Pied flycatcher by Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Demand better for wildlife
Recovery, not ruin!
Current UK Government plans would mean less nature in England in 20 years’ time. This is not good enough!
We asked you to help us to demand more for nature - and were thrilled when over 60,000 of you added your name. Even better, over 10,000 of you left personal comments, explaining why nature's recovery is so important to you.
The public consultation closed on 27th June, and on Wednesday 29th June we headed to Downing Street to hand in the petition, and share all of your thoughts with the Prime Minister!
Chris Wood
Why is this so important?
The brand new Environment Act requires legally binding targets to be set this year, which will drive environmental action and policy decisions including planning, as well as impact on finance, health and education budgets.
There needs to be far more ambitious species abundance targets than are currently going to be set out in law.
We can all have a better future with nature!
Over 50 years levels of abundance in England's wildlife have been drastically declining. Today, wildlife populations are the lowest they have ever been and many species once common across fields and gardens are close to being lost forever. But nature can recover, if we give it a chance. By helping nature’s recovery, we can halt the decline in nature, and create a wilder future together that everyone, everywhere can enjoy.
But current UK Government plans would mean less nature in England in 20 years’ time. This is not good enough.
Don't allow the nature crisis to continue.
Want to know more about why this is important? We've got you covered
Why is this is important?
Legally binding targets for recovery drive action and can lead to more conservation interventions, for example beaver reintroductions and peatland restoration. Programmes like these are supported through national policy and measured against targets for delivery.
Setting targets in law should also ensure greater enforcement, ensuring the regulations that are designed to protect nature actually do.
The final targets are due to be laid before Parliament in October – the proposals must be strengthened in order to live up to the Government’s promise of passing on nature in better condition for the next generation.
What are the targets within the Environment Act?
The proposed targets cover air quality, water, waste and species abundance.
We are particularly concerned about the species target, and want as many people as possible to respond to this. The UK Government wants to ‘halt the decline in our wildlife populations through a legally binding target for species abundance by 2030 with a requirement to increase species populations by 10% by 2042’.
What's wrong with the Government’s targets, why aren't they ambitious enough?
Plainly put, it means wildlife continues to disappear for 8 more years, before improving a bit, with around 10% more wildlife coming back 12 years later.
And nature will be in the same state it is in now - maybe worse - in 20 years’ time.
Increasing wildlife populations is key to improving the air quality, water quality and the overall environment as well as our own health and wellbeing.
The UK Government promised to “leave nature better than it found it”. But by setting such a low target for nature’s recovery by 2042, when overall decline isn’t expected to halt until 2030, we’ll end up in a worse situation than today. In 20 years’ time, nature will be in the same state it is now.
Now, we are in a nature crisis.
What difference can I make?
By signing our petition you're supporting a Wilder Future, and asking the Government to be more ambitious.
Your action will be counted as a response to the Government’s question ‘Do you agree or disagree with the level of ambition of a 10% increase proposed for the long-term species abundance target’ and added to the many thousands of other who feel the same, as part of our formal submission to the consultation. We will not pass on your personal details. You can also share your views on another question the government has asked, by typing into the box. We will collate a representative that reflects the common themes and opinions given and incorporate these into our final submission.
We may also use comments to inspire and motivate others during this campaign. If so, these will be anonymised or we will contact you to ask permission to credit, or to discuss possible further engagement in the campaign.
Can I respond to the consultation directly?
Yes! We have found this to be a fairly complex Government consultation, it covers a wide range of topics including wildlife populations, water and air quality and waste. You are welcome to use our guidance to help you submit your own response. The more you personalise your response by adding your views, the more likely it is to be counted.
As well as signing our petition you can respond directly online, or email your response to the consultation team: environmentaltargets@defra.gov.uk. The consultation closes on 27 June.
We recommend responding to the following questions in particular:
Question 8: Do you agree or disagree with the level of ambition of a 10% increase proposed for the long-term species abundance target?
- Disagree
Question 9: [If disagree] What reasons can you provide for why the government should consider a different level of ambition?
Below are The Wildlife Trusts’ 3 recommendations for how the Government should reconsider the ambition of its targets for species abundance, the condition of protected sites, and water quality.
Legally binding targets are the centrepiece of the Environment Act’s framework for restoring nature. If done well, these can provide the long-term certainty needed to drive action and investment in environmental restoration and ensure that future governments are held accountable for their action on nature.
Unfortunately, these initial proposals are limited in both scope and ambition.
The Wildlife Trusts would like to see three major changes to the current proposals:
- A stronger species abundance target
The target to increase the abundance of wildlife by 10% by 2042 compared to 2030 levels is too weak and too uncertain. If, as expected, wildlife continues to decline for the rest of the decade, it could mean that wildlife is less abundant by 2042 than it is now. This falls short of the Government’s promise to pass on nature to the next generation in better condition.
Instead, the Government should set a target to increase the abundance of species (both marine and terrestrial) by at least 20% by 2042 compared to 2022 levels.
- A target for protected sites condition
The extent and quality of habitats are crucial to nature’s recovery. At the moment, just 38% of SSSIs in England are in favourable condition, despite being some of the most precious sites for nature. Yet the Government has not proposed a statutory target to improve the state of protected sites, despite its commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to ensure that three quarters are in good condition.
The Government should set a habitats target for at least 75% of our finest wildlife sites (like Sites of Special Scientific Interest, SSSIs) to be in ‘favourable’ condition by 2042.
- An overall target for water
England has some of the worst-quality rivers in Europe. Only 14% of our rivers achieve ‘good ecological status’. Pollution from agriculture, sewage, roads and plastics is destroying freshwater habitats and making our rivers dangerous for both humans and wildlife. Currently River Basin Management Plans set a target for improvement, but after 2027 there will be no overall target holding the Government or pollutors to account.
Alone, the four targets proposed will be insufficient. There could be improvements in pollution from particular sources, whilst the overall health of our rivers, lakes, estuaries and coasts continues to decline. In particular, agricultural water pollution is overlooked and the target for water companies does not cover nitrates or sewer overflows.
The Government should set a long-term “outcome” target for at least 75% of rivers, streams and other freshwater bodies to reach an overall “clean waters” status by 2042, in addition to stronger targets for pollution reduction and abstraction reduction.