The UK has taken a leading role at the UN Biodiversity COP16 conference announcing an ambitious international package to protect and restore nature across the world.
At the conference, Environment Secretary Steve Reed set out new criteria to meet England’s 30by30 targets.
Achieving 30 percent of land and sea protected for nature is a key pillar of global efforts to halt the decline of nature and create new areas for wildlife with countries around the world signed up to the target. The Government has worked with farming groups and nature organisations to finalise the criteria for land that can count toward 30by30 in England and accelerate progress toward the target.
To ensure the final criteria are applied consistently across land in England, the update also confirms that Sites of Special Scientific Interest will only count towards 30by30 if they are in favourable or recovering condition. This revises existing estimates to show that approximately 7.1% of England’s land currently counts towards the target.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed, speaking at a meeting of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People at COP16, said:
“Nature around the world is declining at an alarming rate.
“At COP16, we have put Britain back on the global stage to support nature’s recovery.
“The UK is calling for high ambition and momentum to reach our international targets to protect and restore the natural world.”
