The Government has announced a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) to be completed by the end of the year.
The Government has said it will develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore the natural environment with delivery plans to meet each of their ambitious Environment Act targets. This will focus on cleaning up waterways, reducing waste across the economy, planting millions more trees, improving air quality and halting the decline in species by 2030.
The review will engage with stakeholders across environment and nature, farming, resources, waste and water sectors, working hand in glove with businesses, local authorities and civil society across the country to develop new ambitious plans to save nature.
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, said:
“Nature is dying.
“Britain is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. Our animal species face extinction. Our precious landscapes are in decline. Our rivers, lakes and seas are awash with sewage and pollution. Air pollution continues to plague our towns and cities
“Nature underpins everything – the economy, food, health and society – but we stand at a moment in history when nature needs us to defend it.
“That is why today we begin to chart a new course. Working with civil society, business and local government, we will develop an ambitious programme to turn the tide and save nature.”
The announcement comes as the government publishes the Environmental Improvement Plan Annual Progress Report.
Responding to the ‘rapid review’ announcement, Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the OEP, said:
“We have found that Government is largely off track to meet the environmental ambitions as set out in the EIP. We welcome a rapid review of the EIP to make sure it can drive environmental protection and improvement at the scale and pace that is needed to address deeply concerning trends, and with the transparency that the sector and others need in order to fully play their part. We look forward to contributing to this review, and will continue to focus on the need for robust delivery plans and effective implementation.
“We also note the publication of Defra’s Annual Progress Report. We will consider this in detail as we prepare our own annual EIP progress report, which will be published in January.”
The Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA) welcomes a review of the Environmental Improvement Plan, but is calling for the range of disjointed environmental goals and targets across government to be synchronized.
Ben Goodwin, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at IEMA, said:
“A review of the Environmental Improvement Plan is clearly welcome because recent reports have so far reached the same conclusion, that the EIP is failing to deliver.
“We need an approach to delivery that marries up a range of different goals and targets that are currently disjointed – including global goals within the UN Biodiversity Plan, national goals set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan, targets in the Environment Act and what is needed at a local level to deliver nature recovery.
“The Government also needs to get on with developing a land use framework that draws together disparate policies on planning reform, biodiversity net gain and Environmental Land Management.
“On top of this it is critical that we take into account the interdependencies between the actions we take on climate change and nature.
“The reality is that there are currently a lot of moving parts that need to be synchronized. The Government has perhaps the best opportunity for a generation to take the bold action needed to truly enhance nature for future generations.”
