As someone who enjoys living in the rural beauty of Wealden and represents a constituency that is largely countryside, with over 80% of the constituency being designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I share the concerns raised by constituents about the impact of climate change. I am fully committed to campaigning and advocating for environmental protection, as it is crucial for safeguarding the future of our planet.
Protecting our Nature
Biodiversity loss is a pressing global issue that calls for a collective global solution. I am pleased to note that during the UN biodiversity summit, COP15, held in Canada, nearly 200 countries reached an agreement on a new deal to protect nature. This significant milestone, known as the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), includes a powerful commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, as well as to safeguard 30% of our land and oceans by the same year. Furthermore, the GBF sets forth a crucial commitment to prevent human-induced extinctions of known threatened species.
The UK played a leading role in the negotiations, building on the UK’s COP and G7 presidencies, including the Leaders Pledge for Nature. Through this pledge, world leaders have committed to taking decisive action to drive sustainable food production, combat the illegal wildlife trade, and tackle climate change head-on. Moreover, at the recent meeting of Climate and Environment Ministers from the G7 nations, member countries pledged their swift implementation of the GBF, along with providing international climate finance to support nature-based solutions.
Domestically, the Environment Act 2021 has established a legally binding target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. This crucial legislation ensures that biodiversity net gain becomes a reality and strengthens the biodiversity duty placed upon public authorities. By creating and restoring diverse habitats that enable wildlife to flourish, as well as implementing conservation covenants to secure long-term habitat protection, we are paving the way for a better future.
Regarding farming, the Sustainable Farming Incentive will provide farmers with a range of paid actions to manage hedgerows for wildlife, plant nectar-rich wildflowers and manage crop pests without the use of insecticides. These incentives not only enhance the resilience and efficiency of food production overall but also contribute significantly to the UK's environmental goals, including those related to carbon reduction, biodiversity preservation, water quality, and achieving a net-zero future.
Furthermore, the Countryside Stewardship Plus program will reward farmers who take coordinated action, working with neighbouring farms and landowners to support climate and nature objectives. This program will enable the realisation of ambitious environmental goals, such as managing floodplain meadows to mitigate flood risks and improve biodiversity, restoring and maintaining peatlands for carbon capture and storage, and enhancing and managing woodlands to mitigate the impact of drought.
Access to Nature
Facilitating people's access to nature holds equal significance to its protection. The advantages gained from experiencing nature are important, whether that physical exercise or mental well-being benefits. Our countryside stands as an invaluable resource for our overall wellness. Consequently, while safeguarding it remains crucial, enabling individuals to experience in nature's wonders is equally imperative.
The Environmental Improvement Plan includes a commitment to ensure that everyone lives within 15 minutes' walk of a green or blue space. To fulfil this promise, the Government has allocated £14.5 million for the "Access for All" program, which focuses on measures to enhance accessibility to our protected landscapes and countryside. Additionally, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is diligently completing the England Coast Path, which will stand as the world's longest maintained and waymarked coastal walking route. Part of this links Bexhill on towards Eastbourne westwards and Hastings eastwards.
Through collaborations with the Community Forests and Forestry England, Ministers are actively creating woodlands that are publicly accessible and located near towns and cities. Defra also provides support to land managers through schemes like the Countryside Stewardship and England Woodland Creation Offer, ensuring woodland access for recreational purposes. These efforts not only bring people closer to nature but also contribute to the rural economy. Furthermore, the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme, which the Government has extended until 2025, enhances access to national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
There are 1,800 miles of existing national trails in England and my ministerial colleagues, and I are committed to increasing public access to such trails. Defra will retain the deadline for registering historic rights of way, as originally intended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Given delays caused by Covid-19, the Secretary of State extended this deadline by five years from 1 January 2026 to 1 January 2031.
Recognising the value of our existing national trails, which span 1,800 miles across England, my ministerial colleagues and I are committed to expanding public access to these cherished routes. Defra will maintain the deadline for registering historic rights of way, as originally intended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. In consideration of the delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Secretary of State has extended this deadline by five years, from the 1st of January 2026 to the 1st of January 2031.
Finally, the Government is investing over £750 million in the Nature for Climate Fund and is expanding on the 364,000 football pitches of priority habitat which has been created or restored since 2010.
Thank you again for all those who took the time to contact me.