Thank you for contacting me about nature protection.
Biodiversity loss is a global problem that needs a global solution, and the UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework to be adopted at COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
As part of the global biodiversity framework, I know that the UK will be advocating for ambitious global targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. This includes targets to ensure at least 30 per cent of the global land and of the ocean is protected, ecosystems are restored, species population sizes are recovering, and extinctions are halted by 2050.
Further, the UK’s United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Presidency placed nature at the heart of COP26. I know that the Government’s priority is to continue to ensure there is global recognition that biodiversity loss and climate change is inextricably linked, and that action on nature is vital for achieving Paris goals.
Domestically, the Environment Act 2021 requires the Government to set at least one long-term legally binding target in four priority areas (air quality, biodiversity, water, and waste reduction and resource efficiency) as well as a target for fine particulate matter. The Act introduces a powerful package of new policies and tools. Biodiversity net gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities will work together to drive action, to create or restore rich habitats that enable wildlife to recover and thrive, while conservation covenants will help secure habitat for the long term. In addition, the Act requires a new, historic legally binding target to be set to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, as a core part of our commitment to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.