must strike the right balance between development for a thriving economy and protection. Conservatives support building on brownfield sites, taking into account local people’s views, and we encourage careful use of natural resources and energy generation using renewable sources. Also, local residents will also have more say in planning decisions on new turbines.”

Alan Piper, Ukip

"I'd like to see l less political hysteria and more objectivity. Given the right incentives, technology is working wonders. It's the control freaks in charge that worry me.The current imbalance is madness. Irove over the tops to Dalton  and stopped to look at the offshore wind-farm. Hundreds of turbines - NOTHING moving. On-shore, two out of eight. I remember the 1970s - three-day weeks, power cuts. Will it really take that to make people see sense again. We all want to protect the planet and our place in it - but do our kids have to do that in the dark because our generations were too stubborn to take a reality check?

JOHN BATESON, Labour
“Climate change is the biggest issue facing man. The last Labour government led the world with the Climate Change Act, the next will build on that record, prioritising sustainability, re-establishing Britain as a global leader on climate change. We will stick to targets for carbon reduction, including decarbonisation of energy supply by 2030, and make Britain a world leader in low carbon technology, creating a million new green jobs by 2025 and strengthening the Green Investment Bank.”

TIM FARRON, Liberal Democrat
“We need to protect our environment and it’s for that reason I’ve voted against the government on issues like fracking. Environmental issues are vital to our area. We are proposing five green laws - a Nature Bill to ensure access to green spaces and clean up our air, an Energy Efficiency Bill, a Zero Waste Bill with a clear action plan and binding targets, a Zero Carbon Bill expanding the Green Investment Bank, setting a de-carbonisation target for electricity, and finally a Green Transport Bill.”

CHRIS LOYNES, The Green Party
“Our vision is for a flourishing society in a flourishing environment. To bring this about we need to change our consumption to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. This informs much of our economic and social policy. Locally I do not want to see wildlife locked away in nature reserves but spreading out into the landscape for us all to enjoy and to help species to flourish in response to climate change. Voluntary bodies are already advocating for this on land and at sea.”