Mersey Reporter - #Merseybites #News

1 year on since the publication of the Environmental Improvement Plan, the UK Government has launched new measures to halt and reverse nature's decline. The Government's plans look at how they will achieve their goal to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:- "We’ve made a lot of progress since we launched the Environmental Improvement Plan; we've planted nearly 5 million trees, improved public access to our beautiful countryside, and accelerated the adoption of our world-leading farming schemes. We are building on this progress with a new package to safeguard our marine ecosystems and bring us one step closer to achieving our 30 by 30 target, both on land and sea. Protecting the environment is fundamental to the prosperity of our country and our new commitments will drive forward our mission to create a cleaner and greener country for all."

Responding to the Government’s announcement, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) President Victoria Vyvyan said:- "The CLA welcomes greater clarity on how we are going to achieve the goal of protecting 30% of land for nature by 2030, and we look forward to seeing the framework. The framework should not be prescriptive and instead needs to facilitate clear dialogue with farmers, encouraging positive engagement and working with them to deliver more for nature. It also needs to make sure that the viability of businesses in these landscapes is not adversely affected, for example through restrictions on planning. The Government must make sure the focus is on encouraging delivery for the environment without legal designation of landscapes, and needs to recognise the work farmers and land managers are already doing. The rollout of Environmental Land Management schemes and the continuation of other schemes such as Farming in Protected Landscapes and the Future Farming Resilience Fund, will be essential in delivering these objectives. Therefore they must be properly funded in a timely manner, working alongside private sector opportunities."

See the UK Government's announcement in full on:-- Gov.UK.

Liverpool (Gladstone)

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