The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said that the government is on track to meet its ‘30×30’ targets for the protection of nature, however green NGOs say that there is no evidence to support the claims.
Following an FOI request from the Wildlife and Countryside Link, Defra said they had not carried out an assessment of progress on the target.
A recent State of Nature report revealed that 1 in 6 Uk wildlife species are at risk of extinction.
The 30×30 target is an international commitment which is intended to protect 30% of UK land and sea by 2030, by reducing activities with a negative impact on habitats and encouraging more regenerative forms of farming, building and production.
Subscribe to Sustainability Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest sustainability news sent straight to your inbox every day
“The government is making big claims on its achievements for nature’s recovery that don’t live up to scrutiny,” said Wildlife and Countryside Link CEO Dr Richard Benwell.
“Given that the 30 x 30 target is a critical milestone for improving nature it is disappointing, to say the least, that government is not tracking progress and can provide no policy route for how the target will be met by the deadline.”
He continued: “It is vital that all political parties commit to a rapid programme of investment and expansion for important wildlife habitats and protected sites.”
National Trust nature and science director Rosie Hails added: “When the government committed to the 30×30 goal they underlined the urgency, saying that ‘we cannot afford to dither and delay because biodiversity loss is happening today and it is happening at a frightening rate’.”
“It’s therefore deeply worrying that three years later the government is unable to provide robust evidence about progress towards to 30×30 goal.”
“While Defra have convened an expert group of biodiversity scientists to provide advice, what’s urgently needed is a cross-department roadmap which clearly sets out how we can achieve nature’s renewal, recognising that the government has a role to play in reversing this alarming and continuing decline.”
