The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has today (Monday, December 1) launched a new environmental improvement plan (EIP), setting out a five-year roadmap to restore nature, tackle climate change, and support sustainable growth.

The plan sets out Defra's commitment to create or restore 250,000ha of wildlife-rich habitats such as peatlands, rivers, and forests across England by 2030 - an area larger than Greater London.

To help deliver on that target, £500 million has been allocated to the Landscape Recovery scheme, which "supports large-scale, long-term projects that restore nature, improve biodiversity and deliver environmental benefits across whole landscapes in England." 

The revised roadmap also outlined other goals to be achieved by 2030, such as reducing methane emissions, cracking down on illegal dumping, improving air quality, and controlling invasive species.

Landscape Recovery scheme

Landscape Recovery scheme is one of Defra's environmental land management schemes alongside Countryside Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive, with over half of farmland in England already being involved in one of these schemes.

The projects under the Landscape Recovery scheme will be financially supported through a combination of government funding and private investment, aiming to open new income streams such as carbon credits and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units for farmers and landowners who want to get on board.

Defra hopes that the scheme can demonstrate how food production and environmental delivery can go hand-in-hand, as the majority of Landscape Recovery projects are reportedly continuing to farm in the project area that is being restored.

Environmental improvement plan

The new EIP sets out the following commitments and investments:

An allocation of £1 billion for tree planting, which includes funding "to ensure England's treescapes are better adapted to changing climates";
An investment of £85 million to "improve and restore peatlands, reducing flooding in communities, improving water quality and supporting public health through cleaner air and enhanced access to green spaces for physical and mental wellbeing";
Stronger penalties to offenders of illegal waste dumping and other environmental crimes;
A strategy to prevent new invasive species and manage existing invaders, such as Japanese knotweed;
A new plan to reduce risks from ‘forever chemicals’ (PFAS) to health and the environment, with a review of sewage sludge spreading rules to ensure sustainable practices;
Taking steps to reduce methane emissions, particularly from the agricultural sector;
Interim targets have been set to improve air quality by reducing pollution from domestic combustion.

Defra stated that previous EIPs "lacked the rigour to achieve its aims" and the government body described English nature as being "in decline, with one in six native species facing extinction."

Defra's Secretary of State, Emma Reynolds said she is "determined to reverse nature’s decline and build a brighter, greener future."

The announcement of this new plan follows previous environmental efforts from Defra, such as the reintroduction of beavers to the wild, the commitment to end the use of bee-killing pesticides, and the launch of two national forests.