Thank you to those constituents who have approached me with their thoughts about biodiversity and rewilding - I want to take this opportunity to express how grateful I am so many of us want to protect and restore our natural world.
As a Sussex MP, as a local girl, I have been blessed to grow up, live and serve in a county with some of the most quintessentially British landscapes; our beautiful rolling countryside, our coastline just a short journey away, our woods and rivers alongside our Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and National Parks are a crucial part of what makes our country so special.
I want to reassure you that I do recognise the importance of biodiversity. Biodiversity supports all life and, where there is a wide range of animals or plants, our ecosystems flourish. It can also offer significant benefits to air quality and food security.
The Environment Act 2021, introduced by the last Government, contains several keys to support and protect species. For example, it includes the statutory targets to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; increase species abundance so that by 2042 it is greater than in 2022 and at least 10 per cent greater than in 2030; and improve the Red List Index for England for species extinction by 2042 compared to 2022 levels.
Furthermore, to restore and protect habitats, the Environment Act included the statutory target to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitats outside protected sites by 2042, increase tree canopy and woodland cover to at least 16.5 per cent of total land area by 2050, and to ensure that at least 70 per cent of protected features in Marine Protected Areas are in favourable condition by the end of 2042, with the remainder in recovering condition.
I am aware that national planning guidance already sets out that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment, by minimising impact on biodiversity and providing biodiversity net gains. To take this further, the statutory framework includes the objective for planning permissions granted in England to deliver at least a ten per cent biodiversity net gain. Developers in England will be required to deliver a net gain for the local environment, such as by creating new habitats and green spaces, when building new housing, industrial or commercial developments. This will ensure the habitat for wildlife is in a better state than it was before development.
Regarding rewilding and the restoration of ecosystems, I support initiatives to create wilder landscapes across England, as part of a broader approach to nature recovery. However, I am aware that rewilding is not appropriate in all situations, and it is important to balance this with other priorities, such as food production. I hope that the Government will assess how land use change, including the restoration of natural processes, can contribute to net-zero, food security and supporting the farming sector.
