Half of all nature reserves not in a healthy state, report reveals

Half of England’s nature reserves are not in a healthy state, a damning report by a government-commissioned body has found, as they warn that most climate targets have been missed.

Natural assets including soils, land, plants and wildlife are in serious decline despite Government targets to improve the environment in a generation, according to the Natural Capital Committee.

The body was set up in 2011, to advise the Government on how to deliver on its pledge to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than it was found.

But the expert committee's final report found that no area was making progress.

The report flagged a range of failings, including data that shows almost half (49 per cent) of England's 224 national nature reserves are not in a "favourable condition".

The Government is currently off track to meet targets for 90 per cent of priority habitats to be in a "favourable" or an "unfavourable but recovering" condition.

A conservation status is deemed as "favourable" when the habitat of a designated site of special scientific interest (SSSI) is in a healthy state and maintaining itself on a long-term basis; and when there is, and will likely continue to be, a sufficiently large habitat to maintain its populations on a long-term basis.

Currently, in five of the seven areas examined by the Natural Capital Committee (freshwater, marine, soils, plants and wildlife, and land) England's natural environment is deteriorating, the committee said.

The report also showed that just 14 per cent of rivers are in a good ecological condition, and none are in good condition when it comes to chemical pollution.

There have also been declines of 30 per cent in bees and hoverfly species between 1980 and 2016, while protected, rare and notable species have seen populations fall by up to 60 per cent since 1970, the report warned.

In the remaining two areas, atmosphere and minerals, which includes household waste and recycling, there was no change in progress.

Household recycling rates have plateaued at around 44 per cent since 2013, and airborne ammonia levels, most of which comes from agriculture, are not on track to meet reduction targets.

Urgent action needed

The committee, chaired by Professor Dieter Helm, called for urgent action to reverse declines, and flagged concerns over a lack of data to show how the natural environment was faring.

The public can play a vital role in helping fill the data gap, by taking part in environmental monitoring such as nationwide insect surveys, the committee added.

This latest, and last, report before the committee's second term finishes at the end of 2020, is part of work to help the Government implement the 25-year environment plan, published in 2018.

Prof Helm said: "Nearly a decade has passed since the Government committed to leaving the environment in a better state for the next generation.

"Our report highlights the limited evidence of progress and some worrying declines.

"With the Environment Bill to return imminently to Parliament, the Government has a once in a generation opportunity to transform our environment.

"It is vital that we measure the state of our natural assets and then target interventions to improve the environment in a coherent way.

"We can be green and prosperous, but it will not happen by default."

However, an Environment Department spokesperson said the Government had made "significant progress" implementing the 25-year environment plan, and that in the last year ministers had introduced the Environment Bill, setting out the vision to protect the natural environment for future generations.

"As we rebuild our economy in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we are committed to shaping a cleaner, greener and more resilient society to protect and restore our natural environment and diverse ecosystems," the spokesperson said.