Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030

Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 Open Government Licence This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open government-licence/version/3/ Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned, should you wish to use this material. Please be advised that images are excluded under the Open Government Licence. This report should be cited as: Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Scottish Government, Welsh Government and UK Government (2025). Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030. ISBN 978-1-86107-645-8 2 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 Foreword Nature is the monopoly provider of everything we need to exist, providing us with resources like food, water, housing, energy and medicine. It also holds cultural significance, by shaping our identity, providing recreation and fostering spiritual connections. But nature is under threat across the globe. In recognition of this, 196 countries from around the world came together at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Montreal in 2022, to agree the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). This framework, an ambitious set of goals and targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, sets out our shared pathway towards the vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. We must now work together, urgently, to ensure that this global agreement is implemented. The UK is playing its part in supporting other countries to deliver, from sharing technical and scientific expertise with partners all around the world, to directly funding work to halt and reverse nature loss across the globe. But we must also deliver at home. The UK boasts a wonderfully diverse natural environment that is home to over 70,000 species of plants, animals and fungi, and includes globally significant populations and internationally important habitats. Collectively, the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies (UKOTs and CDs) make a significant contribution to global biodiversity, accounting for 94% of the species unique to the UK and the UK OTs and CDs. It is vital that we protect and restore these natural assets for future generations. In England, we have set a world-leading, legally binding target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and to tackle some of the biggest pressures on our environment. Our Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) sets out, in law, action to meet these targets and other key commitments. The UK Government announced a rapid review of the existing EIP, to conclude by the end of 2024, and will develop a revised statutory plan in 2025. We are continuing to take action, including by providing significant funding for nature-friendly farming, tree planting and management, and peatland restoration; restoring the water environment; ensuring the proper management of the network of 181 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covering 40% of English waters; and supporting increased private sector investment in nature through the development of high-integrity nature markets. Northern Ireland is keen to play a positive role in the UK’s overall contribution to meeting the targets contained in the GBF. To that end, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has developed Northern Ireland’s first Environment Strategy, an Environmental Improvement Plan which includes measures to meet the GBF targets. In addition, work is well advanced on a number of other cross-cutting key strategies and policies which, when collectively applied, will make a real difference to the resilience, quantity and overall ecological status of our natural environment. 3 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 Scotland makes up nearly one-third of the UK’s land area, with over 900 islands, more than 125,000 km of rivers and streams, more than 30,000 freshwater lochs, extensive mountain ranges and an intricate coastline of 18,000 km, but has less than one-tenth of its population. Scotland’s seas make up an area six times the size of the land area, and together they are home to a complex mosaic of habitats and intra-species diversity that forms a rich and varied environment. The natural environment is hugely important to Scotland’s identity and economy, with natural capital featuring in our national economic strategy. Our Biodiversity Strategy highlights the long-standing decline in biodiversity in Scotland, in common with other parts of the UK, and sets out a long-term Vision for 2045 and 33 Outcomes which will demonstrate that the Vision has been achieved. Delivery of over 100 actions identified to set us on the path to achieving the 2045 Outcomes includes: a commitment to restore 250,000 hectares of peatland by 2030; steps to protect and restore our Atlantic rainforests and ancient Caledonian pinewoods, and increase woodland creation in Scotland to 18,000 hectares per year; and investment of an additional £500 million in our natural environment, including our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund. In Wales, our refreshed Nature Recovery Action Plan (NRAP) will set out the objectives and key actions needed in Wales to achieve our ambitions for nature recovery as part of our Resilient Wales goals and international commitments to halting the loss of biodiversity. We are strengthening our legislative framework by introducing statutory biodiversity targets. We are also helping to tackle the nature emergency through initiatives such as the Biodiversity Deep Dive and the Nature Networks, National Peatland Action and MPA programmes, and through the development of a Welsh Seabird Conservation Strategy. Together, these will benefit our terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. To deliver the GBF and halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, we know that we need new measurements, public engagement, funding and system change. We also know that we need to work closely together across our country boundaries to drive action at the UK level to change the global picture. This is why we are pleased to be jointly publishing our Blueprint for halting and reversing biodiversity loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 (‘UK NBSAP for 2030’) which summarises the UK’s response to the GBF. Our NBSAP provides a clear, ambitious direction of travel for the UK to 2030 which retains the flexibility to evolve as new evidence becomes available and policies develop. This document commits the four countries of the UK to working together to fully implement each of the 23 targets of the GBF in the UK, and to collaborating with each other and all our international partners to ensure success. We are delighted to be working together on that crucial mission. Steve Reed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir MLA Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland Gillian Martin Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy for Scotland Huw Irranca-Davies MS Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs for Wales 4 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 Rhagair Natur ydy’r darparwr monopoli o bopeth sydd ai angen arnom i fodoli, gan ddarparu adnoddau inni fel bwyd, dŵr, tai, ynni a meddyginiaeth. Mae ganddo arwyddocâd diwylliannol hefyd, drwy lunio ein hunaniaeth, darparu cyfleoedd hamdden a meithrin cysylltiadau ysbrydol. Fodd bynnag, mae natur dan fygythiad ledled y byd. I gydnabod hyn, daeth 196 o wledydd o bob cwr o’r byd at ei gilydd ym 15fed cyfarfod Cynhadledd y Partïon i’r Confensiwn ar Amrywiaeth Fiolegol (CBD) ym Montreal yn 2022, i gytuno ar Fframwaith Bioamrywiaeth Byd-eang Kunming Montreal (FfBB). Mae’r fframwaith hwn, cyfres uchelgeisiol o nodau a thargedau i atal a gwrthdroi colli bioamrywiaeth erbyn 2030, yn nodi ein llwybr ar y cyd tuag at weledigaeth o fyd sy’n byw mewn cytgord â natur erbyn 2050. Mae’n rhaid inni gydweithio, ar frys, i sicrhau bod y cytundeb byd-eang hwn yn cael ei weithredu. Mae’r DU yn chwarae ei rhan wrth gefnogi gwledydd eraill i gyflawni, o rannu arbenigedd technegol a gwyddonol gyda phartneriaid ledled y byd, i ariannu gwaith yn uniongyrchol i atal a gwrthdroi colli natur ar draws y byd. Ond mae’n rhaid inni hefyd gyflawni hyn yn ein cynefinoedd ni. Mae gan y DU amgylchedd naturiol rhyfeddol amrywiol sy’n gartref i dros 70,000 o rywogaethau o blanhigion, anifeiliaid a ffyngau, ac mae’n cynnwys poblogaethau o bwys byd-eang a chynefinoedd o bwysigrwydd rhyngwladol. Gyda’i gilydd, mae Tiriogaethau Tramor y DU a Dibyniaethau y Goron (UKOTs a CDs) yn cyfrannu’n sylweddol at fioamrywiaeth fyd-eang, gan gyfrif am 94% o’r rhywogaethau sy’n unigryw i’r DU ac OTs a CDs y DU. Mae’n hanfodol ein bod yn diogelu ac yn adfer yr asedau naturiol hyn ar gyfer cenedlaethau’r dyfodol. Yn Lloegr, rydym wedi gosod targed blaenllaw sy’n gyfreithiol rwymol i atal y dirywiad mewn digonedd o rywogaethau erbyn 2030 ac i fynd i’r afael â rhai o’r pwysau mwyaf ar ein hamgylchedd. Mae ein Cynllun Gwella Amgylcheddol (EIP) yn nodi, yn ôl y gyfraith, gamau gweithredu i gyflawni’r targedau hyn ac ymrwymiadau allweddol eraill. Cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth y DU adolygiad cyflym o’r Cynllun Gwella Amgylcheddol presennol, i ddod i ben erbyn diwedd 2024, a bydd yn datblygu cynllun statudol diwygiedig yn 2025. Rydym yn parhau i weithredu, gan gynnwys drwy ddarparu cyllid sylweddol ar gyfer ffermio sy’n gyfeillgar i natur, plannu a rheoli coed, ac adfer mawndir; adfer yr amgylchedd dŵr; sicrhau rheolaeth briodol o’r rhwydwaith o 181 o Ardaloedd Morol Gwarchodedig (MPAs) sy’n gorchuddio 40% o ddyfroedd Lloegr; a chefnogi buddsoddiad cynyddol gan y sector preifat ym myd natur drwy ddatblygu marchnadoedd natur uniondeb uchel. Mae Gogledd Iwerddon yn awyddus i chwarae rhan gadarnhaol yng nghyfraniad cyffredinol y DU tuag at gyflawni’r targedau yn y FfBB. I’r perwyl hwnnw, mae’r Adran Amaethyddiaeth, yr Amgylchedd a Materion Gwledig wedi datblygu Strategaeth Amgylchedd gyntaf Gogledd Iwerddon, Cynllun Gwella Amgylcheddol sy’n cynnwys mesurau i gyflawni targedau’r FfBB. Yn ogystal, mae’r gwaith yn mynd rhagddo’n dda ar nifer o strategaethau a pholisïau allweddol trawsbynciol eraill a fydd, o’u gweithredu ar y cyd, yn gwneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol i wytnwch, maint a statws ecolegol cyffredinol ein hamgylchedd naturiol. Mae’r Alban yn cyfrif am bron i draean o arwynebedd tir y DU, gyda dros 900 o ynysoedd, mwy na 5 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 125,000 km o afonydd a nentydd, mwy na 30,000 o lynnoedd dŵr croyw, cadwyni o fynyddoedd helaeth ac arfordir cymhleth sy’n ymestyn 18,000 km. Er hynny, mae llai nac un rhan o ddeg o boblogaeth y DU yn yr Alban. Mae moroedd yr Alban yn ffurfio ardal chwe gwaith maint ardal y tir, a gyda’i gilydd maen nhw’n gartref i fosäig cymhleth o gynefinoedd ac amrywiaeth o fewn rhywogaethau sy’n ffurfio amgylchedd cyfoethog ac amrywiol. Mae’r amgylchedd naturiol yn hynod bwysig i hunaniaeth ac economi’r Alban, gyda chyfalaf naturiol yn rhan o’n strategaeth economaidd genedlaethol. Mae ein Strategaeth Bioamrywiaeth yn tynnu sylw at y dirywiad hir sefydlog mewn bioamrywiaeth yn yr Alban, yn gyffredin â rhannau eraill o’r DU, ac yn nodi Gweledigaeth hirdymor ar gyfer 2045 a 33 Deilliant fydd yn dyst bod y Weledigaeth wedi’i chyflawni. Mae’r gwaith o gyflawni dros 100 o gamau gweithredu sydd wedi’u nodi i’n gosod ar y llwybr tuag at gyflawni Deilliannau 2045 yn cynnwys: ymrwymiad i adfer 250,000 hectar o fawndir erbyn 2030; camau i ddiogelu ac adfer coedwigoedd glaw yr Iwerydd a choedwigoedd pinwydd Sgotaidd hynafol, a chynyddu cread coetiroedd yn Yr Alban i 18,000 hectar y flwyddyn; a buddsoddiad o £500 miliwn ychwanegol yn ein hamgylchedd naturiol, gan gynnwys ein Cronfa Adfer Natur gwerth £65 miliwn. Yng Nghymru, bydd ein Cynllun Gweithredu Adfer Natur (NRAP) diwygiedig yn nodi’r amcanion a’r camau allweddol sydd eu hangen yng Nghymru i gyflawni ein huchelgeisiau ar gyfer adfer natur fel rhan o’n nodau Cymru Gydnerth a’n hymrwymiadau rhyngwladol i atal colli bioamrywiaeth. Rydym yn cryfhau ein fframwaith deddfwriaethol drwy gyflwyno targedau bioamrywiaeth statudol. Rydym hefyd yn helpu i fynd i’r afael â’r argyfwng natur drwy fentrau fel Plymio Dwfn Bioamrywiaeth a’r Rhwydweithiau Natur, rhaglen Weithredu Genedlaethol ar Fawndiroedd a rhaglen MPA, a thrwy ddatblygu Strategaeth Cadwraeth Adar Môr Cymru. Gyda’i