The UK has outlined its commitment to the implementation of UN COP15 biodiversity framework by publishing its National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (NBSAP) – showing how Britain intends to meet all the global targets and goals.
The resumed session of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Rome, Italy, will focus on unresolved items from Calì, Colombia in October 2024, including an international strategy to mobilise finance for nature and the mechanism to review global progress against the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
A partnership between Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the NBSAP commits the UK to achieving all 23 of the Global Biodiversity Framework targets at home and outlines how its four countries will work together to fully implement each of these.
The National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan includes commitments to:
- Expand protected areas to at least 30 per cent of the land and seas
- Reduce pollution from all sources to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity
- Enhance biodiversity and sustainability in agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry
- Ensure sustainable, safe and legal harvesting and trade of wild species
The NBSAP draws on commitments made by the UK, its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies – which make a significant contribution to global biodiversity – to summarise our collective ambition to work together to address biodiversity loss.
Achieving these goals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 will be part of the global pathway towards a world living in harmony with nature by 2050.
Nature Minister Mary Creagh said, “The UK continues to drive progress on nature protection and restoration both at home and across the world.
“It’s never been more important to tackle the nature and climate crises, and that’s why we will continue to press for concerted action to ensure full implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
“There is more work to do with our international partners, and the UK will be at the forefront of negotiations in Rome.”
Ruth Davis, the UK’s Special Representative for Nature, said, “We need urgent action to address the nature crisis and that means working to halt biodiversity loss both internationally and at home.
“The launch of the NBSAP is a signal of the UK’s commitment to match international co-operation on nature with domestic activity to protect and enhance our natural world.
“We will continue to play our part in achieving our international nature targets, while working with other nations to make a difference across the globe.”
Natural England Chair Tony Juniper said: “Just five years remain for us to meet the ambitious but critical Global Biodiversity targets agreed by world leaders at COP15. It is crucial that we ramp up action and work together to protect and restore our natural environment, including for the benefit of future generations.
“The Plan published today sets out how international commitments will translate into action on the ground across the UK and we look forward to working with government and our many partners to deliver what’s needed to recover nature.”
The UK is also supporting other countries to ensure that this global agreement is implemented, including by sharing technical and scientific expertise with partners all around the world, and supporting work to halt and reverse nature loss across the globe.
The government says that it is committed to protecting and restoring nature, and has launched a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement plan so that we can now meet our domestic and international targets and re-establish the UK as an international leader on the environment, as part of the Plan for Change.
Responding to the publication of the NBSAP, Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said, “This action plan points to ambitious and much-needed targets and high-level strategies for tackling nature loss in the UK. But time is running out for these to just remain well-intentioned words on a piece of paper. Each of the UK’s countries and territories need to get on with the job of guaranteeing our global promises translate into action on the ground. Now we need strong legislation followed up with workable, properly funded polices to genuinely turn the tide for nature and climate. That work must begin today.”