To be clear, the Government is not rowing back on commitments to nature. The Environment Act 2021 includes a commitment to halt the decline of nature by 2030. Internationally, the UK has committed to protect 30% of its land and ocean by 2030, through the Leaders Pledge for Nature, which committed to putting nature and biodiversity globally on a road to recovery by 2030.
Other targets through the Environment Act include improving the Red List Index for England for species extinction risk by 2042, as well as restoring or creating over 500,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by 2042.
Further, Local Nature Recovery Strategies will map important habitats and areas for nature recovery and enhancement.
Finally, I welcome that at COP15, nearly 200 countries supported a new deal to protect nature. The agreement includes a global commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and also to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030.