gilydd, bydd y rhain o fudd i’n hamgylcheddau daearol, dŵr croyw a morol. Er mwyn cyflawni’r FfBB ac atal a gwrthdroi colli bioamrywiaeth erbyn 2030, gwyddom fod arnom angen mesuriadau newydd, ymgysylltu gyda’r cyhoedd, cyllid a newid y system. Rydym hefyd yn gwybod bod angen inni weithio’n agos gyda’n gilydd ar draws ffiniau ein gwlad i sbarduno gweithredu ar lefel y DU er mwyn newid y darlun yn fyd-eang. Dyna pam rydym yn falch iawn o gyhoeddi ein Glasbrint ar y cyd ar gyfer atal a gwrthdroi colli bioamrywiaeth: Strategaeth a Chynllun Gweithredu Bioamrywiaeth Cenedlaethol y DU ar gyfer 2030 (‘UK NBSAP for 2030’) sy’n crynhoi ymateb y DU i’r FfBB. Mae ein NBSAP yn darparu trywydd clir ac uchelgeisiol i’r DU hyd at 2030 sy’n cadw’r hyblygrwydd i esblygu wrth i dystiolaeth newydd ddod i’r amlwg ac i bolisïau newydd ddatblygu. Mae’r ddogfen hon yn ymrwymo pedair gwlad y DU i weithio gyda’i gilydd i weithredu pob un o 23 targed y FfBB yn llawn yn y DU, ac i gydweithio â’i gilydd a’n holl bartneriaid rhyngwladol i sicrhau llwyddiant. Rydym yn falch iawn o fod yn gweithio gyda’n gilydd ar y genhadaeth hanfodol hon. 6 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 Executive summary In December 2022, 196 Parties to the CBD came together to agree the GBF, which consists of four goals and 23 targets, with the overall mission of halting and reversing biodiversity loss globally by 2030. Parties also adopted an enhanced approach to planning, monitoring, reporting and review, including a comprehensive set of indicators, and agreed to update their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to outline how they would implement the GBF in line with their own national circumstances. Devolution allows the four countries of the UK to tailor GBF implementation to their unique circumstances, and each has set out biodiversity and wider environmental plans and actions through which to do so – including on agriculture, pollution, climate change, food waste and the circular economy. These sit alongside jointly prepared plans and strategies such as the UK Marine Strategy (UKMS) and documents addressing reserved matters. The UK Biodiversity Framework (UKBF) demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the four countries of the UK to continue to work together collaboratively to achieve the goals and targets of the GBF. In addition the forthcoming UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy, coupled with ongoing and planned initiatives in each of the UKOTs and CDs, will provide an opportunity to incorporate and address elements of the GBF within those OTs and CDs that have the CBD extended to them. The UK NBSAP for 2030 draws on the commitments made by the UK and the UKOTs and CDs to summarise and emphasise our collective ambition and determination to work together to address biodiversity loss. The UK NBSAP commits the UK to achieving all 23 of the GBF targets at home. The UK submitted a set of National Targets to the CBD on 1 August 2024. They include a subset of country-level commitments to illustrate the actions by which the GBF will be delivered in the UK. This is publicly available on the CBD Online Reporting Tool. The NBSAP and Online Reporting Tool will be reviewed and updated as required, in line with plans and actions at the UK and country level, and the four countries of the UK will continue to work collaboratively to review national indicators for use as appropriate to monitor implementation of the GBF. Chapter 1 of the UK NBSAP for 2030 outlines what the GBF is and why it matters. Chapter 2 summarises the incredible biodiversity of the UK and the UKOTs and CDs, and the threats it faces. Chapters 3 to 5 detail the UK’s approach to implementing the GBF, and Chapter 6 presents the UK’s approach to monitoring implementation. Annex A lists the UK National Targets published on the CBD Online Reporting Tool. 7 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://ort.cbd.int/national-targets?countries=gb Crynodeb gweithredol Ym mis Rhagfyr 2022, daeth 196 o bartïon y Confensiwn ar Amrywiaeth Fiolegol at ei gilydd i gytuno ar y FfBB sydd â phedwar nod a 23 targed, gyda’r genhadaeth gyffredinol o atal a gwrthdroi colli bioamrywiaeth yn fyd-eang erbyn 2030. Mabwysiadodd y partïon ddull gwell o gynllunio, monitro, adrodd ac adolygu, gan gynnwys cyfres gynhwysfawr o ddangosyddion, a chytunwyd i ddiweddaru eu Strategaethau Bioamrywiaeth Cenedlaethol a’u Cynlluniau Gweithredu i amlinellu sut y byddent yn gweithredu’r FfBB yn unol â’u hamgylchiadau cenedlaethol eu hunain. Mae datganoli yn caniatáu i bedair gwlad y DU deilwra gweithrediad y FfBB i’w hamgylchiadau unigryw, ac mae pob un wedi nodi bioamrywiaeth a chynlluniau amgylcheddol ehangach a chamau gweithredu er mwyn gwneud hynny - gan gynnwys ar amaethyddiaeth, llygredd, newid yn yr hinsawdd, gwastraff bwyd a’r economi gylchol. Mae’r rhain yn cyd-fynd â chynlluniau a strategaethau a baratowyd ar y cyd fel Strategaeth Forol y DU (UKMS) a dogfennau eraill sy’n mynd i’r afael â materion sydd wedi’u neilltuo. Mae Fframwaith Bioamrywiaeth y DU (UKBF) yn dangos ymrwymiad parhaus pedair gwlad y DU i barhau i gydweithio i gyflawni nodau a thargedau’r FfBB. Yn ogystal, bydd Strategaeth Bioamrywiaeth Tiriogaethau Tramor y DU, ynghyd â mentrau parhaus a chynlluniedig ym mhob un o’r UKOTs a’r CDs, yn rhoi cyfle i ymgorffori a mynd i’r afael ag elfennau o’r FfBB yn yr OTs a CDs hynny sydd wedi’u hymestyn i’r Confensiwn ar Amrywiaeth Fiolegol. Mae NBSAP y DU ar gyfer 2030 yn manteisio ar yr ymrwymiadau a wnaed gan y DU a’r UKOTs a’r CDs i grynhoi a phwysleisio ein huchelgais a’n penderfyniad ar y cyd i gydweithio i fynd i’r afael â cholli bioamrywiaeth. Mae NBSAP y DU yn ymrwymo’r DU i gyflawni pob un o 23 targed y fframwaith. Cyflwynodd y DU gyfres o Dargedau Cenedlaethol i’r Confensiwn ar Amrywiaeth Fiolegol ar 1 Awst 2024. Roeddent yn cynnwys is-gyfres o ymrwymiadau ar lefel gwlad i ddangos y camau lle caiff y FfBB ei gyflawni yn y DU. Mae hwn ar gael yn gyhoeddus ar Offeryn Adrodd Ar-lein y Confensiwn ar Amrywiaeth Fiolegol. Caiff yr NBSAP a’r Offeryn Adrodd Ar-lein eu hadolygu a’u diweddaru yn ôl yr angen, yn unol â chynlluniau a chamau gweithredu ar lefel y DU a’r wlad. At hyn, bydd pedair gwlad y DU yn parhau i gydweithio i adolygu dangosyddion cenedlaethol i’w defnyddio fel y bo’n briodol i fonitro gweithrediad y FfBB. Mae Pennod 1 o NBSAP y DU ar gyfer 2030 yn amlinellu beth yw’r FfBB a pham ei fod yn bwysig. Mae Pennod 2 yn crynhoi bioamrywiaeth anhygoel y DU a’r UKOTs a’r CDs, a’r bygythiadau y mae’n eu hwynebu. Mae Penodau 3 i 5 yn manylu ar ddull y DU o weithredu’r FfBB, ac mae Pennod 6 yn cyflwyno dull y DU o fonitro gweithredu. Mae Atodiad A yn rhestru Targedau Cenedlaethol y DU a gyhoeddwyd ar Offeryn Adrodd Ar-lein y Confensiwn ar Amrywiaeth Fiolegol. 8 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://ort.cbd.int/national-targets?countries=gb Contents Foreword 3 Executive summary 7 1. Putting nature on a path to recovery 10 2. Biodiversity in the UK 16 3. Defining the UK response to the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) 19 4. Driving implementation of the GBF within the UK 23 5. Supporting international efforts to conserve nature 28 6. Monitoring implementation of the GBF in the UK 34 7. References 35 8. List of abbreviations 37 9. List of URLs 40 10. Annexes 45 9 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 1. Putting nature on a path to recovery The importance of biodiversity Biodiversity is key to all the processes that support life on Earth. We rely on it for our essential needs, like food, shelter, energy and medicine, as well as for the ecosystem services it provides, such as climate regulation, flood management, water purification, disease and pest control, and pollination (see Figure 1). Additionally, more than half of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) (equivalent to estimates of between $44 – 58 trillion) is highly or moderately dependent on nature (WEF 2020; PwC 2023). Biodiversity also holds deep cultural significance. It not only provides a sense of place but also offers endless opportunities for recreation and inspiration amid our diverse landscapes. It plays a pivotal role in fostering spiritual and religious connections, shaping our identity, and influencing how we perceive the world and one another. Figure 1: Nature’s contributions to people categorised as ‘Regulating’, ‘Material’ and ‘Non material’ and how these contribute to people’s quality of life in terms of instrumental and relational values. Adapted from IPBES (2018). Instrumental values refer to the value attributed to something as a means to achieve a particular end. Relational values are positive values assigned to ‘desirable relationships’, such as those among people and between people and nature. Nature can also have intrinsic value, which refers to its inherent value, independent of any human experience or evaluation. Relational Instrumental Environmental justice and equity Cultural heritage, identity and stewardship Physical, mental and emotional health Food, energy and water security Quality of Life • Maintenance of options • Supporting identities • Physical and psychological experiences • Learning and inspiration Non-material • Medicinal resources • Materials and assistance • Energy • Food and feed Material • Habitat maintenance • Pollination • Regulation of air quality • Regulation of climate • Regulation of ocean acidification • Regulation of freshwater quantity • Regulation of freshwater quality • Formation of soils • Regulation of hazards • Regulation of organisms detrimental to humans Regulating Nature’s contributions to people 10 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 A historic framework to safeguard nature Across the world, nature continues to face significant threats. In recognition of this, the 196 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) came together in December 2022 to adopt the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) which includes a historic set of four goals and 23 targets for biodiversity (see Box 1). Critical to the success of the GBF will be the capacity for individual Parties and the global community to monitor and evaluate progress of its implementation. Parties therefore adopted an enhanced approach to planning, monitoring, reporting and review alongside the GBF (see Box 2), including agreeing to outline how they plan to achieve the GBF’s objectives in their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). The UK and the GBF The UK will meet the goals, targets and mission of the GBF domestically, and will continue working with international partners to drive global implementation. The Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: The UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 (‘UK NBSAP for 2030’) demonstrates the consensus across all four countries of the UK that achieving full implementation of the GBF requires both individual and collaborative efforts, and sets out 23 ambitious UK targets which align with the 23 GBF targets (Annex A). Publication of the UK NBSAP for 2030 fulfils the UK’s commitment to publishing an NBSAP as agreed at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP15) in December 2024. The GBF has a vision of a world living in harmony with nature where: The GBF’s mission for the period up to 2030 to help achieve the 2050 vision is to: The GBF is composed of four long-term global goals for 2050 related to the GBF’s vision, and 23 global targets that include actions that need to be initiated immediately and completed by 2030. The GBF’s coverage is diverse, from tackling pollution, invasive alien species and harmful subsidies, to ensuring there is sufficient financing and access to the best available data. The goals and targets are summarised in Figure 2; the full GBF text and guidance material is available on the CBD website. Box 1: The GBF “by 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people”. “take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of people and planet by conserving and sustainably using biodiversity and by ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources, while providing the necessary means of implementation”. 