More than 50 nature organisations including The Wildlife Trusts are supporting a new ‘State of Nature’ campaign launching today. We are calling for the Prime Minister’s commitments to reverse nature’s decline by 2030 to be backed-up in law. This is vital to ensure promises to protect nature are actually delivered and that struggling species like hedgehogs, turtle doves, puffins, dolphins, bees, butterflies, newts, bats, rare orchids and cornflowers can thrive again.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister today, the coalition has urged him to close the commitment gap between the UK’s action abroad and domestic action on nature’s decline. Despite the PM calling on world leaders, ahead of global climate and nature talks, to turn around wildlife’s decline by 2030, there is no commitment within the Government’s ‘landmark’ Environment Bill to do the same. In fact current targets in the Bill wouldn’t guarantee action for nature in England until almost 2038, nearly a decade later than the PM is asking others to commit to. Experts are warning that the Environment Bill will fail to halt the decline of wildlife and the environment unless it includes a legally-binding nature recovery target.

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts said: “In the last fifty years we’ve witnessed the gradual disappearance of wildlife in our country. Hedgehogs, cuckoos, red squirrels and turtle doves are now a rare sight – and birdsong is quieter every year. We know that around half of UK wildlife has decreased since 1970, with 1 in 7 species now at risk of extinction.

“Almost a decade ago the Government promised to reverse this decline and leave the environment in a better state, but action has been painfully slow. We need to see an ambitious target written into law – one that will provide the impetus for nature’s recovery by 2030. This is the only way of guaranteeing real action across Government to bring back abundance – humming, buzzing and singing – to the natural world.”

Nature is in trouble in the UK. The most recent State of Nature report showed once again the poor health of our natural world, with 41% of our wildlife in long-term decline. One in four British mammal species face extinction, including the much-loved hedgehog, red squirrels, water voles, the hazel dormouse and grey long-eared bat. We’ve lost nearly all of our wildflower meadows (97%) and official figures show that none of our rivers and lakes are now classed as healthy.

Last year countries across the world spectacularly failed to meet 10-year targets to improve our natural world, including the UK. The targets set at this year’s global nature talks will be the third time world leaders have set 10-year targets to turn things around for nature. That’s why it is so important that the ‘State of Nature’ target, and regulations to achieve it, are added into law so that the current, and future, Government can be held to account and kept on track to helping nature recover.

The Environment Bill, which has been delayed in Parliament for a third time, is expected to begin progress again through the House of Lords in May. Nature experts are urging the PM to support a ‘State of Nature Amendment’ to the Environment Bill (introduced by Hilary Benn MP) which would: set a legally binding target to halt and begin to reverse the decline in the state of nature in England by 2030 and regulations for how the target will be met. A legally binding target means the Government must achieve the target or could face legal action.

This is a once in a generation chance to get legally binding protections for nature. No such opportunity in domestic law is likely to open in the next decade and there is an unprecedented moment of global influence for the UK on nature and climate issues, as hosts of COP26 and the G7.

Putting a crucial State of Nature protection into the Environment Bill will ensure warm words on delivering a better environment for the next generation, are backed up in law for England. It will also give the UK credibility as world leaders as we head into talks to set global targets to reverse nature’s decline.