‘Toothless’ targets insufficient to stem tide of biodiversity loss

The Environmental Audit Committee has urged the government to conserve and restore UK biodiversity and ecosystems amid grave concern that of the G7 countries, the UK has the lowest level of biodiversity remaining.

The committee says that existing government policy and targets were inadequate to address plummeting biodiversity loss. The situation is also seen as being made worse by nature policy not being joined up across government, nor is nature protection consistently factored into policy making.

Due to a lack of clear statutory targets, MPs argue that the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan does not provide sufficient direction to change this. Further, the recent biodiversity net gain policy, while welcome, in its current form with the potential for a lack of compliance monitoring and non-implementation of mitigation measures, does not go far enough.

MPs on the committee also found that there is a lack of ecologist expertise in the heart of government and in local authorities, with protected areas poorly managed.

The Environmental Audit Committee recommends that the government protect existing ecosystems such as ancient woodland and peatlands given their benefits as nature-based solutions for climate change, with the proposed ban on the sale of peat products to be brought forward to as soon as possible before 2023.

Furthermore, the government must urgently establish a natural capital baseline to measure progress against environmental goals. It should also legislate for mandatory disclosure of nature-related financial risks. The government should explain how it intends to move beyond GDP as the primary measure of economic activity and towards an additional measure which includes consideration of the UK's natural capital. A new fiscal rule should be set focused on balancing our demands on nature with nature's supply.

Philip Dunne, chair of the committee, said “The UK is home to many millions of species, but government inaction to protect habitats is leading to a significant decline in wildlife. Although there are countless government policies and targets to ‘leave the environment in a better state than we found it’, too often they are grandiose statements lacking teeth and devoid of effective delivery mechanisms. We have no doubt that the ambition is there, but a poorly-mixed cocktail of ambitious targets, superficial strategies, funding cuts and lack of expertise is making any tangible progress incredibly challenging. All government departments must consistently factor nature into policy decisions, the Bank of England should develop a nature stress-test, and the 25-year Environment Plan must have interim statutory targets to assess progress.

“Despite central government’s responsibility for policy decisions, the responsibility for nurturing natural habitats also rests with each and every citizen. Work to embed nature into the national curriculum, and to inspire the ecologists of the future, is absolutely crucial if we are to protect biodiversity effectively for generations to come.”

David Renard, Environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils are central to ensuring our communities and businesses are empowered to reach a net zero future. It is good that the Environmental Audit Committee’s report recognises that the government should prioritise effective implementation of net gain into the planning system. It is important that any unspent financial credits from developers are retained by councils, so that funding stays in the area where development has taken place.

“The skills shortage in ecologists is a worrying barrier to achieving our biodiversity net gain goals, with currently only one third of planning authorities in England having access to their own ‘in house’ ecologist. In order to support local government in its role of leading places and providing a greener future, councils and businesses must continue to work with government to establish a national framework for addressing the climate emergency, including tackling biodiversity loss.”