Corporate report

Environmental Improvement Plan 2023: Executive summary

Updated 7 February 2023

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Applies to England

Five years ago, the 25 Year Environment Plan (25YEP) set out our vision for a quarter-of-a century of action to help the natural world regain and retain good health. We said we would refresh the plan every 5 years, a commitment set into law in the Environment Act 2021. This document represents the first such review of the 25YEP. It reinforces the intent of the 25YEP. Where the 25YEP set out the framework and vision, this document sets out the plan to deliver.

To achieve its vision, the 25YEP set out 10 goals. We have used those 10 goals set out in the 25YEP as the basis for this document: setting out the progress made against all 10, the specific targets and commitments made in relation to each goal, and our plan to continue to deliver these targets and the overarching goals.

Our environmental goals

• Goal 1: Thriving plants and wildlife
• Goal 2: Clean air
• Goal 3: Clean and plentiful water
• Goal 4: Managing exposure to chemicals and pesticides
• Goal 5: Maximise our resources, minimise our waste
• Goal 6: Using resources from nature sustainably
• Goal 7: Mitigating and adapting to climate change
• Goal 8: Reduced risk of harm from environmental hazards
• Goal 9: Enhancing biosecurity
• Goal 10: Enhanced beauty, heritage, and engagement with the natural environment

Our apex goal – improving nature

We will halt the decline in our biodiversity so we can achieve thriving plants and wildlife.

This is a large task but we have already started: we have created or restored wildlife habitats the size of Dorset, we are investing more than £750 million in tree-planting and peatland restoration through our Nature for Climate Fund, and we have established a network of marine protected areas across 35,000 square miles of English waters.

We have also driven action on the global stage, reflecting that restoring nature is not just a national endeavour but also international: at UN Nature Summit COP15, we agreed a new Global Biodiversity Framework, with 23 global targets, including 30% of global land and 30% of global ocean to be protected by 2030. And our goals and targets at home will support progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals internationally.

To make further progress, we will:

• launch the Species Survival Fund to create, enhance and restore habitats
• create, restore, and extend around 70 areas for wildlife through projects including new National Nature Reserves, and the next rounds of the Landscape Recovery Projects
• protect 30% of our land and sea for nature through the Nature Recovery Network and enhanced protections for our marine protected areas. We intend to designate the first Highly Protected Marine Areas this year
• implement the Environment Act 2021, including rolling out Local Nature Recovery Strategies to identify areas to create and restore habitat, and Biodiversity Net Gain to enhance the built environment
• support a transformation in the management of 70% of our countryside by incentivising farmers to adopt nature friendly farming practices
• publish an updated Green Finance Strategy, setting out the steps we are putting in place to leverage in private finance to deliver against these goals. We have a goal to raise at least £500 million per year of private finance into nature’s recovery by 2027 and more than £1 billion by 2030

This goal is at the apex of our plan: all the other goals will help us to achieve it.

Improving environmental quality

To restore nature, we will need to improve the quality of our environment. Three of the 25YEP goals, in particular, are critical for this. Firstly, we will aim to achieve clean air.

Air quality in the UK has improved significantly in recent decades, but it continues to be the biggest environmental risk to human health and a source of harm to the natural environment.

To address this, we will:

• cut overall air pollution by tackling the key sources of emissions, including reducing the maximum limits for domestic burning appliances in Smoke Control Areas
• tackle specific hotspots by challenging councils to improve air quality more quickly, while supporting them with clear guidance, funding, and tools
• reduce ammonia emissions (crucial for sensitive natural habitats) by using incentives in our new farming schemes, investing £13 million in slurry storage infrastructure in 2023 and considering expanding environmental permitting conditions to dairy and intensive beef farms

A healthy environment also relies on clean and plentiful water. The public expects better from our water environment, from clean drinking water to its use for crops and bathing waters.

We will:

• tackle nutrient pollution, including by upgrading 160 wastewater treatment works by 2027 and providing increased advice and incentives to support a shift to sustainable agricultural techniques
• restore 400 miles of river through the first round of Landscape Recovery projects and establish 3,000 hectares of new woodlands along England’s rivers
• roll out water efficiency labelling across appliances and ensure water companies deliver a 50% reduction in leakages by 2050

We will also need to continue managing exposure to chemicals and pesticides. These are an important part of a productive economy and sustainable food production, but they can place significant pressures on our environment across land and sea. Both were areas of EU regulation, so Brexit has provided an opportunity to review our approach.

