Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 84
The Government’s new species abundance target for 2030 provides a potential mechanism for the measurement...
Recommendation
The Government’s new species abundance target for 2030 provides a potential mechanism for the measurement of progress on addressing biodiversity loss, and a driver for consequent actions. We recommend that once the target is established, regular, formal reviews of progress against the target should be required to be made, to feed into decision-making at senior levels in all Government departments. Ministers 116 Biodiversity in the UK: bloom or bust? should also report regularly to Parliament on projected and current performance against the target and associated biodiversity outcome measurements on species distribution, extinction risk, habitat extent and condition.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the need for progress measurement through its Outcome Indicator Framework, which is under development with reviews planned at a minimum every five years, and has invested in the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment. However, it does not specifically commit to regular formal reviews feeding into all departmental decision-making or ministerial reporting to Parliament.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
84
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
Tackling the long-term decline of nature will be challenging but through our requirement to set a new species abundance target we are committing ourselves to that objective. A domestic 2030 species target will not only benefit our species but the actions necessary will also help to drive wider environmental improvements. Government has an explicit duty to ensure that the 2030 species abundance target is met, alongside our wider suite of legally binding Environment Bill targets which will be brought forward by 31 October 2022; including at least one additional target related to biodiversity. The Bill’s statutory cycle of monitoring, planning and reporting ensures that government will take early, regular steps to achieve its targets, and is held to account with regular scrutiny from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) and Parliament.
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