Focus on nature restoration is welcome but needs to be amplified through Environment Bill

Reacting to the Government’s announcement on the Green Recovery Challenge Fund and the creation of new Landscape Recovery Projects, Nick Molho, Executive Director at the Aldersgate Group, said: “The Government’s growing focus on nature restoration as part of its economic recovery plan is encouraging and makes good sense from an environmental and economic perspective. Projects such as woodland creation and the restoration of wetlands and peatlands are proven to be very effective at generating jobs [1] as well as having a key role to play in reversing the decline of the natural environment and helping the UK better adapt to the impacts from climate change.”

Nick Molho added: “Going forward, the challenge will be to take a strategic approach to nature restoration to deliver improvements at scale. In addition to the Environmental Land Management Scheme being introduced as part of the Agricultural Bill, this will require the Government to commit to a set of ambitious nature improvement targets and associated policy measures under the Environment Bill. [2]”