According to the Wildlife and Countryside Link, which is a coalition of nature and green groups, just 3.22 per cent of England’s land and 8 per cent of the sea was effectively protected by 2022.
This is an increase of just 0.22 per cent of the land and 4 per cent of the sea compared with 2021.
In 2020, the government made its 30x30 pledge to protect at least 30 per cent of land and sea for nature by 2030. But two years on, nature campaigners are warning that little progress has been made.
Since becoming Prime Minister, Liz Truss has made deregulatory proposals to reform or repeal laws protecting nature and to liberalise planning which would “take England even further away from meeting nature targets”, the report found.
It singled out the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill for criticism. The bill will reform or repeal hundreds of EU-derived environmental laws by the end of 2023. In particular, plans for “fundamental reform” of the Habitats Regulations...