Morning, Thursday, 13th March 2025
Online
This conference will examine next steps for environmental standards and improvement in England.
Delegates will discuss practical issues for implementation and implications for stakeholders of Defra’s ongoing rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan, which aims to meet the legally-binding targets in the Environment Act, including cleaning up waterways, addressing waste, extensive tree-planting, improving air quality and halting species decline by 2030.
With mixed outcomes highlighted in the EIP: annual progress report 2023 to 2024, sessions in the agenda will look at how the delivery of improvements can be accelerated, drawing on key recommendations from the OEP, which focused on promoting nature-friendly farming practices, enhancing marine conservation efforts and developing a circular economy framework.
The conference will also be an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to look at the development of a delivery strategy for 30by30. It follows the Government’s recently published vision for UK implementation of the target, with a commitment for nine new National River Walks and three new National Forests.
Areas for discussion include the way forward for aligning conservation goals with existing mechanisms, including Environmental Land Management schemes and Biodiversity Net Gain, and optimising policies to streamline processes and support nature protection and nature-friendly farming. Issues for discussion include balancing competing land uses, achieving buy-in from farmers and land managers, and options for incentives and support to promote voluntary participation in conservation, as well as minimising bureaucracy to enable land managers and farmers to maintain viable businesses while contributing to food security and nature recovery in an equitable way.
We also expect discussion to assess funding priorities and opportunities for public-private collaboration to support nature recovery, as well as strategies for addressing concerns about funding shortfalls and economic uncertainties, particularly for small and family-run farms.
Further sessions will assess next steps for integrating climate adaptation into long-term planning for environmental standards, biodiversity, and water and waste management strategy. Discussion is expected on how extreme weather events and climate variability impact progress on environmental goals, and approaches for engaging communities in local habitat restoration and sustainability initiatives.
It will also be an opportunity to assess challenges with aligning local and national priorities, particularly as the 30by30 framework is implemented in England while devolved administrations pursue their own environmental strategies. We expect discussion on how national frameworks can be adapted to reflect local needs while maintaining consistency in achieving overarching goals.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons and officials from Defra; DESNZ; DfT; Forestry Commission; Ofwat; GLD; HM Treasury; NIC; DAERA, NI; and The Scottish Government.
