• Government sets out the path to protecting 30% of land by 2030
• Special Representative for Nature Ruth Davis will drive coordinated international action on nature

The UK has today (29 October) taken a leading role at the UN Biodiversity COP16 conference announcing an ambitious international package to protect and restore nature across the world.  

At the conference, Environment Secretary Steve Reed set out new criteria to meet England’s 30by30 targets.

 Achieving 30 percent of land and sea protected for nature is a key pillar of global efforts to halt the decline of nature and create new areas for wildlife with countries around the world signed up to the target. The Government has worked with farming groups and nature organisations to finalise the criteria for land that can count toward 30by30 in England and accelerate progress toward the target.  

 To ensure the final criteria are applied consistently across land in England, the update also confirms that Sites of Special Scientific Interest will only count towards 30by30 if they are in favourable or recovering condition. This revises existing estimates to show that approximately 7.1% of England’s land currently counts towards the target.  

Environment Secretary Steve Reed, speaking at a meeting of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People at COP16, said:        

“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.” 

Analysis is now being undertaken to identify further land which may already be meeting the criteria and to understand where action and support is needed to accelerate progress. A 30by30 pilot is planned for later this year, and the government will work with partners to develop a 30by30 delivery strategy in 2025.  

The announcement today follows the appointment of Ruth Davis as the very first Special Representative for Nature, alongside Rachel Kyte’s appointment as Special Representative for Climate, a role abolished by the previous government.   

Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said:   

 “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 at the Wildlife and Countryside Link, said:   

“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.  

“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-scale public and private investment will be the hallmarks of an effective delivery plan to meet the target. “

Supercharging nature protection at home and abroad is a key part of the government’s mission to tackle the twin threats of climate change and biodiversity loss which threatens growth, our future prosperity and wellbeing.  

This builds on swift action the government has taken to recover nature at home. This includes committing to a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan and new delivery plans to meet targets on air quality, the circular economy and water.

In the first few months of government, we have introduced legislation to put failing water companies under special measures to curb pollution in our waterways and introduced a Flood Resilience Taskforce to speed up the building of flood defences and implement nature-based solutions like planting trees to protect communities against the impact of extreme weather.