Today I chaired a webinar organised by the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) on restoring global nature.
I was joined by expert panellists, UK Minister for Pacific and the Environment the Rt Hon Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change and Special Assistant to Pakistan’s Prime Minister His Excellency Malik Amin Aslam, the Former Chancellor of the Exchequer the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, World Wildlife Fund Executive Director for Advocacy and Campaigns Kate Norgrove and environmental campaigner and former MEP Stanley Johnson.
This discussion took place in the wake of a huge number of Government announcements on the environment including the ten point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the return of the landmark Environment Bill to the Commons and, earlier this week, Government commitments to:
- A Peat Action Plan which will restore, sustainably manage and protect at least 35,000 hectares of peatland by 2025, investing £50m through the Nature for Climate fund.
- An England Trees Action Plan which will better protect our existing trees and expand woodland coverage aiming for 12% woodland cover by the middle of the century. Over £500 million of the £640 million Nature for Climate Fund is dedicated to trees. Tree planting rates in England will treble to benefit our local communities, nature and climate
- Species reintroduction measures to recover threatened species and continue to provide opportunities for successful reintroductions.
The Government is also acting on the recommendations of the Dasgupta Review and will be amending the Environment Bill to create a legally binding target on species abundance for 2030.
You can watch the webinar here: https://bit.ly/3hDdcdL.