11 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://prod.drupal.www.infra.cbd.int/article/cop15-final-text-kunming-montreal-gbf-221222 https://www.cbd.int/gbf/ Figure 2: Summary of the goals and targets of the GBF. 1. Reducing threats to biodiversity Target 1: Plan and manage all areas to address land and sea use change and reduce biodiversity loss Target 2: Ensure at least 30% of all degraded ecosystems are under effective restoration Target 3: Effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of land and 30% of ocean (‘30 by 30’) Target 4: Halt species extinction, protect genetic diversity and manage human-wildlife conflicts Target 5: Ensure sustainable, safe and legal use, harvesting and trade of wild species Target 6: Reduce the introduction of invasive alien species by 50% and minimise their impact Target 7: Reduce pollution from all sources to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity Target 8: Minimise the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and build resilience 2. Meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing Target 9: Ensure management and use of wild species are sustainable to deliver benefits for people Target 10: Enhance biodiversity and ensure sustainable management of agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry Target 11: Restore, maintain and enhance nature’s contributions to people Target 12: Enhance green and blue spaces and urban planning for human health and well-being and biodiversity Target 13: Ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the utilisation of genetic resources, digital sequence information and traditional knowledge 3. Tools and solutions for implementation and mainstreaming Target 14: Integrate biodiversity in decision making at every level Target 15: Encourage and enable businesses to monitor, assess and disclose biodiversity-related risks to reduce negative impacts on biodiversity Target 16: Enable sustainable consumption choices to reduce waste and overconsumption Target 17: Establish biosafety measures and distribute the benefits of biotechnology Target 18: Reduce incentives harmful for biodiversity by at least $500 billion per year and scale up positive incentives for biodiversity Target 19: Mobilise $200 billion per year for biodiversity from all sources, including $30 billion from develeoped to developing countries Target 20: Strengthen capacity building, technology transfer, and scientific and technical co-operation for effective implementation and biodiversity Target 21: Ensure that knowledge is available and accessible to guide biodiversity action Target 22: Ensure participation in decision making and access to justice and information related to biodiversity for all Target 23: Ensure gender equality and a gender-responsive approach for biodiversity action Goal A: Protect and restore Goal B: Prosper with nature Goal C: Share benefits fairly Goal D: Invest and collaborate 12 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 It is critical that Parties have robust mechanisms in place for planning and tracking their progress to ensure that the ambitious targets of the GBF are implemented. Recognising this, Parties adopted an enhanced approach to planning, monitoring, reporting and review (CBD Decision 15/6) alongside the GBF, meaning that all Parties must: • publish by COP16 an updated NBSAP or national targets (pending the publication of their NBSAP) to outline how they plan to achieve the GBF. A global analysis of the information contained in all NBSAPs and national targets was presented at COP16 and will be presented at each subsequent COP. • submit national reports to the CBD in 2026 and 2029 that summarise the progress made in implementing the GBF, including progress towards the national targets in the NBSAPs. A global review of the progress made will be discussed at COP17 and COP19 (estimated to take place in 2026 and 2030 respectively). Recognising the crucial role that businesses, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), communities and others play in making the GBF a success, all non-state actors have been invited to share their contributions to the GBF through the online platform. The GBF is supported by a comprehensive monitoring framework (CBD Decision 15/5) that consists of a set of agreed indicators for tracking progress. Parties will use these indicators in their national reports, allowing for an assessment of progress at the national level and, when aggregated, at the global level. The monitoring framework is composed of the following groups of indicator types: • headline indicators – high-level indicators which all Parties will use, enabling aggregation for an assessment of global progress, as well as measuring national progress; • binary indicators – collated from responses to questions in national reports, these will provide a count of the number of countries that have undertaken specified activities; • component and complementary indicators – optional indicators that supplement the headline indicators, can be thematic in nature, and may apply at the global, regional, national and subnational levels. Parties can supplement the monitoring framework with their choice of any national and subnational indicators. A summary of the enhanced approach to the planning, monitoring, reporting and review cycle can be found in Figure 3. Box 2: Keeping the GBF on track 13 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-06-en.pdf https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-06-en.pdf https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-05-en.pdf Figure 3: Summary of planning, monitoring, reporting and review cycle. Approach to implementing the GBF in the UK and the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies (UKOTs and CDs) Environmental policy is a devolved function in the UK, subject to a small number of reserved areas. This means that the four countries can implement the GBF in a manner that suits their individual circumstances. However, all share the following priorities as described in the UK Biodiversity Framework (UKBF): • protecting and restoring nature: protecting and restoring nature is at the core of each of the four countries’ policies. The importance of protected areas as core sites of biodiversity, and the need to improve their quality, is recognised in conjunction with building resilient nature networks across our land and sea, reducing pressures and adapting to climate change; • sustainable use and resource management: recognising the services that flow from our natural resources, and utilising these resources sustainably, is at the heart of nature recovery and will bring benefits for communities, the economy and the environment; • mainstreaming and finance: responding to the interrelated crises of biodiversity and climate change requires a holistic response across multiple sectors and financing, from both governments and the private sector, to enable transformational change. *COP18 will take place in 2028 but is not shown here for presentation reasons National planning NBSAPs including national targets are updated to align with GBF Review Global analysis of updated NBSAPs and national targets COP16 (2024) Reporting National Reports including indicators Review Global analysis of all Parties’ National Reports: Mid-point review of implementation COP17 (2026) Reporting National Reports including indicators Review Global analysis of all Parties’ National Reports: End-point review of implementation COP19 (TBD) National actions Secretariat / COP actions Non-state actorsKey National Implementation, monitoring and evaluation Non-state actor commitments and implementation N ew 2 04 0 ta rg et s to m ee t 20 50 g o al s COP15 (2022) Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) What is an NBSAP? NBSAPs are the main instrument for planning the implementation of the CBD at the national level. All Parties are required to develop an NBSAP or an equivalent instrument under CBD Article 6. An NBSAP does not have to be a single document; it can take different forms, meaning Parties are free to design an NBSAP that suits their national circumstances. Global analysis of updated NBSAPs, including national targets, also at COP 17, 18 & 19 14 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://data.jncc.gov.uk/data/19a729f6-440e-4ac6-8894-cc72e84cc3bb/uk-biodiversity-framework.pdf https://data.jncc.gov.uk/data/19a729f6-440e-4ac6-8894-cc72e84cc3bb/uk-biodiversity-framework.pdf https://www.cbd.int/convention/articles/?a=cbd-06 The following six UK Overseas Territories (OTs) and two Crown Dependencies (CDs) have the CBD extended to them: the British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; the Bailiwick of Jersey; and the Isle of Man. The new UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy, currently in development, will result in greater protection and restoration of biodiversity in the OTs. As the contracting Party to the CBD, the UK will report on its implementation within the UK and the UKOTs and CDs. Definition of the UK and the UKOTs and CDs: Within the UK NBSAP for 2030, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are collectively denoted as ‘the UK’. Where reference is made to the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, the term ‘UKOTs and CDs’ is used. Where a reference is applicable to the four countries and the UKOTs and CDs in combination, the term ‘UK and UKOTs and CDs’ is used. The CBD and its GBF apply only to the six UKOTs and two CDs that have chosen to have the Convention extended to them. 15 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://consult.defra.gov.uk/biodiversity-in-the-uk-overseas-territories/uk-overseas-territories-biodiversity-strategy/ 2. Biodiversity in the UK Nature, which includes biodiversity together with geology, water, climate and all other non-living components, is a crucial part of our collective history and our shared future. The UK boasts a wonderfully diverse natural environment that: The UKOTs and CDs make a significant contribution to global biological diversity, both individually and collectively. They: is home to over 70,000 species of plants, animals and fungi (Natural History Museum n.d.a), of which 187 are globally threatened and 661 are endemic (Lim et al. 2023) support diverse ecosystems on islands and peninsulas across the world, from rainforests to polar tundra, varying greatly in size and degree of isolation from other land masses supports globally significant populations, including, along with Ireland, 90% of the world’s Manx Shearwaters and 68% of the world’s Northern Gannets (Acampora et al. 2016) account for 94% of the UK and UKOTs and CDs’ unique endemic biodiversity (Churchyard et al. 2014) is home to the largest number of Ramsar wetland sites of international importance in the world (150 sites in total across the UK) (Ramsar n.d.) is home to globally rare temperate rainforests which harbour many rare species of plants and other wildlife (Defra 2023) is home to around 35% of the world’s population of Grey Seals and approximately 32% of Common Seals (SCOS 2022) are home to over 40,000 native species, 1,882 of which are endemic to a single territory (JNCC, In prep.), with the cloud forest in St Helena being home to 250 endemic species (Riddington 2020) holds areas of internationally important European Priority Habitats such as coastal lagoons and blanket bogs (JNCC, n.d.) hold more than a quarter of the world’s population of penguins (Riddington 2020) encompasses nearly all of the world’s chalk streams, which support a unique ecology and diverse assemblage of plants, vertebrates and invertebrates (Catchment Based Approach Chalk Stream Restoration Group n.d.) are home to approximately 4,700 km2 of corals, comprising the twelfth largest area of coral reefs in the world (Overseas Territories Conservation n.d.) 16 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 Scale of the challenge Globally, nature and the contributions it makes to humanity are under severe threat and biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history (IPBES 2019). Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse is identified by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as the third most severe global risk for the decade ahead (WEF 2024) and could cost the global economy US$10 trillion until 2050 under a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario (Johnson et al. 2020). Around one million species are threatened with extinction and 14 out of the 18 ‘nature’s contributions to people’ assessed by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment are in decline (IPBES 2019). The UK is no different and the extent and condition of our ecosystems remain affected by environmental pressures, including climate change and pollution. The impacts of land-use change and management, alongside such pressures, mean that we are one of the most nature-depleted countries (Natural History Museum n.d. b), with nearly one in six of the UK’s terrestrial and freshwater species now being threatened with extinction (Burns et al. 2023). Offshore, unsustainable fishing practices, climate change and marine development pose threats to marine biodiversity across the world. In the UK, the negative impacts on biodiversity are well documented, for example the changes in abundance of demersal fish species in the Celtic Seas and Greater North Sea which increased in the early 21st century but then decreased by 2021 to levels similar to those in the early 1990s (Burns et al. 2023). These are challenges that the UK is tackling head on. For example, between 2017 and 2021, thanks to the highly successful Back from the Brink programme in England, the conservation status of 96 priority species has improved and a total of 118 species have benefitted. New legal frameworks, including the world-leading Environment Act 2021, have enabled us to set stretching statutory targets to drive further progress and to create powerful new tools such as Biodiversity Net Gain in England, a mandatory approach to development which makes sure that habitats for wildlife are left in a measurably better state than they were before the development. (Further examples from across the UK can be found in Boxes 3, 4, 6 and 8). We are building on and scaling up such action and progress across the UK. We are stepping up tree planting, improving water and air quality, incentivising nature-friendly farming and improving protections on land and sea. Recovering nature is a collective effort requiring concerted action across society and international borders. We are fully committed to galvanising that action to create a natural environment richer in plants and wildlife, which is more resilient to, and helps to tackle, climate change and which delivers wider, essential societal services. This draws on the UK’s rich heritage of species protection measures, habitat conservation efforts, and protected area designations and management. However, these measures alone are not enough. Biodiversity needs to be mainstreamed across all of government and society, and our relationship with biodiversity transformed, if we are to achieve the balance of: • strengthening food security and producing healthy food; • managing sustainable fisheries; • meeting new housing and infrastructure requirements; • transitioning to sustainable energy sources; and • delivering essential ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration while allowing nature to thrive in our finite land and seas. 17 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 The CSGN is a 40-year programme that aims to change the face of central Scotland by restoring and improving its rural and urban landscape. Covering 10,000 km2, it has the potential to improve the lives of 65% of Scotland’s population. The CSGN Delivery Plan 2020 to 2030 is based around four interconnected workstreams: • Natural Climate Solutions – climate change mitigation and adaptation, and increasing the resilience of Central Scotland in the face of climate change; • Placemaking – quality, liveable places in Central Scotland, including promoting quality green infrastructure and green spaces; • Health and Well-being – positive impacts that quality accessible greenspace and multifunctional green infrastructure have on health and well-being and overall quality of life; • Green Recovery – reducing inequalities and promoting sustainable and inclusive economic activity. The network was jointly established by NatureScot and the Forestry Commission Scotland in 2009 and now comprises a broad coalition including Scottish Government, public bodies, 19 local authorities, NGOs, private sector businesses and investors, and communities. Relevant GBF targets: 1, 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16 Box 3: Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) The Well-being of Future Generations Act became law in Wales in 2015 and aims to ensure that future generations have at least the same quality of life as the current generation. It is structured around seven well-being goals, including “a resilient Wales” which aims for “a country which maintains and enhances a biodiverse natural environment with healthy functioning ecosystems that support social, economic and ecological resilience and the capacity to adapt to change”. The Act places a sustainable development duty on most Welsh public bodies to think more about the long term, enhance collaboration with communities, proactively address issues and adopt a more joined-up approach. Well-being goals: Relevant GBF targets: 1, 3, 8, 11, 14 Box 4: Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act A prosperous Wales A healthier Wales A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language A more equal Wales A globally responsible Wales A resilient Wales A Wales of cohesive communities 18 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://centralscotlandgreennetwork.org https://csgn.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSGN-DP30-1.pdf https://www.gov.wales/well-being-of-future-generations-wales 3. Defining the UK response to the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Approach to developing the UK NBSAP for 2030 Action to recover and conserve nature cannot wait and we know what we need to do domestically to turn the dial on nature loss. Across the UK and the UKOTs and CDs a wide array of activities are already underway to help us deliver the goals and targets of the GBF individually and collectively (see Boxes 3 to 8). Each of the four countries of the UK and the UKOTs and CDs are in the process of delivering a range of existing biodiversity or wider environmental strategies. Some are also updating their own individual national biodiversity strategies or action plans. It was crucial to the UK that the more than two-year delay on agreeing the GBF caused by the COVID-19 pandemic did not put the update or implementation of our strategies on hold. The Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Scottish Government, Welsh Government and UK Government have collaborated to develop the UK NBSAP for 2030. This UK-level NBSAP does not replace individual country strategies; instead, it draws on the commitments each country has made, as well as commitments made at the UK-level on reserved matters, to demonstrate the ambition of the UK as a whole. Through the UK NBSAP for 2030, the UK – working collectively together across the four countries and governments – commits to 23 UK targets which are fully aligned with the 23 GBF targets. These UK targets are set out in Annex A and a selection of the individual commitments from the UK and the UKOTs and CDs that will help meet them are published on the CBD Online Reporting Tool. For further information on a more extensive range of commitments from each country, please refer to their biodiversity and wider environmental strategies and plans which can be found in Chapter 4. Future inclusion of commitments from Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is committed to playing its part in meeting the UK’s obligations agreed at COP15. A Nature Recovery Strategy (NRS) is currently under development as part of the overarching Environmental Improvement Plan, which contains draft actions and objectives aimed at meeting all 23 GBF targets (see Chapter 4). Many of the actions and objectives of the NRS will be subject to the DAERA Minister’s agreement and approval of colleagues in the Executive. The NRS is intended to be an innovative document containing challenging targets and actions across central and local government, business and other key stakeholders. It is intended that the NRS meets the challenges that adversely affect Northern Ireland’s important and often unique natural environment in the period up to 2032 and beyond. 19 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://ort.cbd.int/national-targets?countries=gb Stakeholder engagement The UK NBSAP for 2030 draws upon a large number of biodiversity and wider environmental plans and strategies which have been informed by extensive stakeholder and public engagement, where appropriate (see below). A UK NBSAP for 2030 online event was held in November 2023 to inform stakeholders about its development, and was attended by representatives from NGOs, businesses and academia. In England, the 13 statutory targets under the Environment Act 2021 were the result of four years of significant scientific evidence collection and development, with input from external evidence partners and independent experts, alongside public consultations on their scope and levels. In July 2024, the UK Government announced a rapid review of plans to deliver these targets and other key commitments, drawing on support and advice from civil society, land managers, business and local government. The government is continuing to work closely with a broad range of these stakeholders to co-create a revised, statutory Environmental Improvement Plan. As part of the co-design and development of Northern Ireland’s NRS, a series of stakeholder engagements intended to inform the development of the strategy took place in 2022/2023 involving NGOs, farming and landowner organisations, business groups, academics and local authority organisations. In Scotland, the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045 was developed through an engagement process with a wide range of stakeholders, including a series of workshops to scope out the detail, develop ideas and test concepts. The strategy forms part of the Strategic Framework for Biodiversity which was developed with engagement from land managers, environmental organisations, local authorities and other partners. Both the strategy and initial proposals for the wider framework were also opened to consultation to invite views from all voices, including the general public. In Wales, a group of leading specialists and practitioners were brought together in 2022 to undertake a Biodiversity Deep Dive to develop a set of recommendations to support nature’s recovery. The Welsh Government established expert groups involving statutory agencies, academia and environmental organisations to work collectively to deliver action. The refresh of the Nature Recovery Action Plan (NRAP) is being co-produced with stakeholders and partners. The Welsh Government has committed to introducing statutory nature recovery targets, engaging through consultation, workshops with stakeholders and wider citizens. Additionally, through the Natur a Ni (Nature and Us) initiative, views from thousands of people across Wales were collected as part of a national conversation about the natural environment, which led to the development of a shared vision for 2050. Looking to the future The publication of the UK NBSAP for 2030 sets out how the UK plans to contribute to achieving the GBF through domestic and international action. National plans and strategies will evolve over time and the UK NBSAP for 2030 will be reviewed and updated as required. 