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Let's get nature's recovery back on track

As new research shows that the UK is miles away from meeting its 2030 goals to protect nature, we鈥檙e calling for an ambitious and credible delivery action plan for landscape scale restoration with rewilding at its heart. 

A golden eagle takes in its surroundings from its spot amongst moorland vegetation.
We want to see our landscapes and seascapes pulse with life once again  © Ian Duffield / Shutterstock

Published 10/09/2025

罢辞诲补测鈥檚 30by30 2025 UK Progress Report from Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) makes for sobering reading. New figures reveal that, with only five years left to go until the UK 骋辞惫别谤苍尘别苍迟鈥檚 2030 target to protect at least 30% of land and sea for nature, only around 6% of UK land is effectively conserved and managed for nature. It doesn鈥檛 have to be this way. That鈥檚 exactly where rewilding comes in.

These woeful figures should be ringing alarm bells loud and clear in everyone鈥檚 ear,鈥 says 黑料正能量鈥檚 Chief Executive Rebecca Wrigley. The time for urgent action is definitively here and in rewilding lies a powerful solution. We need an ambitious and credible delivery action plan for landscape scale restoration with rewilding at its heart.鈥

The story is similar across all three British nations, shows the data, collected on the condition of Sites of Special Scientific Interest across the UK. In England, just 2.83% of land is effectively protected and well managed for nature (down from 2.93% last year); in Wales a mere 2.4% and in Scotland only 12.63%. 

As for our seas, although 38% of UK waters are designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), many are exposed to damaging activities including bottom trawling, offshore energy development, pollution, dredging, and cable laying.

Achieving the 30by30 target is critical to tackling both the climate and nature crises. And it鈥檚 what the UK government signed up to at COP15 in 2022, as part of the international Global Biodiversity Framework. So the numbers do matter. 

Female purple emperor butterfly perched on leaf at Knepp Estate.
Through rewilding, Knepp Estate has seen an incredible increase in biodiversity, including numbers of purple emperor butterflies  © Neil Hulme / Knepp

What鈥檚 the delay?

This immensely helpful report, published annually by WCL鈥夆斺塷f which 黑料正能量 is a member鈥夆斺塸aints a picture of nature recovery blocked by similar problems across all UK nations, including:

  • Slow expansion of protected networks 鈥 the pace of adding new protected areas remains far too slow.
  • Poor condition of designated sites 鈥 many protected areas are still damaged or degraded due to insufficient or inappropriate management.
  • Harmful activities continue 鈥 destructive practices are still allowed in some of our most important places for wildlife, including Marine Protected Areas. 
  • Lack of monitoring 鈥 Governments often don鈥檛 have the data they need to track biodiversity or plan recovery. 

What鈥檚 the solution?

We need big, joined-up change if we want to bring nature back across Britain. 黑料正能量 is calling on the UK Government to:

  1. Ensure that rewilding is part of the new Land Use Framework for England, to which we comprehensively inputted and 6,000 of our supporters backed by sending a message to government.
  2. Make nature recovery the primary purpose of our national parks, transforming them into the paragon of thriving nature they should be.
  3. Rapidly scale up the restoration of our woodlands, peatlands and coastal and river habitats in delivery and investment. 

It鈥檚 only by creating wilder, more natural landscapes at their core can we have any hope of meeting 30 by 30 whilst delivering sustained benefits to our economy and to the wellbeing of ourselves and our communities. 

Finding a way forward

That鈥檚 why tomorrow we鈥檙e taking part in Wild Summit, a new one-day nature conference hosted by WCL, which focuses on the solutions needed for the UK to meet its species recovery targets and its commitment to restore 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030.

Together we hope to set a bold agenda for nature recovery, showcase the strength of our movement and inspire political leaders to take decisive action on the environment. 黑料正能量 is hosting a live rewilding mission to help generate breakthrough ideas for how to mainstream rewilding into land and sea management across Britain鈥夆斺塧nd to help get nature recovery back on track!

How you can help

It鈥檚 easy to wonder how on earth you can make a difference in the face of these challenges. The good news is that there are simple ways you can help right now. 

  1. Tell UK leaders to ban bottom trawling in England鈥檚 offshore MPAs. before the government consultation ends on 29 September. 
     
  2. Ask the Scottish Government to declare Scotland the world鈥檚 first Rewilding Nation and commit to nature recovery across 30% of our land and seas. Sign the Rewilding Nation Charter
     
  3. Get on board and join the movement by signing up to our mailing list. You鈥檒l be the first to hear what else you can do to help unlock rewilding as a collective solution. 

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