11 October 2024
The annual update from Wildlife and Countryside Link into progress in England on the target to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 (the “30x30 target”) shows continuation of a worrying trend. The amount of land in England that can be said to be effectively protected for nature has fallen to just 2.93% while the amount of sea protected continues to lag at 9.92%. [1] [2] This follows last year’s update on progress showing 3.11% of land and 8% of sea in England was effectively protected for nature.
Falls in the amount of land protected for nature is due to a steady decline over the past decade in the number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in good ecological condition. [3] 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% of land last assessed before 2011 was classified as declining, this rose to 31% for those assessed in 2021 - 2022) [4] 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 byelaws prohibiting banned bottom towed fishing gear across protected features in 13 offshore. This welcomed decision has led to a further 1.7% of English waters being protected from the most damaging forms of fishing.
Link's report covers protected land and sea in England only. The UK Government committed to meeting this international target to effectively protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 at home. Governments have committed to deliver this target in each of the four countries of the UK, as devolved nations are responsible for environmental policy and protection, with nature groups within Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland expressing the need for urgent action in all countries to make progress towards achieving the 30% target.
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 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.”
Katie-jo Luxton, Global Conservation Director of the RSPB said: “We welcomed the commitment to protect 30% of our land for nature, but years have passed since this was made and we’re just not seeing the urgent action that is needed for nature recovery. Meanwhile, more species are being added to the red list of conservation concern, and this will only carry on if the conditions in our protected nature sites aren’t improved. We also need to see more places, from seabird foraging areas to our ancient woodlands and upland peatbogs given protected status so they can revive threatened species such as Puffin, Curlew and Willow Tit.”
Hugo Tagholm, Executive Director of Oceana UK, said: “Our ocean protections are often barely worth the paper they’re written on. It’s hard to see how our protected areas will do much to revive nature when they’re being ripped apart by bottom trawling or licensed for oil and gas exploration. It’s time that protected really means protected, so that our oceans can support wildlife, fight the climate crisis, and support sustainable fishing.”
The 30x30 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 30x30 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%. 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. This would allow the Government to identify and target actions needed to boost the condition of nature and to start to progress towards meaningfully achieving the 30% target
Dr Rose O’Neill, Chief Executive, Campaign for National Parks: “Our protected landscapes have huge potential to restore nature, fight climate change, and help get us to 30% 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.”
Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Marine habitats can be huge allies in the fight against climate change, providing they are properly protected. Currently, damaging activities such as bottom trawling continue to take place throughout UK seas, including in most Marine Protected Areas. Inflicting damage to habitats undermines nature’s ability to capture and store carbon. We desperately need more land and sea protected because the UK’s progress on achieving 30x30 is embarrassingly slow.”
The report comes after further damning evidence on the state of nature across the country, with the most recent Birds of Conservation Concern seabirds assessment adding a further six species to the red list.
Nature charities are calling for action to be taken before the end of the year to get progress to the 30x30 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, Link is calling for byelaws 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:
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:
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
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