Less than 3% of England’s land is effectively protected for nature, far off commitments to protect 30% of the UK for nature by 2030, conservationists said.
The latest annual update from the Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) coalition of environmental and countryside groups also shows less than a tenth (9.92%) of England’s seas is effectively protected for nature.
Ahead of the global Cop16 meeting for nature in Colombia this month, conservation groups are calling for a “rapid rescue package” for UK nature, with more land designated for protection and restoration, improvements to existing protected areas and reform of farming and fisheries.
The assessment, which measures progress in England on the commitment to meet an international goal to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 in what is known as the 30×30 target, warned the amount of land effectively protected had fallen from last year’s 3.11% to just 2.93% this year.
Around 8.5% of England’s land is covered by a network of protected sites such as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) which are included towards the total.
But the WCL assessment warns many SSSIs are not in a favourable state, with just 2.93% of England’s land in SSSIs that are in a condition that means they are being effectively protected for nature.
The conservation network said climate change, water pollution and overgrazing are among the top reasons for habitat and wildlife suffering in these protected areas, although greater monitoring of SSSIs recently may also have contributed to the decline seen in the area assessed as being protected.
Meanwhile in the seas, areas conserved for nature include marine protected areas, but within these, wildlife-damaging activities such as trawling can still take place.
There has been a slight increase in the amount of sea protected in the latest assessment – 9.92%, up from 8% last year – due to the introduction of byelaws to ban bottom towed fishing gear across protected features in a number of sites.
The UK Government has committed to delivering domestically on the deal struck by nations at the UN Cop15 conference in Montreal, Canada, in 2022 to protect 30% of the world’s lands, seas, coasts and inland waters by 2030 as part of a package of targets to address the catastrophic declines in nature.
The aim to protect 30% of England’s land and sea for nature was originally forged by Boris Johnson as prime minister in 2020, while the devolved governments have also committed to the target in their nations, with conservationists in each country calling for urgent action to deliver the goal.
In England, protected areas originally included all of the country’s national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs), but conservationists warned they were primarily planning designations, and the Government later recognised they could not currently be included in the 30% target.
Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “The new Government is going to need to take giant strides in the next six years to meet internationally agreed 2030 nature targets.
“As we approach the five-year countdown to the deadline to restore nature, we’re calling for a rapid rescue package for UK nature.”
And he warned: “At the moment, the UK’s critical natural infrastructure is in a state of chronic neglect.
“More land needs to be designated for nature protection and restoration. Land that’s already protected needs a new lease of life.
“Farming and fisheries reform must be brought back to the top of the agenda.”
Katie-jo Luxton, global conservation director of the RSPB, said years had passed since the commitment to protect 30% of land had been made, but there was yet to be the “urgent action” needed for nature recovery.
She added: “Meanwhile, more species are being added to the red list of conservation concern, and this will only carry on if the conditions in our protected nature sites aren’t improved.
“We also need to see more places, from seabird foraging areas to our ancient woodlands and upland peatbogs, given protected status so they can revive threatened species such as puffin, curlew and willow tit.”
Hugo Tagholm, executive director of Oceana UK, said it was “hard to see” how protected areas would revive nature when they were damaged by bottom trawling or licensed for oil and gas exploration.
“It’s time that protected really means protected, so that our oceans can support wildlife, fight the climate crisis, and support sustainable fishing,” he urged.
An Environment Department (Defra) spokesperson said: “Progress to restore nature has been too slow. Britain is currently one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, yet it underpins everything – the economy, food, health and society.
“It’s why this Government has wasted no time in announcing a rapid review to deliver on our legally binding environment targets, including how we can accelerate progress to hitting our international commitments of protecting 30% of the UK’s land and sea by 2030.”
