On Wednesday 19th October, The Guardian published the following piece, UK shows 'alarming lack of progress' in hitting vital 30x30 nature target. Here is our response.
Environmental organisations are calling for more land designations in their first annual progress report on the Government’s commitment to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. However, designations in themselves will not achieve what they seek - the restoration of biodiversity. To focus efforts on greater legal protection is missing the point that if biodiversity is there, it’s because of how the land is being looked after. There are plenty of places that are designated but in poor condition and plenty of others that aren’t where nature is thriving.
Without the commitment of the people managing the land on the ground, the habitat will not be maintained or improved and there is a risk that restrictive legislation could achieve the opposite of what was intended. If farmers feel more regulations are making it impossible for them to do their job of growing food, they will be disinclined to go the extra mile for nature. Even worse they might not want to see wildlife on their land for fear it will lead to restrictions on their business. Whereas giving them the support through new ELMS schemes to take advantage of properly funded measures integrated into their farming systems, is far more likely to lead to an increase in biodiversity that we all want to see, not just in protected areas, but across the whole of the UK.
Yours faithfully
Dr Alastair Leake, Director of Policy Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust