Environment experts fear the UK government's pledge to protect at least 30 per cent of land and sea for nature by 2030 will be an “empty promise”.
It comes as only 3.22 per cent of England's land has been protected in the last two years — and 0.22 per cent in the last year.
In its latest report, the Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) has raised serious concerns that the UK's promises will not be met.
“The government has made little progress in the past year,” the report said.
“This is extremely concerning as the government has a long way to go to achieve 30x30 with only 3.22 per cent of England’s land and a maximum of 8 per cent of England’s seas currently protected and effectively managed for nature.
“At this rate of progress, 30x30 will remain an empty promise that does not change the state of nature.”
It warns that few additional land and sea sites have been protected for nature and says the government needs to act now to expand them.
“Better, bigger, more and connected spaces for nature on land and at sea — as advocated in the government’s 2011 Natural Environment White Paper — are needed for nature to recover and thrive by 2030,” the report said.
“The government must act now to strengthen, improve and expand protected areas to ensure that England enjoys a nature-positive economy by 2030.
“Another year closer to 2030 and with the Cop15 biodiversity conference swiftly approaching in December 2022, the government must take urgent and ambitious action to deliver 30x30 in England.
“So far, it is not on track to meet this headline commitment, which has been relied on so often as evidence of the government’s commitment to nature.”
The report also says management of protected areas needs improving and calls for the government to make “urgent and genuine” progress.
“The government must take rapid steps to strengthen, extend and improve the management of protected areas, including protected sites and protected landscapes, and consider other potential tools to effectively protect and manage land for nature,” it said.
“Even where there are designations for wildlife in place, many sites are poorly-managed, they are not in good ecological condition and have not been monitored for many years.
“On monitoring, only 27 per cent of Sites of Special Scientific Interest have been visited for monitoring purposes in the last six years. This means 73 per cent of SSSIs have not had a condition assessment in the last six years.”
WCL wants the government to commit to making a legally binding Environment Act to restore at least 75 per cent of the sites to favourable condition by 2042 and interim five-year targets to track progress.
“There is still time to take credible action to achieve 30x30 in England, creating thriving nature across the land and sea, contributing to tackling climate change and supporting the health and well-being benefits of a healthy natural environment,” it said.
“But as things stand, the UK government risks a lacklustre approach to 30x30 that will undermine its international leadership and scupper its chances of halting the decline of biodiversity by 2030.”
The UN's Biodiversity Conference, Cop15, will be held in Canada in December.
