Government’s new Environment Act targets defy public opinion on polluted rivers and wildlife recovery

In response to Friday’s announcement from the Government

Government’s new Environment Act targets defy public opinion on polluted rivers and wildlife recovery - The Wildlife Trusts

The Wildlife Trusts are appalled that Government ignores public’s plea to improve river health and protected places – and allows nature to flatline for next 20 years

Today (Friday 16 Dec), the Government unveiled their overdue domestic environmental targets while taking the stage at the international nature conference, COP15, where negotiators are attempting to agree a global deal for nature’s recovery.

The long-awaited Environment Act targets are intended to improve biodiversity, air and water quality, and reduce waste. But instead, nature will continue to struggle as the Government’s low ambition defies public opinion on river health, wildlife declines and sites for nature. Without improving our protected wild places, it will be impossible for the UK to meet its international commitment to protecting 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030.

Of particular concern in today’s announcement are:

There is no overall target to improve water quality – The Wildlife Trusts called for a target for at least 75% of rivers, streams and other freshwater bodies to reach an overall “clean waters” status by 2042 – without this we could see improvements on a few specific pollutants while others, including plastics and pesticides, continue to pour into our rivers and seas, threatening wildlife and human health.
There is no target to improve the condition of protected nature areas – despite calls for 75% of protected wildlife sites to be in favourable condition by 2042.
The targets set for wildlife abundance will fail to reverse decades of species declines – instead recovery will flatline.
Increased conifer planting will not help natural habitats and wildlife to recover. It will also fail to store carbon for the longer term as trees are chopped down and burnt as biofuels.

Currently, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted nations in the world, where almost one in 10 species are at risk of extinction. Despite this, the Government has proposed that by 2042, nature will be in a similar condition to our current depleted state. In England, for example, every freshwater body currently fails chemical standards.