Driving 'natural' renewal: The progressive case for restoring the natural environment

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. With just half of its biodiversity intact, the UK sits in the bottom 10 per cent globally for remaining biodiversity. 41 per cent of our species have experienced a long-term strong or moderate decline in population since 1970.

Four years on from the commitment to protect at least 30 per cent of the UK’s land and sea for nature by 2030 and with less than six years left to meet it, the area of England effectively protected for nature is only around 3 per cent on land and 8 per cent at sea. As a result, the new government has inherited a series of pressing policy challenges.

Restoring nature is vital for meeting our climate and environmental targets. By meeting the challenges of nature recovery, the new government can drive progressive change across the country.

In this report, we argue that protecting nature and increasing biodiversity has the potential to drive progressive change across three vital areas and should therefore be a central priority for the new government. We make recommendations for how the new government can enhance security, improve fairness, and drive national renewal.