Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps Government is taking to meet its 2030 nature recovery targets.

In England, we have committed to halting the decline in species abundance by 2030. The UK Government is also committed to protecting 30% of the UK’s land and sea by 2030, and to playing our part in achieving the global 30by30 target adopted at the UN Biodiversity Summit COP15 in December 2022.

Delivering these targets sits at the heart of our mission to ensure nature’s recovery. To meet our species abundance target we will create, restore and connect wildlife-rich habitat, reduce pressures on species including from pollution and climate change and take targeted action to recover specific species, working in partnership with civil society, communities and business. Delivering 30by30 on land in England means ensuring that our most important and wildlife-rich habitats are benefiting from effective, long-term conservation and management. This will require a collaborative approach, and all sectors have a role to play.

We have launched a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to complete before the end of the year to make sure it is fit for purpose to deliver our ambitious targets. This review is an important step in turning the page on nature recovery and will provide the foundations for delivering these targets. This includes the Government’s manifesto promise to expand nature-rich habitats such as wetlands, peat bogs and forests so people can enjoy and wildlife can thrive, including on public land.

We have also commissioned an overarching evaluation framework for our 2030 species target and wider biodiversity targets programme. This will strengthen our understanding of our progress towards meeting our biodiversity targets and will follow Magenta Book guidance.