The Government is “limping backwards” on efforts to protect 30 per cent of England’s land and sea for nature, conservationists have said.
A report by the Wildlife and Countryside Link coalition of nature and green groups warned that ministers had made limited progress on achieving the target and said proposals for deregulation to boost growth could lead to backsliding. The goal to protect 30 per cent of England’s land and sea for nature by 2030 to help restore wildlife to the environment was created by Boris Johnson as prime minister in 2020.
The protected areas originally included all of England’s national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs). But conservationists warned they were primarily planning designations, and the Government later recognised they could not be included in the 30 per cent target in their entirety.