20 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvyOC qWXW4 https://www.natureandus.wales/en/ Devolution of environmental policy has the benefit of allowing each country to implement the GBF in a manner that suits its national circumstances while having the option to collaborate where there is a benefit to do so. There are many benefits to collaboration, including the following: • Conducting certain activities, like the collection of species’ surveillance data, at the UK level is more cost effective than at the individual country level. • Analysing data at the UK scale enhances analytical power, providing more robust evidence to inform decision making compared to individual country-level analyses. • Learning from one another can improve the implementation of the GBF by allowing for the exchange of valuable insights, best practices and experiences, which fosters better outcomes and potentially reduces costs. • Establishing shared standards and principles can be invaluable, especially in areas with consistent or similar policy instruments or cross-border implications among the four countries. • Standardising reporting procedures can enable meaningful comparisons on the effectiveness on different policies, as well as allowing for progress to be measured at the UK level. • Collaboration means each country has access to a diverse pool of experts from across the UK, enriching each nation’s capabilities and addressing knowledge gaps. This collaboration will be particularly important for tackling complex technical issues, such as the development of indicators, common standards and transboundary challenges like air pollution. Examples of collaboration across the UK include the following initiatives: Box 5: Working together to achieve the GBF Working in partnership to monitor the UK’s wildlife The four countries and JNCC work together on a number of wildlife surveillance schemes, often run in partnership with NGOs, the nature conservation community and volunteer recorders. Examples include the Breeding Bird Survey, Seabird Monitoring Programme, National Bat Monitoring Programme, UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme and the National Plant Monitoring Scheme. The data from the schemes are used in multiple ways, including in the UK Biodiversity Indicators, official statistics and reporting under the Habitats Regulations. Working together to restore peatland To make peatland restoration financially viable, non-traditional funding sources are required, including funding from the sale of ecosystem services like climate benefits. However, buyers require assurance that any climate benefits are genuine, measurable, additional and permanent. The Peatland Code is a voluntary mechanism that seeks to provide these assurances. The code’s executive board, facilitated by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) staff, is supported by a technical advisory board with representatives from governments and their agencies from all four countries. 21 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/surveillance-schemes/ https://www.iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org/peatland-code-0 The UKMS provides a legal framework for assessing and monitoring the status of our seas and for putting in place the measures needed to achieve GES. The Marine Strategy Regulations 2010 set out how the UK Government and the devolved governments will work together to develop and implement the UKMS, including a requirement to review and update to the UKMS every six years. The UKMS assesses the status of UK seas, sets GES targets, and determines the indicators to be used to assess progress towards GES. The UKMS also includes details of monitoring programmes used to gather the data to measure progress towards GES, and an associated Programme of Measures. For the development and operationalisation of indicators and GES targets, collaboration among the four countries is required, and any changes to the approach and direction of the strategy need to be agreed across the UK by all administrations. The UKMS demonstrates the combined commitments of the UK Government and the devolved governments to work together to protect our biologically diverse and productive seas while respecting our national priorities and responsibilities. This co-ordinated approach is the most effective way of addressing many of the elements of the UKMS due to the transboundary nature of marine issues. The UKMS is a key tool for achieving the improvements to the marine environment set out in the Environment Act 2021 and key international obligations including the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR)’s North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14. The conclusions of the latest OSPAR assessments will show us the extent to which OSPAR and the UK’s vision for the North-East Atlantic has been achieved, ahead of our next assessment of GES in UK seas. Box 6: Collaborating to develop and operationalise UK Marine Strategy (UKMS) indicators and Good Environmental Status (GES) targets Collaboration of technical experts through Inter-Agency Groups (IAGs) The Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs) work together closely on a number of technical matters, drawing together the specialist skills of the separate agencies under the umbrella of IAGs. IAGs exist for a range of topics, from freshwater habitats to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), climate change and sustainable consumption. These groups provide an opportunity for the agencies to share evidence and support harmonisation on matters where policy is driven at a UK or international level. For example, the Inter-agency Air Pollution Group (IAPG) aims to ensure that the advice the SNCBs provides to the four governments on the impacts on habitat and wildlife from air pollution is based on the most up-to-date evidence and reflects best practice to protect and enhance biodiversity interests. 22 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f6c8369d3bf7f7238f23151/marine-strategy-part1-october19.pdf https://www.ospar.org/documents?v=46337 https://www.ospar.org/documents?v=46337 https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/quality-status-reports/qsr-2023/ https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/inter-agency-air-pollution-group-iapg/ https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/inter-agency-air-pollution-group-iapg/ The key domestic plans, strategies, policies and actions that will drive forward delivery of multiple GBF targets within the UK are set out below. Further detail on some of the main policy measures and actions that will deliver specific UK targets can be found on the CBD Online Reporting Tool. Key strategies, plans, policies and legislation driving implementation of the GBF across the UK England The Environment Act 2021 set legally binding targets to improve the environment in England. The Environment Act requires the government to publish a plan for significantly improving the environment in England - an Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) – which must be reviewed and revised at least every five years. The most recent EIP was published in January 2023. In July 2024, the government announced a rapid review of the EIP to ensure it was fit for purpose. The government – with invaluable input and advice from external stakeholders - has since undertaken this rapid review and will publish a revised, statutory EIP in 2025. The government remains committed to our apex Environment Act target to halt the decline in species’ abundance by 2030 and the wider, long-term targets under the Environment Act, which include water, biodiversity, resource efficiency, tree and woodland cover and marine protection. The revised EIP will provide delivery information to help meet each of the 13 ambitious Environment Act targets alongside key, wider commitments such as 30by30. It will set out an ambitious programme to better protect the environment, create a zero-waste economy, save nature and reach net zero; and play a significant role in framing how we will align and meet our international targets. The revised EIP will integrate and clarify key existing policies such as Environmental Land Management schemes, the Environmental Principles Policy Statement, Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Biodiversity Net Gain; and highlight how protecting and enhancing our natural capital supports wider societal outcomes including the Government’s missions for clean energy and growth. It will be complemented by other specific plans and strategies to meet the Government’s priorities, including for the circular economy, water, clean air and food security. Alongside the EIP review and revision, significant progress has been achieved that will further strengthen England’s contribution, including: the launch of an Independent Commission into the water sector regulatory system; working with farming groups and nature organisations to finalise the criteria for land to contribute to 30by30 in England and developing a Delivery Strategy to accelerate progress toward the target; the establishment of a Circular Economy Taskforce to help advise on progress towards a more circular economy; and the launch of a consultation to inform the publication of a Land Use Framework later in 2025. 4. Driving implementation of the GBF within the UK 23 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://ort.cbd.int/national-targets?countries=gb https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/30/enacted#%3A~%3Atext%3DAn%20Act%20to%20make%20provision%2Cthat%20fail%20to%20meet%20environmental https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-improvement-plan https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services/environmental-land-management-elm-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services/environmental-land-management-elm-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-principles-policy-statement https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-nature-recovery-strategies/local-nature-recovery-strategies https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-nature-recovery-strategies/local-nature-recovery-strategies https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-biodiversity-net-gain Northern Ireland Northern Ireland’s first Environment Strategy, an Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), has been developed under the Environment Act 2021. This is a plan for significantly improving the natural environment and people’s enjoyment of it. Northern Ireland’s EIP was published in September 2024 following Executive approval and will be subject to regular review (at least every five years) and revision as appropriate. A key thrust of the EIP is to have an innovative NRS to tackle the many issues affecting Northern Ireland’s natural environment. An NRS is currently being developed which is also intended to address the obligations emanating from the GBF and allow Northern Ireland to play a full part in meeting the UK’s obligations under the CBD. Scotland Scotland’s Strategic Framework for Biodiversity comprises: a Biodiversity Strategy to 2045; supported by 6-yearly Delivery Plans; and statutory targets for nature restoration. The ambition of the strategy is for Scotland to be ‘nature positive’, halting biodiversity loss by 2030, and to have restored and regenerated biodiversity across the country by 2045. The Strategic Vision is that: • by 2045, Scotland will have restored and regenerated biodiversity across its land, freshwater and seas; • Scotland’s natural environment, habitats, ecosystems and species will be diverse, thriving, resilient and adapting to climate change; • regenerated biodiversity will drive a sustainable economy and support thriving communities, and people will play their part in the stewardship of nature for future generations. Scotland’s ambition is to be achieved through a series of rolling, adaptive Delivery Plans – the first of which was published alongside the Strategy in November 2024 (Biodiversity: delivery plan 2024 to 2030). The Strategic Framework will be completed through the development of a monitoring and reporting framework, investment plan and a Natural Environment Bill to introduce statutory targets for nature restoration. The Delivery Plan sets out over 100 Actions grouped under six high-level objectives: aligned to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) drivers of biodiversity loss, within the Scottish context: 1. Accelerate ecosystem restoration and regeneration 2. Protect nature on land and at sea, across and beyond protected areas 3. Embed Nature Positive farming, fishing and forestry 4. Protect and support the recovery of vulnerable and important species and habitats 5. Invest in nature 6. Take action on the indirect drivers of biodiversity loss 24 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/environmental-improvement-plan-northern-ireland https://www.gov.scot/policies/biodiversity/scottish-biodiversity-strategy/ https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-delivery-plan-20242030/ https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-delivery-plan-20242030/ Wales Revised Nature Recovery Action Plan (NRAP): The current NRAP sets out the commitment to reverse the loss of biodiversity in Wales and will be revised to outline how the GBF will be implemented. The Welsh Government undertook a Biodiversity Deep Dive in 2022 with key experts and practitioners to develop a set of collective actions to support the recovery of nature in Wales (with a focus on GBF target 3). A number of recommendations came from the deep dive and are being incorporated into the Securing a Sustainable Futures Bill (Draft): • transform the protected sites