A new strategy, published today by the four countries of the UK, and coordinated by JNCC, sets out how the UK will achieve the ambitious targets set out by an international biodiversity agreement.
The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) outlines how the UK will respond to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
A thriving natural world is essential for humanity’s prosperity and wellbeing. But nature is in crisis around the world with species and habitats declining, ecosystem processes failing rapidly, and human disconnect from the natural world ever increasing.
In response to these threats, 196 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) came together in December 2022 to agree the GBF, which contains 23 global targets to be achieved by 2030, including to:
- Expand protected areas to at least 30% of the land and seas
- Reduce pollution from all sources to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity
- Enhance biodiversity and sustainability in agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry
- Ensure sustainable, safe and legal harvesting and trade of wild species
As a Party to the CBD the UK is committed to playing its part to ensure the global targets of the GBF are achieved. All Parties are required to produce an NBSAP which sets out how they will contribute to achieving the 23 global targets and four goals of the GBF, monitor progress, and report on progress made by 2026 and 2029 in their National Reports.
In the UK, responsibility for nature and conservation is devolved to the four countries (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). This means that each country can choose to respond to the requirements of the GBF in their own way. However, all four countries recognise the benefits of working together across country boundaries, to drive action at the UK level to change the global picture. The UK Overseas Territories (OTs) and Crown Dependencies (CDs) also represent much of the UK’s biodiversity and make an important contribution to this plan for achieving the GBF targets.
As statutory nature advisor to the four countries of the UK, and due to our strong links with the devolved governments, OTs and CDs, JNCC coordinated the joint whole-UK development of the NBSAP, working with biodiversity leads from each government.
The UK’s National Targets Template was published on 1 August 2024. This included the UK’s national targets and lists of commitments, polices and indicators that will go towards achieving each of them. This fulfilled our international commitment to meet the deadline set by the CBD.
The UK NBSAP document, ‘Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: The UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030’ has now been published to tie the UK’s commitments, targets and indicators together in an ambitious plan to realise the vision of the GBF.
The document also includes policy commitments from three of the UK Overseas Territories (the British Virgin Islands; Falkland Islands; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) and one Crown Dependency (the Isle of Man). The new UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy, currently in development, is designed to benefit all fourteen Overseas Territories by guiding investment in their needs and priorities.
The publication of the UK NBSAP is a significant step in the UK’s response to the GBF. The challenges facing biodiversity transcend borders, and this collaboration shows that the four countries have recognised the benefits of working together to achieve the targets.