Urgent action to recover nature is needed for our survival, prosperity and wellbeing, say the UK’s Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies.
JNCC, Natural England (NE), Natural Resources Wales (NRW), NatureScot, Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside (CNCC) set out the need for action now to recover nature, both in the UK and globally. A Joint Statement Nature Recovery for Our Survival, Prosperity and Wellbeing is launched today.
Professor Colin Galbraith, Chair of JNCC said:
"This is a key time for action to achieve nature recovery across the UK.
"JNCC is uniquely placed to bring together the UK’s Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies. Together we are speaking with one voice of the vital role nature recovery plays for our survival, prosperity and wellbeing. It is essential that we work together for a secure and sustainable future that is 'high in nature, low in carbon'. As Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies we know what needs to be done. The time for action is now."
The UK’s nature conservation bodies support the four UK Governments as advisors and delivery partners on nature recovery and shared their call for action with Lord Benyon, Defra CBD COP15 Minister, stakeholders and partners today.
The UK’s nature conservation bodies have the knowledge and expertise to support governments, business and broader society to achieve nature recovery by:
- Embedding environmental security and nature recovery into UK decision-making frameworks, especially when considering threats to the UK’s economic security.
- Supporting the global community to commit to ambitious targets at COP15 (the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in December 2022).
- Supporting domestic and global monitoring and evaluation to report on progress in achieving these targets.
- Delivering on the UK’s COP15 ambitions with impactful policies to incentivise and drive public and private investment in the protection and recovery of the UK’s nature.
- Supporting governments around the world to transition to nature positive policies and legislation.
- Negotiating sustainable trade agreements and securing the UK’s global supply chains.
- Delivering on the strong ambitions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to drive public and private investment in nature-based solutions to achieve climate stabilisation.
The full statement can be found on JNCC's website.
The statement builds on the Nature Positive 2030 report, which set out nine priority actions to reverse biodiversity decline by 2030. Nature Positive 2030 was produced by JNCC, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, NatureScot and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and was published in September 2021 to mark the first anniversary of the Leaders' Pledge for Nature. The Pledge commits to global action to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and has been signed by 95 world leaders and over 100 non-state actors.