series so that it is better, bigger and more effectively connected; • create a framework to recognise Nature Recovery Exemplar Areas and Other Effective Area based Conservation Measures (OECMs) that deliver biodiversity outcomes; • unlock the potential of designated landscapes (National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) to deliver more for nature and ‘30 by 30’; • continue to reform land and marine management and planning (including spatial) to deliver more for both protected sites and wider land/seascapes; • build a strong foundation for future delivery through capacity building, behaviour change, awareness raising and skills development; • unlock public and private finance to deliver for nature at far greater scale and pace; • develop and adapt monitoring and evidence frameworks to measure progress towards the ‘30 by 30’ target and guide prioritisation of action; • embed nature recovery in policy and strategy in public bodies in Wales. Welsh Government will bring forward legislation to introduce Environmental Principles, a new Environmental Governance Body for Wales and statutory Biodiversity Targets. UK In addition to the national plans of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, delivery of the GBF in the UK is driven by other plans and strategies at the UK level, as well as those relating to other international conventions. These include, but are not limited to, the following: UK Marine Strategy: The UKMS is developed in response to the statutory obligations as set out in the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010. The UKMS provides the framework for delivering marine policy at the UK level and sets out how it will achieve the vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. The strategy covers 11 elements (known as descriptors) and consists of a three-stage framework for achieving GES in UK seas: Part 1 (assessment of GES), Part 2 (monitoring programmes for measuring progress towards GES), and Part 3 (programme of measures that contribute towards GES). OSPAR North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030 (NEAES 2030): The NEAES 2030 includes regional actions to implement the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) strategy: a clean, healthy and biologically diverse North-East Atlantic Ocean, which is productive, used sustainably, and resilient to climate change and ocean acidification. Quality Status Reports (QSRs) are holistic assessments of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic that are produced approximately every ten years: the most recent QSR is made up of more than 120 assessments and covers various aspects including biodiversity, pressures and human activities that impact the marine environment, climate change and ocean acidification. 25 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.gov.wales/nature-recovery-action-plan https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/pdf-versions/2022/10/1/1664785835/biodiversity-deep-dive-recommendations.pdf https://moat.cefas.co.uk/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy-part-one-uk-updated-assessment-and-good-environmental-status https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy-part-two-uk-marine-monitoring-programmes https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy-part-three-uk-programme-of-measures https://www.ospar.org/convention/strategy https://www.ospar.org/work-areas/cross-cutting-issues/qsr-ia https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/quality-status-reports/qsr-2023/ Fisheries Act 2020: The first major domestic fisheries legislation in nearly 40 years, the Fisheries Act is underpinned by a commitment to sustainability, ensuring healthy seas for future generations of the fishing sector. The Act requires the UK Government and devolved governments to prepare and publish a Joint Fisheries Statement, and develop new fisheries management plans for managing fisheries to benefit the fishing industry and the marine environment. Mobilising Sustainable Finance: The UK Government is committed to being a global leader on sustainable finance and has issued a call for evidence for the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy on the financial sectors’ role in supporting a net zero, climate resilient and nature positive economy. The Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) 2023 – 2028: NAP3 sets the actions that government and others will take to adapt to the impacts of climate change in the UK. NAP3 outlines the key actions for 2023 to 2028, forming part of the five-yearly cycle of requirements laid down in the Climate Change Act 2008. NAP3 covers those areas falling within scope of the UK Government’s responsibilities in relation to England, and its non-devolved functions in relation to the rest of the UK. As climate adaptation is a devolved matter, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are responsible for producing their own adaptation plans. UKs 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC): At the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP29 meeting in 2024, the UK Prime Minister announced the UK’s ambitious and credible NDC target to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels (excluding international aviation and shipping emissions). The UK believes in the fundamental importance of joining up approaches to tackling the triple planetary crises of climate, biodiversity, and pollution, including by improving coordination between international conventions (such as the UNFCCC, the CBD and UN Convention to Combat Desertification), and through nature-based solutions and joined-up design and delivery of NDCs, NBSAPs, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and other relevant strategies. UKOTs New UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) are working in close partnership with the UKOTs to develop a new strategy to replace the current UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy, first produced in 2009 and reviewed in 2014. The new strategy, due to be published in 2025, will be guided jointly by the priorities and visions of the UK Government and fourteen OTs, and will be a tool to guide future investment in protecting and restoring biodiversity in what matters most to each Territory. 26 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/22/contents/enacted https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-fisheries-statement-jfs https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/third-national-adaptation-programme-nap3 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/27/contents https://consult.defra.gov.uk/biodiversity-in-the-uk-overseas-territories/uk-overseas-territories-biodiversity-strategy/ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7998a440f0b63d72fc70a8/pb13335-uk-ot-strat-091201.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a74bec240f0b61df477823d/final draft UKOTBS update.pdf Recognising the importance of protecting Northern Ireland’s waterways, particularly Lough Neagh, DAERA has published an action plan, supported by significant funding, designed to reduce pollution and promote collective working to deliver sustainable solutions to address the issues facing Lough Neagh and return it to its rightful state as an ecological jewel at the heart of Northern Ireland. The Lough Neagh Report and Action Plan is a framework that focuses on four key approaches, underpinned by science: • Education to empower knowledge and skills essential to underpin effective decision making. • Investment with incentivisation and innovation that drives the adoption of sustainable practices and promotes the importance of behavioural change/science. • Regulation to ensure that we have a robust legislative framework in place that ensures the protection of our environment, and • Enforcement - a readiness and a determination to take strong, meaningful action when compliance with the regulation fails in a fair, balanced and proportionate manner. Prevention through the pillars of education, investment and regulation is critical and is the focus of a significant and substantial amount of work. Relevant GBF targets: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11 Box 7: Lough Neagh Report and Action Plan in Northern Ireland In line with target 18 of the GBF, Direct Payments for farmers in England are being phased out from 2021 to 2027. Landscape Recovery is one of the new schemes, and is aimed at landowners and managers who want to take a more large-scale, long-term approach to producing environmental and climate goods on their land. It will facilitate and fund large, ambitious projects through bespoke, 20+ year agreements, which will restore ecosystems and landscapes. The projects are selected through competitive rounds. Round 1 projects are focusing on river restoration and species recovery. The 22 projects are aiming to restore more than 600 km of rivers and are targeting the conservation of over 260 flagship species, including reintroduction where appropriate. Round 2 projects are focusing on net zero and biodiversity through the restoration and management of protected sites and wildlife-rich habitats. In total, the 34 projects are aiming to restore more than 35,000 ha of peatland, sustainably manage more than 20,000 ha of woodland, including some temperate rainforest, create over 7,000 ha of woodland and benefit more than 160 protected sites. The bespoke nature of Landscape Recovery projects means applicants can propose how they want to use public funds for their specific situation; while projects must also secure private finance to achieve significant environmental outcomes to progress into a long-term implementation agreement. Plans for a third round will be confirmed in due course. Relevant GBF targets: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14 & 19 Box 8: Environmental Land Management Schemes – Landscape Recovery (England) 27 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 The UK’s international ambition The UK Government has been at the forefront of driving international efforts to protect nature and at CBD COP16, the UK was back on the international stage, leading from the front. For example, the UK was instrumental in securing some of the key outcomes at COP, including the establishment of the Cali fund, which will allow businesses to voluntarily contribute to nature conservation if they use genetic information from nature. The Government has also appointed two new Special Representatives, one each on climate change and nature, to champion our ambition to put climate and nature at the heart of UK foreign policy. Examples of that ambition can be found all around the world. For instance, we lead the Global Ocean Alliance and are Ocean Champion of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People to support implementation of the global target to effectively conserve and manage 30% of land and 30% of ocean by 2030. We also played a significant and proactive role in achieving the successful adoption of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement during more than 10 years of negotiations. Mobilising resources for GBF implementation The UK is committed to mobilising finance from all sources to close the global biodiversity finance gap and ensure global implementation of the GBF. The UK is leading the way by: • committing to spend at least £3 billion of the £11.6 billion International Climate Finance pledge on protecting and restoring nature between 2021/22 and 2025/26. From this £3 billion, we will spend £1.5 billion on forests to support the Global Forest Finance Pledge; • delivering ocean initiatives through the £500 million Blue Planet Fund; • pledging £330 million to the eighth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund, and £55 million to operationalise and expand the newly-established GBF Fund; • protecting and restoring biodiversity and reducing poverty through the £100 million Biodiverse Landscapes Fund; • addressing declines in species and wildlife through the UK flagship challenge funds: including the Darwin Initiative, Darwin Plus, Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and a new marine focused Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme. 5. Supporting international efforts to conserve nature 28 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.un.org/depts/los/bbnj.htm https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-international-climate-finance-results-2023/uk-international-climate-finance-results-2023#international-climate-finance