The UK unveiled an international initiative aimed at safeguarding and restoring nature globally, along with a new strategy to preserve 30% of land by 2030, announced on Tuesday, October 29 at the COP16 biodiversity conference in Colombia.

The goal to protect 30% of land and sea serves as a foundational element of global efforts to stop biodiversity loss and establish new wildlife restoration areas in nations committed to the 30by30 initiative.

The government collaborated with agricultural organisations and environmental groups to define the criteria necessary for land to contribute to the 30by30 target in England.

Currently, around 7.1% of English land qualifies towards this goal.

MORE NEWS | Crofting for the future' by the Scottish Crofting Federation

MORE NEWS | Hutton hunts for soil ambassadors

To ensure the consistent application of this criterion across England, the update specifies that Sites of Special Scientific Interest will only count towards the 30by30 target if they are in a favourable or recovering state.

Environment secretary Steve Reed, addressing the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People at COP16, stated: “Nature around the world is declining at an alarming rate. At COP16, we have put Britain back on the global stage to support nature’s recovery.

“The UK is calling for high ambition and momentum to reach our international targets to protect and restore the natural world.”

Ongoing analysis aims to identify additional land that may already fulfil the criteria, along with determining where action and support are necessary to expedite progress.

A 30by30 pilot is scheduled for later this year, with the government planning to collaborate with partners to formulate a delivery strategy in 2025.

Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England remarked: “It is vital that we halt and reverse the decline of Nature. Our planet’s web of life is fundamental for sustaining our health, wealth and security and further declines in the health of the natural world will undermine growth and well-being, threaten water and food supplies and diminish our resilience in the face of a fast-changing climate.

“We must take urgent action to restore nature in England at every level, and the criteria for delivering 30by30 is a welcome step which translates the ambitions of our international commitments into meaningful action on the ground.”

Richard Benwell, chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link, also commented on the 30by30 initiative: “As COP16 nature talks progress in Colombia, the UK is showing real rigour in its approach to 30by30.

“Now high-standard accounting must be matched by high-speed delivery. There’s a credible risk that Governments spend years adding up what should “count” toward 30by30 without actually improving the world.”

Benwell added: “We welcome the new commitment to a 30by30 delivery strategy, which must begin without delay. Faster farming reform, spatial planning for nature’s recovery, and large-

The preservation of nature both domestically and internationally is crucial to the government’s environmental agenda, which seeks to tackle the dual challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

This initiative builds on ongoing nature restoration efforts, including a swift review of the Environmental Improvement Plan and the development of new strategies to achieve targets related to air quality, the circular economy and water standards.

New legislation has been enacted to reduce pollution in waterways caused by underperforming water companies, alongside the creation of a ‘Flood Resilience Taskforce’ aimed at enhancing flood defence construction and tree planting to safeguard communities from the effects of extreme weather.