A core tool in the government’s achievement of its biodiversity targets is the ambition to protect 30% of England’s land by 2030.
A recent policy paper from Defra has identified that this cannot be solely achieved through specific designations given that they only cover c8% of the land. Approaches to ‘protecting’ another c27% are identified from improving biodiversity delivery in designated landscapes, initiatives such as Landscape Recovery projects and working with land manager and farmers on a collaborative, voluntary basis. Government wants land managers, landowners and farmers to voluntarily commit to managing land in accordance with three central principles – purpose (biodiversity conservation), protection (legal or other effective means) and management (to sustain positive long-term outcomes for biodiversity). Such ‘voluntary’ initiatives outside existing protected areas are likely to be termed Other Effective Area Based Conservation Measure (OECM), as defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Elliott Miller, Head of 30by30 on land at Defra, and Teresa Dent, CEO of the GWCT, presented on the ambitions for 30by30 and the opportunity for farmer/land manager-led collaborations such as Environmental Farmers Groups.
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