A new data has shown that the amount of land that is protected for nature in England has fallen to just 2.93%, despite government promises to conserve 30% of it by 2030.
Campaigners are calling for a “rapid rescue package for UK nature”, as government delegates head to Cop16, the international nature summit, which will take place from 21 October in Colombia. They intend to ask other countries to stick to ambitious nature targets.
The commitment to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030 was made in 2020 by the then prime minister, Boris Johnson. But according to a report by Wildlife and Countryside Link, 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 is at 9.92%.
The amount of land protected for nature is down from last year’s update, which was at 3.11%, while 8% of sea in England was effectively protected for nature in 2023. Protecting land for nature means there are clear boundaries and laws in place to ensure wildlife is not harmed or destroyed and nature is not being depleted.
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The figures are falling owing to declines in quality of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), which are changing because of the climate crisis, water pollution and overgrazing. National parks should be areas where land is in good condition, but previous reports show that nature within these sites is often no better than outside them.
Currently only designated nature sites such as SSSIs within national parks count as protected for nature as the parks themselves are not specifically designed for nature but for recreation, unique views and other attributes.
There are small improvements in the protection of England’s seas because of new laws to prohibit destructive fishing. In March 2024, ministers introduced bylaws prohibiting bottom-towed fishing gear across some marine protected areas (MPAs).
Experts are calling on the government to set out plans for improving the condition of protected nature sites, and for bylaws to be published to halt damaging fishing activity across all MPAs by the end of 2024.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
