The sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (21st October to 1st November 2024) is the first opportunity for the world to measure progress towards the global nature goals agreed in December 2022.
New report shows how UK can reverse nature loss and lead on world stage
The Wildlife Trusts launch a report which outlines the steps UK Government must take to reverse nature loss and meet global targets.
Climate march Nottingham by Leanne Manchester
To coincide with COP 16, The Wildlife Trusts have published Local to Global – the Global Biodiversity Framework and what the UK needs to do to implement it which outlines the steps UK Government must take to reverse nature loss and meet global targets.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says:
“Two years ago nearly 200 countries came together to agree a global biodiversity framework. At the time it was enthusiastically championed by the UK – but we’ve yet to see progress on halting, let alone reversing, nature loss. It’s vital that the UK gets stuck into reducing river pollution, protecting more land for nature and halving the use of pesticides, to name a few – otherwise this country will fail its targets and completely undermine the international agreement.
“There’s a colossal job to do in the next five years and we urgently need to see a radical approach to rebuilding our natural infrastructure fast. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world whose degradation is so acute it is known to be causing big losses to UK GDP. So it’s brilliant to see that the new Government has signalled it takes the situation seriously and regards nature loss as a global security issue and is conducting a rapid review of its Environmental Improvement Plan.
“Meanwhile there are things the Government could do right now. They could ban the sale of peat, allow wild beaver reintroductions and introduce Wildbelt to put more land aside for nature recovery. Communities are already suffering from the effects of climate change – we’re experiencing extreme weather and floods – yet authorities are still reaching for short-term hard engineering solutions instead of rewilding floodplains to soak up water. The new UK Government must announce bold action for nature at home on the international stage.”
The Convention on Biological Diversity is a vitally important global treaty. The world’s biodiversity is fast decreasing and action is urgently needed to prevent ecological collapse. The 2021 Dasgupta Review of The Economics of Biodiversity, commissioned by HM Treasury, warned that “our unsustainable engagement with nature is endangering the prosperity of current and future generations.”
Despite often being a key player on the international stage for both climate and biodiversity, including spearheading the Leaders Pledge for Nature in 2020, the UK has not backed this up with implementation at home. The UK’s international environmental leadership threatens to be undermined by the fact that the UK Government is on track to meet only four of its 40 individual domestic environmental targets and remains one of the most nature-depleted countries on the planet.
The goals and targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed at the last Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in December 2022, focus on bending the curve of nature loss, rather than just halting its decline. The Wildlife Trusts’ report looks where implementation is urgently needed to ensure nature’s recovery by the end of: the decade under the three target headings of reducing threats to biodiversity; meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing; and tools and solutions for implementation and mainstreaming.
The Wildlife Trusts want to see the Government pledge to make fast progress on commitments to:
1) Protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. The UK Government was instrumental in securing this international target and has committed to meeting it at home. Unfortunately, the UK is not on track to meet this target and is even regressing – the amount of land in England alone that can be said to be effectively protected for nature has fallen to just 2.93% while the amount of sea protected and effectively managed continues to lag at 9.7%.
2) Publish a plan to halt natures decline by 2030. The UK Government has announced its intention to undertake a rapid statutory review of its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), to be completed by the end of the year. The updated EIP must clearly set out the policies and funding necessary to meet the Environment Act targets and commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
3) Halve the harm from pesticides and clean-up rivers by 2030. The Global Biodiversity Framework includes targets to reduce excess nutrients lost to the environment and reduce the overall risk from pesticides by at least half. To meet this, the UK Government must publish a credible National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides, which is currently 6 years overdue, and empower environmental watchdogs to ensure they can enforce penalties when the water pollution laws are broken. Environmental Land Management schemes need to fund delivery of better buffers alongside rivers and Catchment Nutrient Budgets should ensure that reductions are ecologically targeted.
You can keep up-to-date with The Wildlife Trusts at COP16.
Editor's notes
Overall responsibility for fulfilling the UK’s commitments as a Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity lies with the UK Government. However, as environmental policy is a devolved function, the four countries of the UK are each responsible for developing their own approaches towards meeting biodiversity commitments. This report looks at actions the UK Government should take to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework and therefore mainly makes recommendations for policy in England.
The amount of land in England alone that can be said to be effectively protected for nature has fallen to just 2.93% while the amount of sea protected and effectively managed continues to lag at 9.7%. See Urgent UK nature rescue plan needed around COP16 talks to plug massive 30x30 target gap.
The UK Government has announced its intention to undertake a rapid statutory review of its Environmental Improvement Plan. See Government launches rapid review to meet Environment Act targets.