https://www.gov.uk/government/news/12-billion-donor-support-to-halt-and-reverse-forest-loss-and-protect-land-rights https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/blue-planet-fund https://www.cbd.int/article/launch-global-biodiversity-framework-fund https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biodiverse-landscapes-fund https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/ https://darwinplus.org.uk/ https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ocean-community-empowerment-and-nature-ocean-grants-programme Madagascar is globally acknowledged for being a biodiversity hotspot with high levels of endemism – some estimates suggest that up to 90% of Madagascar’s wildlife is found nowhere else on the planet (Antonelli et al. 2022). In Madagascar, we are supporting delivery of the GBF in both marine and terrestrial environments, including through the £500 million Blue Planet Fund and the £100 million Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, which are both UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes. The Blue Planet Fund supports developing countries to protect the marine environment and reduce poverty, working across four integrated themes: biodiversity, climate change, marine pollution and sustainable seafood. It is an important part of the UK’s global leadership on marine issues, including protecting at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. It supports action on the following areas: MPAs and OECMs; illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing; international and large-scale fisheries; solid waste and other forms of marine pollution; small scale fisheries management; critical marine habitats for coastal resilience; and aquaculture. Under this fund, the UK’s £11m Blue Forest Project operates in Madagascar and Indonesia, working with local coastal communities to protect and restore mangrove habitat, create new and improve existing sustainable livelihoods, support community health and women’s empowerment, and increase climate resilience. The Blue Forest Project is on track to protect around 80,000 ha of mangrove forests, deliver around 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide savings and benefit over 70,000 people. The project is delivered by a UK NGO, Blue Ventures. The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund aims to protect and restore biodiversity, reduce poverty, and lessen the impact of climate change across six highly biodiverse landscapes worldwide. This includes Madagascar where our lead delivery partner, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew), is leading a consortium that is partnering with local communities to pilot approaches and is building an evidence base of what measures are most effective for people and nature. The intention is to build a best practice ‘model’ that can be scaled across Madagascar’s protected area network. To achieve this, RBG Kew and its consortium will work closely with the Government of Madagascar and other key stakeholders. Box 9: Supporting delivery of the GBF internationally – Madagascar 29 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biodiverse-landscapes-fund https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/projects/GB-GOV-7-BPFBlueForests/summary https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/madagascar-support-project The UK is also working to align global financial flows with the GBF. We are supporting a number of public and private initiatives to help redirect billions of dollars away from environmentally harmful outcomes towards nature positive solutions, including by providing: • £7.2 million to the Nature Positive Economy programme, delivered in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) and Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD). This provides practical support to governments, businesses, and regulators to implement the GBF by integrating nature into their economic and financial decision making, understanding and managing their nature-related risks, capitalising on growing opportunities to invest in their natural assets, and repurposing subsidies harmful to the environment; • £4.6 million to the global, market-led Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) initiative over 2021 to 2025. The TNFD recommendations and guidance enable businesses and financial institutions to assess, report and act on their nature-related risks, opportunities, impacts and dependencies, and represent an invaluable tool for supercharging the transition to a nature positive economy. The UK Government recognises the TNFD as a leading mechanism through which to operationalise Target 15 of the GBF and has encouraged closer integration between the TNFD and the International Sustainability Standards Board’s (ISSB’s) emerging global baseline on sustainability reporting. The UK launched the Biodiversity Finance Trends Dashboard at COP16, which demonstrated increased flows of nature finance, particularly internationally. The dashboard aims to provide a transparent and accessible overview of nature finance to facilitate conversations on the urgent actions needed in order to reach the GBF’s international finance targets. Through the Blue Planet Fund, the UK supports and currently co-chairs PROBLUE, the World Bank’s multi-donor trust fund for mobilising blue finance towards sustainable ocean sectors in developing countries. The UK also supports the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA) which works to increase investments into critical ecosystems and provide innovative financial solutions. Mobilising non-financial resources for GBF implementation In addition to mobilising finance, the UK is supporting other countries to meet their commitments through capacity building and development, technical and scientific co-operation, voluntary technology transfer, and the establishment of global partnerships. This implementation support follows a participatory approach, is responsive to requests for support, and is focused on building deep, equitable partnerships globally. The UK is a major international power in science and technology, with an extensive network of international partnerships through academia, research institutions and increasingly through our agencies and public bodies. The breadth and depth of the UK’s research capability, combined with its capacity for creativity and innovation, remain critical to achieving the UK’s strategic national goals and for addressing global challenges. Through the UK Science and Technology Framework, the UK Government is committing to a co-ordinated approach to international science and technology activity which will facilitate long term research and infrastructure partnerships, explore new international collaboration funds and prioritise research and development in the ODA budget. The UK’s world-renowned scientific and research institutions deliver technical, scientific and capacity development support globally, and include JNCC, RBG Kew, the Natural History Museum (NHM), the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and many others. 30 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.biofin.org/index.php/ https://fsdafrica.org/ https://tnfd.global/ https://www.ifrs.org/groups/international-sustainability-standards-board/ https://www.ifrs.org/groups/international-sustainability-standards-board/ https://www.financebiodiversity.org/2024trends https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6405955ed3bf7f25f5948f99/uk-science-technology-framework.pdf Highlights of the work these institutions are doing in support of capacity building and technical and scientific co-operation include the following activities: • RBG Kew manages the Millenium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP) (see Box 10); • NHM’s specimens form the world’s most scientifically important natural history collection and its scientists represent one of the largest groups in the world working on natural diversity, offering international leadership and collaborating with a global network of museums, institutions and universities; • JNCC, Cefas and MMO jointly deliver the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) under the Blue Planet Fund (see Box 11); • JNCC builds capacity in the UKOTs, providing technical assistance and advice to support their biodiversity and wider environmental management strategies; • APHA supports capacity building in One Health approaches, including through its ODA funded Animal Health Systems Strengthening Programme, collaborating with low or middle income countries to help strengthen animal health systems to better protect, detect and respond to known and emerging diseases and health threats. Additionally, representatives of the UK’s scientific and research community frequently play leading roles in the production of global biodiversity evidence assessments, such as IPBES, which are vital for providing evidence to support CBD Parties to implement the GBF. 31 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ocean-country-partnership-programme-ocpp RBG Kew is one of the UK’s leading scientific institutions, delivering projects globally in biodiversity-rich regions, including the UKOTs. Its approach to capacity building and development is through grant-funded scientific partnerships, led by participatory project practices in partner countries. The Millennium Seed Bank, based at Kew’s second site at Wakehurst, Sussex, is the biggest seed conservation facility for wild species in the world. It provides sources of seeds and genetic material for a variety of uses including research and restoration. Technology transfer, capacity development, strengthening science collaborations, and supporting the implementation of access and benefit sharing practices are central elements of the work of the MSBP. Sharing skills, knowledge and technology ensures that seeds are collected and banked to the highest quality, enabling countries to safeguard the future of the next generations through seed conservation. Capacity building through the MSBP and RGB Kew’s wider scientific partnerships includes: • Hosting visiting researchers and students through the MSBP’s Weston Global Tree Seed Bank Programme, and training over 300 people to date at RGB Kew and in partner countries in seed conservation and seed-based restoration.The provision of training via the MSBP also includes in-country training at partner institutes, for example the flagship Seed Conservation Techniques course in Madagascar, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, Bhutan, Indonesia and Thailand, enabling the development of expertise for seed conservation in-country, bolstering our combat against the extinction crisis. • Supporting the conservation of native useful trees and their ecosystem services through the UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions funded project which encourages local partners to share expertise and priorities through collaborative workshops and networks in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Training strengthens capacity for smallholder farmers in mitigating climate change, both by strategically selecting native tree species with high carbon sequestration capacity and improving livelihoods in shade-grown coffee plantations. • Supporting the development of a robotic seed bank opened at the National Biobank of Thailand with automated operating systems and automatic germination rooms, as well as using traditional sieving to clean collections. A project is being undertaken at the time of this NBSAP publication to return seeds which have been in the care of the MSB collections. Box 10: RBG Kew Millenium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP) Currently active MBSP partner countries and territories (December 2024) (Millennium Seed Bank Partnership n.d.) 32 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/About/MSBP https://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/About/MSBP The OCPP is a Defra-led initiative funded through ODA as part of the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund. The programme offers technical assistance through government-to-government bilateral partnerships delivered through Cefas, JNCC and MMO and supports countries to manage the marine environment more sustainably and build the resilience of coastal communities, ocean economies, and livelihoods by strengthening marine science expertise, developing science-based