Dismay at Environment Act targets

On 16 December, Government announced its overdue legally binding Environment Act targets. 

Darren Moorcroft, CEO, Woodland Trust said:

“The Government has gone from hailing themselves to be a world leader on nature at biodiversity COP15, but has now delivered watered down Environment Act targets that make a mockery of those claims. Slashing tree targets by a third from what was consulted on is highly disappointing at a time when ambition and action is so desperately needed. The nature and climate crises demand transformative action and now is not the time for a loss of confidence. We need strong and bold leadership from Government that’s facing up, and equal to – rather that recoiling from - the immense challenge posed by the nature and climate crisis.

“This shows no increase in ambition for trees and woodland cover in the last decade, this takes it back to where we were in 2013. A lower target is worse for nature, and alongside this the absence of a target for quality native woodland gives no guarantee the new trees and woods will be good for nature.

“We are dismayed the Environment Act has no targets to improve the ecological condition of woodland or other protected sites, even though only 7% of England’s woodlands are in good condition. The Government has no shortage of expertise to draw upon and we stand ready to help ensure that international rhetoric is backed by domestic action."