There must be no further drift, dither, or dilution in delivery of the improved EIP

On Monday 1st December the Government will announce the latest Environmental Improvement Plan. Announcements include £500m for Landscape Recovery projects to be invested over at least a 20-year period.

Having taken the previous Government to court over the last EIP, Wildlife and Countryside Link, the largest nature coalition in England, called for the new EIP to have measurable delivery plans, faster implementation and science-based, ambitious policies to restore nature by 2030.

The new EIP does includes specific delivery plans, as well as other new policies, such as a PFAS Plan to tackle toxic forever chemicals, tougher measures on waste crime, and a new target to expand wildlife-rich habitats by 2030.

However, a number of significant policy areas appear to be absent in the Government’s press release, such as the marine environment, where rapid action to reduce the pressure of fisheries and offshore industry is needed to reverse rapid declines in sealife. The coalition also flagged that there is currently a multi-billion pound shortfall in funding for nature, which must be filled rapidly to meet nature-recovery targets. The coalition will scrutinise the full plan when it is published on Monday.

In reaction to the EIP, Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “This improved plan must mark a genuine turning point for nature’s recovery. Current policy, investment and delivery for nature are light years behind the pace and ambition needed to stop pollution and save wildlife. It’s good to have a more specific plan, but the days of deregulation and delay must be over – not further drift, dither, or dilution. It’s time to turn paper plans into large-scale, long-term nature investment that delivers tangible nature benefits people can see and experience.

“Positive policies like Landscape Recovery will do some heavy lifting, but transformation must be economy-wide and country-wide . To solve the nature and climate crisis, small changes won’t be enough. We need billions more investment in nature every year, including strict measures to make polluters pay. For example, targets for Marine Protected Areas and Good Environmental Status are already far off-track. Urgent fisheries management measures, rapid pollution reduction and real protection from development are needed quickly.”