Thank you to those who have contacted me about rewilding and the decline of nature in the UK. The climate and nature crisis is the greatest long-term global challenge we face and we find ourselves at a critical moment for nature.
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted nations worldwide and is suffering from a significant loss of biodiversity. I know that environmental organisations have felt for too long that their concerns have not been listened to and I pay tribute to the many people involved in fighting to protect vulnerable habitats and species.
I do not believe enough action was taken under the previous Government. In January, the Office for Environmental Protection described its efforts as “largely off track to meet its environmental ambitions”.
The new Government has recently announced a rapid review of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs’ Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver on legally binding targets to save nature, and I will follow developments closely. After more than a decade of being on a trajectory of decline, we must now get back on track here at home, so we can lead on getting back on track globally as well.
I share the new Environment Secretary’s ambition to speed up nature’s recovery, reset our approach, increase our ambitions and work with increased momentum. We will do this so that future generations can enjoy a sense of national pride in our beautiful countryside, with clean rivers and fresh air.
Nature recovery is one of the new Government’s core environmental priorities, alongside cleaning up our waterways, protecting communities from flooding, boosting food security, and promoting a zero-waste economy.
I believe now is the time to deliver for nature, to meet our Environment Act targets, and to work in partnership with civil society, communities and business to restore and protect our natural world.
I support plans to improve responsible access to nature, to create nine new National River Walks, and to establish new National Forests in England while planting millions of trees and creating new woodlands. I am also pleased that the new Government has pledged to expand nature-rich habitats such as wetlands, peat bogs and forests so wildlife can thrive, including on public land.