Therefore, we will:

• develop a new Chemicals Strategy this year to establish our regulatory approach and priorities for the sustainable use of chemicals through UK REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals)
• help farmers transition to Integrated Pest Management with investment and advice, utilising nature to tackle pests and reducing reliance on manufactured pesticides

Improving our use of resources

We will also have to improve how we use natural resources, which 2 of the goals aim to achieve. The resources on our island – indeed on our planet – are finite and precious. This is why we aim to maximise our resources and minimise our waste. The pandemic set us back in achieving this goal: household recycling fell and total waste increased as people needed new single-use products like facemasks and test kits. We need to get back to better habits, towards a truly circular and sustainable economy.

To do this, we will:

• work with business to implement packaging extended producer responsibility from 2024 so that polluters pay to recycle packaging
• introduce a deposit return scheme for plastic and metal drinks containers from October 2025 to drive higher recycling rates
• implement consistent recycling between different councils, to boost recycling rates
• ban the supply of single-use plastics like plastic plates and cutlery from October 2023. We will also explore options further, including with stakeholders, for the potential for technological innovation in the production of coffee cups, and behavioural science in how they are used

At the same time, we need to use resources from nature more sustainably and efficiently. Our natural capital is estimated to be worth £1.8 trillion. It is essential for securing our basic needs, maintaining our biodiversity, and sustaining our economy.

We will:

• grow a sustainable and long-term UK timber supply by investing in tree planting, skills, innovation and capacity, as well as improving regulatory processes
• publish a baseline map of soil health for England by 2028 and bring at least 40% of England’s agricultural soil into sustainable management by 2028
• implement due diligence requirements set out in the Environment Act 2021 to tackle illegal deforestation in our supply chains

Improving our mitigation of climate change

Climate change is a significant pressure on our environment. Leaving it in a better state than we found it cannot be achieved without mitigating and adapting to climate change.

The relationship is two-way: we also cannot mitigate and adapt to climate change without Nature-based Solutions.

We will:

• update on our progress and plans to reach net zero
• publish a Land Use Framework in 2023, setting out how we will balance multiple demands on our land including climate mitigation and adaptation
• publish the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) in 2023 that will set out our 5 year strategy to build the UK’s climate resilience
• continue our role as a global leader in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation and push for an integrated approach to international action

Climate change is also exacerbating natural hazards and the risk they pose to our health, the environment, and to our economy – hence our goal of a reduced risk of harm from environmental hazards.

We will:

• deliver our investment plan to improve coastal and flood defences, including £100 million on the most frequently flooded areas
• reward farmers for actions to reduce risks and impacts from floods, droughts, and wildfires through our new future farming schemes

Improving our biosecurity

To restore our biodiversity, we need to enhance our biosecurity. The risk of pests, pathogens, and invasive non-native species is increasing, as we have seen just this winter when the UK has experienced its largest outbreak of bird flu.

To protect our biosecurity against this and future such threats, we will:

• deliver the 5 year action plan of the 2023 Plant Biosecurity Strategy for GB, mitigating threats such as Xylella and Emerald Ash Borer
• seize the opportunity post-Brexit to tailor our border import controls with a new targeted and risk-based Target Operating Model

Improving the beauty of nature

Our final goal is to enhance beauty, heritage, and engagement with the natural environment. We all understand that spending time in nature is part of what makes the United Kingdom such a special place. We want everyone to enjoy our landscapes and coastlines, but also recognise that to restore nature, we need to enjoy its beauty responsibly.

We will:

• work across government to fulfil a new and ambitious commitment that everyone should live within 15 minutes walk of a green or blue space
• continue our delivery of the England Coast Path and the Coast to Coast National Trail
• green the Green Belt as set out in the Levelling Up White Paper by identifying key areas for nature restoration
• invest in a new national landscapes partnership for National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and National Trails
• extend the delivery of our Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, using lessons learned to inform future farming schemes
• invest in active travel, with a vision for half of all journeys in towns and cities to be cycled or walked by 2030. £35 million funding has already been committed this financial year