There are challenges ahead for meeting England's nature targets

The protected areas in England on land are not sufficient in their extent, and many are in a poor condition. It is clear from the evidence received that quality protected areas with a clear nature conservation purpose will be vital if the UK is to deliver on the 30 by 30 target.

We need more, and better, protection for our natural environment. 

The Government need to maintain areas that are already protected, but they should improve their protection and management to bring them into favourable condition.
There also needs to be a clear action plan for how 30 by 30 will be achieved alongside a map outlining which areas will count towards the target.

We also recognise that existing protected areas, resulting from retained EU law, have a valuable role to play - and yet the Government has not clearly committed to keeping them.

The Government should retain existing designations, including those resulting from retained EU law, as a basis for meeting the 30 by 30 target, and make sure their nature conservation purposes are not diluted.

On land and at sea, it is important that we understand whether protected areas are working, and whether they are delivering the nature conservation outcomes that they set out to achieve.

This is why monitoring the species and features within protected areas is important, so that stakeholders can make informed, evidence-based decisions about how areas on land and at sea are managed for nature.

Whilst some areas in England on land are monitored, many are not. We heard evidence that only 22 percent of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) have been monitored in the last six years.

We welcome the Government’s Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) targets to have all SSSIs condition assessments up to date by 2028, however this could be too late when considering the 2030 targets.

We recommend the Government develop sustained and effective policy to deliver regular monitoring of protected areas; this must be matched by sufficient funding and resourcing for organisations to carry it out.

At sea, monitoring is even more sparse. There is a lack of transparent and reliable data for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and very few sites are monitored regularly.

The Government needs to expand the current marine monitoring programme both inshore and offshore to develop a robust baseline of data.

To make up the remaining land to meet the target, sites outside of the existing protected site network should be identified. For example, sites could be identified in protected landscapes, including in National Parks (NPs) and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).

There is potential here for sites within NPs and AONBs to contribute to 30 by 30, but they would need to meet international guidance and standards for inclusion.

Areas included in the 30 by 30 target should comply with the guidance set out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and should be protected for nature for more than 30 years.

Some areas, whilst not meeting the standards for inclusion to 30 by 30, could still play an essential role in wider nature recovery across England.

This could be areas managed as part of:

• Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS)
• Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs)
• Local Wildlife Sites.

The Government should explore and seize the opportunities presented by areas outside those able to contribute to 30 by 30 to support wider nature recovery across England—such as land under ELMS, OECMs and Local Wildlife Sites.