Dear Constituent,
Thank you for being in touch on environmental protections.
The Government is committed to leaving the environment in a better state than it found it. In that spirit, I asked the ministerial team at Defra to explain how the Government will promote environmental protection and I set out here the response I have received from Trudy Harrison MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Land Use:
‘Nature is in need of our help. We have been clear about the importance of environmental protection across the UK, not least through our world leading Environment Act, through which we have set a new legally binding target to halt the decline in species by 2030. We are committed to meeting this target and we will continue to improve our regulations and wildlife laws in line with our ambitious vision.
In March 2022, we published the Nature Recovery Green Paper setting out our proposals to reform our system of protections to better support this ambitious work, including the Habitats Regulations. We seek to create a system that better reflects the latest science and impending impacts of climate change, our domestic species and habitats, and helps us to achieve our significant goals to recover nature. The Nature Recovery Green Paper consultation closed in May 2022. We are now in the process of analysing responses and will publish a response as soon as possible, on conclusion of this exercise.
In reviewing retained EU law (REUL), Defra’s aim is to ensure that environmental law is fit for purpose and able to drive improved environmental outcomes, whilst also ensuring regulators can deliver efficiently. This will ensure the UK regulatory framework is appropriate and tailored to the UK. The Government has been clear that any changes to REUL will not have the effect of reducing the levels of environmental protection.
As the Prime Minister has set out, protecting our environment is at the heart of the Government’s manifesto commitments and we will always back British farmers and our rural communities. I can confirm that we are pressing ahead with our environmental land management schemes. We will continue to work closely with farmers, land managers and environmental groups as we look at ways to improve our future farming policy, so that it both strengthens our environment and supports our thriving food and farming sector.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the international body devoted to biodiversity. In December 2022 at the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the CBD, the 196 Parties to the CBD agreed a landmark new global deal for nature, including to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030, and to dramatically increase the mobilisation of resources for tackling nature loss.
UK diplomatic leadership was critical to agreeing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and we will continue to champion the Framework’s implementation. This includes: commitments to increase finance for nature by investing £3 billion of climate finance in nature between 2021 and 2026; aligning relevant international development flows commensurate with ambition of the Global Biodiversity Framework; and working with the Multilateral Development Banks to increase their investment for the protection and restoration of biodiversity.
Finally, the Investment Zones programme had aims of accelerating the housing and commercial development the UK needs to drive economic growth.
Following the appointment of the new Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Chancellor have reviewed the programme and can now confirm that Investment Zone policy is going to be refocused on productivity, improving growth and job creation. The previous Expressions of Interest process will not be taken forward as a result.’
Further to this, the Government has now published the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023. The Plan sets out how the government will:
- Create and restore at least 500,000 hectares of new wildlife habitats, starting with 70 new wildlife projects including 25 new or expanded National Nature Reserves and 19 further Nature Recovery Projects
- Deliver a clean and plentiful supply of water for people and nature into the future, by tackling leaks, publishing a roadmap to boost household water efficiency, and enabling greater sources of supply
- Challenge councils to improve air quality more quickly and tackle key hotspots.
- Transform the management of 70% of our countryside by incentivising farmers to adopt nature-friendly practices.
- Boost green growth and create new jobs – from foresters and farmers to roles in green finance and research and development.
I hope that this is helpful and thank you again for contacting me.
Yours sincerely,
Mel Stride MP
MP for Central Devon
