Just seven per cent of England is currently protected for nature, the Government has said, as it set out rules to help meet a global goal to protect 30 per cent of land by 2030.

Officials said protected landscapes such as national parks, will deliver the “backbone” of areas conserved for nature, though they currently do not count towards the total, and the target could also include areas of nature-friendly farming.

The UK has signed up to global commitments to protect 30 per cent of its land and seas for nature by 2030, known as 30×30, as part of efforts to halt catastrophic declines in wildlife.

The Government has published the criteria for what land can be counted towards the target, as countries meet in Colombia for the latest round of international talks on restoring nature.

The move has been welcomed by conservationists as “an important step” for delivering on the 30x30 pledge, but they called for it to be matched by high-speed delivery.

Draft criteria on what can be classed as protected for nature to meet the 30 per cent target for land in England were published under the previous government last year, concluding 8.5 per cent of land was covered by conservation designations.

Now the Labour government has published the final criteria, and said only Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) that are in a favourable or unfavourable but recovering condition, which make up around 6.4 per cent of England’s land area, can count towards the target.

A further 0.7 per cent of land is covered by national nature reserves and public woodland which is being managed favourably for wildlife, bringing the total to 7.1 per cent.

The criteria say that to count towards the 30 per cent target, areas of land must show their purpose includes conservation, which should be sustained over the long term for at least 20 years, and that the area will be protected against loss or damage to wildlife.

As well as this, they should be effectively managed to deliver outcomes for nature.

Defra said analysis was now being undertaken to identify further land that was already meeting the criteria, while a pilot scheme will begin later this year and a delivery strategy will be developed in 2025.

New contributions to the 30x30 total will be voluntary, so buy in from landowners and managers will be “crucial to achieving the target”, Defra said.

It will be incorporating 30x30 into schemes such as the environmental land management schemes (ELMs) which pay landowners to deliver for wildlife through a range of measures from rewilding to nature-friendly farming and habitat creation – but which have been threatened with budget cuts.

Tony Juniper, chair of the Government nature agency Natural England, said it was vital to halt and reverse the decline of nature, which was fundamental for sustaining health, wealth and security.