Stop having children instead of bleating about conservation, says wildlife expert

Chris Packham, the BBC presenter, said the government should offer financial rewards to couples who opt to remain childless.

Setting out his radical approach, Packham said: “There’s no point bleating about the future of pandas, polar bears and tigers when we’re not addressing the one single factor that’s putting more pressure on the ecosystem than any other – namely the ever-increasing size of the world’s population.

“I read the other day that, by 2020, there are going to be 70 million people in Britain. Let’s face it, that’s too many.

“I wouldn’t actually penalise people for having too many children, as I think the carrot always works better than the stick. But I would offer them tax breaks for having small families – say, 10 per cent off your tax bill if you decide to stick with just one child. And an even bigger financial incentive if you choose not to have a family at all.