Puffins, porpoises, and pine martens are just some of the species set to benefit from new measures set out by the Government to boost nature recovery on land and at sea. 

The new plans - announced one year on from the launch of the Environmental Improvement Plan - will see a permanent closure of the sandeel fisheries in English waters of the North Sea set out at COP28, including a map which demonstrates which areas of land could contribute to the 30by30 target in England.

Sandeels are a vital food source for some of the UK’s most vulnerable seabirds and marine mammals, such as the iconic puffin and harbour porpoise, and commercially important fish species such as haddock and whiting. This closure will bolster the resilience of these species and make space for nature to recover across our marine habitats.   

Important pink sea fans, fragile sponges, anemones will also be further boosted with a targeted ban announced on bottom trawling in an additional 13 Marine Protected Areas.

To bring the UK closer to achieving the global goal to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030, a new framework for National Parks and National Landscapes to help them better deliver for nature and access will also be published. This builds on the commitments the government set out at COP28, including a map which demonstrates which areas of land could contribute to the 30by30 target in England.

The framework will support the UK’s cherished Protected Landscapes and landowners to deliver the Environmental Improvement Plan targets including tree planting and peatland restoration which are essential for sequestering and storing carbon to mitigate the impacts of climate change while supporting biodiversity. 

The government has also announced the recipients of £7 million of awards to improve lowland peat soils.

Peatlands are the UK’s largest terrestrial carbon store, however, as a result of centuries of drainage for agriculture, just 1% of England’s lowland peatlands remain in a near-natural state, and these drained peatlands account for 88% of all greenhouse gas emissions from England’s peat. 

The 34 projects, spread across England’s lowland peat regions include projects that will use innovative technologies, such as telemetry, to precisely control water retention levels across the landscape.

Since the launch of the Environmental Improvement Plan a year ago, the government has delivered more than 50 commitments set out in the plan and the Environment Act. This includes: 

• Implementing a ban on single-use plastics 
• Planting nearly 5 million trees 
• Accelerating the Sustainable Farming Incentive and a launching   further 34 new Landscape Recovery projects - putting us on track to have 70% of land in Environmental Land Management schemes by 2028 
• Launching a new species survival fund 
• Beginning the process of creating a new national park and forest for the nation  
• Significantly improving air quality with PM2.5 emissions down by 10% 
• Improving access to the countryside by opening up a further 245 miles of the King Charles III England Coast Path 

Delivering on these commitments will ensure that our most important places, at the core of nature’s recovery, deliver for people and the planet. In doing so, we will create a natural world that is rich in diverse plants and wildlife and restored for future generations to enjoy.   

It is due to UK leadership that the global target to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030, known as 30by30 was adopted and these announcements today will further support that target and the historic agreement for nature reached by the UK and nearly 200 countries at the 2022 UN Biodiversity summit.