A comprehensive document has been published detailing goals and measures government will take to improve and support nature. Here’s what you need to know.
Unveiled yesterday. Monday 1st December, the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) is billed as a new strategic framework for preventing the decline of nature and assisting recovery. This builds on the Environment Act 2021, updating targets where necessary.
Spread across five chapters – Restored Nature, Environmental Quality, Circular Economy, Environmental Security, and Access to Nature – each comes with a series of goals and commitments to measures which, in theory, will help realise the overarching aims. Key promises include unlocking private investment and finance opportunities, publishing 48 Local Nature Recovery Strategies which can be used by public, private and voluntary sectors, and tackle societal barriers to sustainable choices.
Policymakers have also doubled down on conserving and managing 30% of land by 2030, by which time 50% of all SSSI features must be ‘on track to achieve favourable condition’. Within this, 250,000 hectares of wildlife rich land will be created, which will be separated from existing protected sites. Specific promises linked to ongoing air pollution reductions will be delivered, too, This means ammonia should fall by 16%, sulphur dioxide by 88%, nitrogen dioxide by 73%, particulate matter by 46%, and non-methane volatile organic compounds will drop by 39%.
Water is unsurprisingly a major issue, and the government has laid out a number of steps to improving standards. For example, catchment partnerships will be bolstered, allowing for more effective coordination of action between sectors. Standardised sustainable drainage systems will be required in all new developments.
Meanwhile, rivers will see greater protection with eight mine water treatment schemes and 20 diffuse interventions affording greater control over the flow of substances into bodies and there will be a renewed focus on restoring chalk streams. £24 billion in water company expenditure on environmental improvements will also be supported, including £10 billion for storm overflow upgrades.
Chemical and pesticide use will also drop, with management of applications tightened to boost safety. The existing UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) will undergo reform. Elsewhere, waste will come down, so by 2030 the total mass of municipal food being thrown way will not exceed 64kg, and a growth plan for the circular economy will be published in 2026.
Finally, a number of steps are outlined to maximise natural resource production, management and sustainability. Hardwood cultivation and output will grow compared with 2024 levels, which in turn will help expand the low-carbon timber construction sector in England, which is currently significantly smaller than Scotland’s. A minimum of 40% of agricultural soil will be brought into sustainable management by 2028, rising to 60% by 2030.
You can read the full document here.
Image: Gildardo RH / Unsplash
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