Wildlife and Countryside Link has called for an urgent rescue plan for nature after finding that just 3 per cent of England is protected for nature, despite a target to protect 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030. 10 per cent of England’s sea is currently protected.
W&CL says that the amount of land in England that can be said to be effectively protected for nature has fallen to just 2.93 per cent while the amount of sea protected continues to lag at 9.92 per cent. This follows last year’s update on progress showing 3.11 per cent of land and 8 per cent of sea in England was effectively protected.
Falls in the amount of protected land are due to a steady decline over the past decade in the number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in good ecological condition.
Climate change, water pollution and overgrazing are among the top reasons for habitats and wildlife suffering in these protected areas.
However, the decline may also be attributed to more sites being monitored than previously, revealing a more accurate picture of their condition. (Only 1 per cent of land last assessed before 2011 was classified as declining, this rose to 31 per cent for those assessed in 2021 – 2022).
Other land designations including National Parks have huge potential for nature, but previous reports have found that the state of nature within these is often no better than it is outside of them.
The small rise in effectively protected area of sea comes from the introduction in March 2024 of bylaws prohibiting banned bottom towed fishing gear across protected features in 13 offshore areas. This decision led to a further 1.7 per cent of English waters being protected.
W&CL’s report covers protected land and sea in England only, but governments have committed to deliver the 30×30 target in each of the four nations of the UK.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said, “The new government is going to need to take giant strides in the next 6 years to meet internationally agreed 2030 nature targets.
“As delegates arrive in Colombia for crucial nature talks [the UN Conference on Biodiversity – COP16], the UK has a major opportunity to show global environmental leadership. This must be backed up by action at home. As we approach the five-year countdown to the deadline to restore nature, we’re calling for a rapid rescue package for UK nature.
“At the moment, the UK’s critical natural infrastructure is in a state of chronic neglect. More land needs to be designated for nature protection and restoration. Land that’s already protected needs a new lease of life. Farming and fisheries reform must be brought back to the top of the agenda. Time is tight, but there’s still hope that a rapid rescue plan can restore the ecological foundations of our economy.”
The 30×30 target is far more than a number to tick off. Protecting our land and ocean means that nationally cherished sites from Lake Windermere to the coastline of Cornwall are protected for future generations to enjoy, while dwindling numbers of wildlife from red squirrels to puffins would be restored.
Nature action has ramifications in nearly every aspect of our lives, with healthy nature being the foundation of climate action, strong public health, and social equality. With this in mind, Wildlife and Countryside Link has previously called for Defra to be seen as a mission critical department for Government.
The report notes progress from government in setting out draft criteria (in 2023) for land counting towards the 30×30 target. These draft criteria align with the Wildlife and Countryside Link report’s assessment conditions, that protected land for nature must be in good condition for nature to count towards the target of 30 per cent. If implemented, the criteria would bring in standards for the government to work towards and could force more rapid action ahead of the 2030 deadline as policy gaps are identified.
Dr Rose O’Neill, Chief Executive, Campaign for National Parks, said, “Our protected landscapes have huge potential to restore nature, fight climate change, and help get us to 30 per cent of land and sea being protected for nature. But we’re in an atrocious situation, where the places that are supposed to be the jewels in the crown for English wildlife are often in worse condition than the places outside of them. These landscapes need a big increase in long-term funding and transformative powers so they can play their full role for nature recovery.”
Nature charities are calling for action to be taken before the end of the year to get progress to the 30×30 target on track. This includes using the already announced review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to set out action for improving the condition of protected nature sites.
At sea, W&CL is calling for bylaws to be published to halt damaging fishing activity across all Marine Protected Areas (MPA) network by the end 2024.
Key figures from the report show:
- The network of protected sites covers approximately 8.5 per cent of England. Currently, only 34.67 per cent of SSSIs are in good condition for nature. Thus only 2.93 per cent of England’s land is effectively protected for nature and can contribute to the 30 per cent target.
- This is a decline from 2023 when 36.82 per cent of SSSIs were in a good ecological state, and therefore 3.11 per cent of England’s total land area could be said to be effectively protected for nature.
- A maximum of 9.92 per cent of English waters in September 2024 are protected from the most damaging form of fishing and are moving towards effective protection for nature.
- Only 37 out of the 374 UK MPAs have enough monitoring in place to assess if their management measures are working, and only 83 out of the 374 UK MPAs are moving towards their conservation objectives.
Nature groups hope to hear substantial commitments to UK nature from the new Secretary of State at the COP16 talks. A nature rescue plan is needed that includes:
- Putting targets to protect 30 per cent of land and sea at the heart of planning reform, to ensure that all development is playing an active role in nature recovery.
- Expanding the protected sites network by designating more significant and rare natural habitats, such as ancient woodlands and chalk streams.
- Introducing a new, significant, long-term fund to boost nature in key areas, including protected sites currently in poor condition, National Parks and National Landscapes, alongside effectively implementing protections for these most significant and vulnerable nature sites to prevent further degradation, such as water quality regulations to avoid chemical and nutrient pollution from farming and other industries into rivers.
- Publish Stage 3 & Stage 4 fisheries management measures to halt damaging fishing activity across the whole of the offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPA) network by the end of 2024.
- Pledging to protect at least 10 per cent of English seas as Highly Protected Marine Areas (HMPAs) by 2030.