Biodiversity > UK needs to do more work to reach 30×30 nature goal, scientists say

UK needs to do more work to reach 30×30 nature goal, scientists say

Published 13:52 on January 4, 2024  /  Last updated at 13:52 on January 4, 2024  / Thomas Cox /  Biodiversity, International, UK ETS

The UK government must take further action to reach its target of conserving 30% of the country’s land and sea by 2030 (30x30), beyond its national guidance, a society of ecology-focused scientists has said.

The UK government must take further action to reach its target of conserving 30% of the country’s land and sea by 2030 (30×30), beyond its national guidance, a society of ecology-focused scientists has said.

The condition of many areas said to contribute to the goal by the government is unfavourable, or not monitored, the British Ecological Society said.

“More work is needed to make sure that only areas in protected landscapes and Other Effective area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) that deliver on biodiversity conservation count towards 30×30,” it said in an article on its website.

Last month, the government published guidance on how England can deliver on its 30×30 conservation commitment with a map (see below) with two categories:

  • Areas that already count towards the 30×30, including sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) and national nature reserves, covering 8.5% of land in England
  • Areas that could count towards 30×30, including local nature reserves, UNESCO world heritage sites, and country parks, covering an additional 26.8% of land

British Ecological Society said that under the government guidance, protected sites that are currently in unfavourable condition count towards 30×30.

Only 39% of England’s SSSI’s are in a “favourable” condition, according to Natural England analysis. Some 38% of the sites are in some form of “unfavourable” condition, while 22% are “not recorded”.

However, the society noted these figures should improve if the government delivers on its ambition to have 50% of SSSIs in England on track to achieving favourable condition by 2028.

View the government map:

government map

Source: UK government, December 2023

UNJUSTIFIABLE MARINE CLAIM

The government’s statements on marine-related areas in the 30×30 guidance also concerned the British Ecological Society.

“While on paper 40% of English waters are protected with the majority of features in favourable condition, in practice, the picture isn’t so good. Most sites are rarely monitored to assess the current condition,” the society said.

Without the government tackling impacts on marine areas like agricultural pollution, claims that the UK has met its 30×30 target are “unjustifiable”.

Nevertheless, the government said that some fisheries management measures should be in place by the end of 2024, the society noted. “In some cases, this should be sufficient to ensure protection and recovery of protected features.”

Carbon Pulse has asked the government for a response, but not yet received a reply by the time of publication.

MARKET

Land owners and managers outside protected sites will be able to contribute to the 30×30 target on a voluntary basis, the government said in the guidance.

These include measures such as a mandatory ‘biodiversity net gain’ requirement for new developments, meaning developers should leave the site in a measurably better condition than before they arrived.

The government will also invest in nature through actions such as:

  • Committing £100 million to the programme ‘Farming in Protected Landscapes’
  • Raising at least £500 mln in private finance to support nature recovery every year by 2027
  • Launching a £25 mln Species Survival Fund

30×30 TARGET

As part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) agreed at COP15 in 2022, countries agreed to the 30×30 goal. A global fund was set up last year with contributions from the UK to help 136 countries deliver on the 23 targets outlined in the GBF.

The UK committed to 30×30 two years before COP15, claiming it helped the final agreement of the biodiversity conference to adopt the target.

Countries around the world are ramping up biodiversity action in a bid to reach 30×30.

OECMs, first mentioned over a decade ago but only properly defined in 2018 by conservation group IUCN, are areas that provide long-term biodiversity conservation even if that isn’t their primary function, such as public parks.

The conversation on OECMs is heating up, with some pushing for governments to speed up the process of recognising such efforts while others are expressing concern they may dilute actions to reach 30×30.

In September, a coalition of more than 78 UK-based environmental organisations said the government lacked progress on its 30×30 nature-protection pledge.

By Thomas Cox – t.cox@carbon-pulse.com

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