UK at risk of nature targets

The UK faces a significant threat to its goal of restoring and safeguarding nature by 2030, as highlighted by green groups who claim the current rate of progress could lead to missing targets by a “country mile.” The Government had previously committed to protecting at least 30% of land and sea by the end of the decade, aligning with the global biodiversity agreement made during the UN Cop15 Summit in 2015. Achieving this objective requires extensive restoration across a network of well-managed, legally protected areas essential for addressing the dual crises of climate change and species decline.

Penny Simpson, a partner in the environmental law team at Freeths, stated how the present laws and policies are failing to meet these commitments, emphasising the urgent need for awareness from new Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Emma Reynolds. She further commented that the same inadequacies apply to domestic targets outlined in the Environmental Improvement Plan under the Environment Act 2021.

Simpson suggested that the Government must discover additional policy and legal mechanisms to bolster these vital targets through private nature markets. She noted that current compliance drivers focus too heavily on restoring nature within the planning regulatory framework. While this approach plays a crucial role, it should not overshadow the necessity of examining other sectors to encourage restoration through private investments.

The Government’s recent Call for Evidence addresses expanding the private sector's involvement in nature recovery and proposes a potential regulatory requirement for specific industries, like food and drink, to invest in nature and carbon reductions within their supply chains. Such investments could become integral to their corporate strategies. Additionally, Simpson mentioned the possibility of mandatory corporate environmental and biodiversity reporting, which may indirectly serve to incentivise investment in nature restoration. These considerations are essential for the new Secretary of State to evaluate, as the clock ticks toward the 2030 target.