policy and management tools, and creating educational resources. Through building capacity and expertise, partner countries will be supported to overcome challenges that threaten marine environments and the livelihoods that depend on them. The OCPP also funds two strategic partners - the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) and Friends of Ocean Action (FOA). Box 11: Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) 33 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 The important role of monitoring and indicators Monitoring the natural environment is an essential aspect of tracking and reporting on our progress in achieving biodiversity targets. Robust monitoring information ensures that reporting on progress towards targets is reliable and trusted. The UK has amassed a wealth of information about its biodiversity and aspects of its wider environment, collected across a broad variety of species’ populations and ecosystems, by professional and volunteer experts and the wider public. A variety of monitoring, biological recording and surveillance schemes are conducted across the UK, such as the Breeding Bird Survey and the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. Indicators provide a means of communicating the results of the UK’s monitoring and surveillance information to a broad audience, from the general public to the private and public sectors. The UK Biodiversity Indicators (UKBIs) have been developed co-operatively, with input from government, statutory agencies and public bodies, NGOs and academic institutions. Many indicators are underpinned by the efforts of volunteers, including citizen scientists and expert recorders. Around 100 organisations contribute to the UKBIs, including government and public sector organisations, research bodies and the voluntary sector. Developing indicators to monitor implementation of the GBF The UK has aligned its 23 targets very closely with the GBF targets and will monitor and report on progress towards these targets using the headline and binary indicators in the Monitoring Framework for the GBF and supplement these with component, complementary and other national indicators where appropriate. The four countries of the UK are working collaboratively to update and expand the existing UKBI suite, as well as other national-scale indicators, with a consideration for the different scales at which indicators can be applied. The UK will also consider the use of existing indicators already used for reporting on UKMS targets and obligations under OSPAR, as needed, to meaningfully report on marine elements of the UK targets (see Box 6). Any updates to indicators will be reflected in national reports and any future revisions to the UK NBSAP for 2030. 6. 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(2023) Global priorities for biodiversity conservation in the United Kingdom. Biological Conservation 277, 109798. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j. biocon.2022.109798 Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (n.d.) The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP) network [online]. Available from: https://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/About/MSBP [Accessed December 2024] Natural History Museum (n.d. a) UK Species Inventory [online]. Available from: https://www.nhm. ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/index [Accessed 31 January 2025] Natural History Museum (n.d. b) What is the Biodiversity Intactness Index? [online]. Available from: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/biodiversity-indicators/what-is-the-biodiversity-intactness index.html [Accessed 31 January 2025] Overseas Territories Conservation (n.d.) Oceans and seas [online]. Available from: https://www. ukotcf.org.uk/oceans-and-seas/ [Accessed 31 January 2025] PwC (2023) Managing nature risks: From understanding to action [online] Available from: https:// www.pwc.com/gx/en/strategy-and-business/content/sbpwc-2023-04-19-Managing-nature-risks-v2. pdf Ramsar (n.d.) The Ramsar list [online]. Available from: https://www.ramsar.org/our-work/wetlands international-importance/ramsar-list [Accessed 31 January 2025] Riddington, R. (ed.) (2020) Birds of the UK Overseas Territories. Bloomsbury Publishing, ISBN 978 1472977267 SCOS (2022) Scientific advice on matters relates to the management of seal populations: 2021. NERC. Available from: https://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk/files/2022/08/SCOS-2021.pdf WEF (2020) Nature Risk Rising: Why the Crisis Engulfing Nature Matters for Business and the Economy [online]. Available from: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF New Nature Economy Report 2020.pdf WEF (2024) The global risks report 2024: 19th Edition. Available from: https://www3.weforum.org/ docs/WEF The Global Risks Report 2024.pdf 36 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109798 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109798 https://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/About/MSBP https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/index https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/index https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/biodiversity-indicators/what-is-the-biodiversity-intactness-index.html https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/biodiversity-indicators/what-is-the-biodiversity-intactness-index.html https://www.ukotcf.org.uk/oceans-and-seas/ https://www.ukotcf.org.uk/oceans-and-seas/ https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/strategy-and-business/content/sbpwc-2023-04-19-Managing-nature-risks-v2.pdf https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/strategy-and-business/content/sbpwc-2023-04-19-Managing-nature-risks-v2.pdf https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/strategy-and-business/content/sbpwc-2023-04-19-Managing-nature-risks-v2.pdf https://www.ramsar.org/our-work/wetlands-international-importance/ramsar-list https://www.ramsar.org/our-work/wetlands-international-importance/ramsar-list https://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk/files/2022/08/SCOS-2021.pdf https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF New Nature Economy Report 2020.pdf https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF New Nature Economy Report 2020.pdf https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF The Global Risks Report 2024.pdf https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF The Global Risks Report 2024.pdf 8. List of Abbreviations Abbreviation Definition APHA Animal and Plant Health Agency BBNJ Agreement Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction BIOFIN Biodiversity Finance Initiative CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CDs Crown Dependencies Cefas Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science COP16 Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity COP28 Twenty-eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change CSGN Central Scotland Green Network DAERA Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Defra Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs EIP Environmental Improvement Plan (Northern Ireland) EIP23 Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 (England) FOA Friends of Ocean Action FSD Financial Sector Deepening GBF Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework GDP Gross domestic product GES Good Environmental Status GOAP Global Ocean Accounts Partnership IAGs Inter-Agency Groups IAPG Inter-agency Air Pollution Group IPBES Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services ISSB International Sustainability Standards Board 37 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 Abbreviation Definition IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature JNCC Joint Nature Conservation Committee MPAs Marine Protected Areas MMO Marine Management Organisation MSBP Millenium Seed Bank Partnership NEAES 2030 North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030 NAP National Adaptation Plan NAP3 The Third National Adaptation Programme NBSAP National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan NCEA Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment NDC Nationally Determined Contributions NGO Non-governmental organisation NHM Natural History Museum NRAP Nature Recovery Action Plan NRS Nature Recovery Strategy OCPP Ocean Country Partnership Programme ODA Official Development Assistance OECMs Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures ORRAA Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic OTs UK Overseas Territories QSR Quality Status Report RBG Kew Royal Botanic Gardens Kew SCOS Special Committee on Seals SNCBs Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies TNFD Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures 38 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 Abbreviation Definition UK United Kingdom UKBF UK Biodiversity Framework UKBIs UK Biodiversity Indicators UKMS UK Marine Strategy UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change WEF World Economic Forum 39 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 9. List of URLs Title URL Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement https://www.un.org/depts/los/bbnj.htm Biodiversity Deep Dive (Wales) https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/pdf versions/2022/10/1/1664785835/biodiversity-deep-dive recommendations.pdf Biodiversity Net Gain https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-biodiversity-net-gain Biodiversity Strategy to 2045: Tackling the Nature Emergency (Draft) (Scotland) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-strategy 2045-tackling-nature-emergency-scotland-2/ Biodiverse Landscapes Fund https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biodiverse landscapes-fund Biodiverse Landscapes Fund consortium https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/madagascar-support project Biodiversity: Delivery Plan 2024 to 2030 https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-delivery plan-20242030/ Biodiversity Finance Initiative https://www.biofin.org/index.php/ Biodiversity Finance Trends Dashboard https://www.financebiodiversity.org/2024trends Blue Forests Project https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/projects/GB-GOV-7 BPFBlueForests/summary Blue Planet Fund https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ blue-planet-fund Breeding Bird Survey https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/breeding-bird-survey CBD Article 6 https://www.cbd.int/convention/articles/?a=cbd-06 CBD Decision 15/5 https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-05-en.pdf CBD Decision 15/6 https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-06-en.pdf CBD Online Reporting Tool https://ort.cbd.int/national-targets?countries=gb 40 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.un.org/depts/los/bbnj.htm https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/pdf-versions/2022/10/1/1664785835/biodiversity-deep-dive-recommendations.pdf https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/pdf-versions/2022/10/1/1664785835/biodiversity-deep-dive-recommendations.pdf https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/pdf-versions/2022/10/1/1664785835/biodiversity-deep-dive-recommendations.pdf https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-biodiversity-net-gain https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-2045-tackling-nature-emergency-scotland-2/ https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-2045-tackling-nature-emergency-scotland-2/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biodiverse-landscapes-fund https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biodiverse-landscapes-fund https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/madagascar-support-project https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/madagascar-support-project https://www.biofin.org/index.php/ https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/projects/GB-GOV-7-BPFBlueForests/summary https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/projects/GB-GOV-7-BPFBlueForests/summary https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/blue-planet-fund https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/blue-planet-fund https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/breeding-bird-survey https://www.cbd.int/convention/articles/?a=cbd-06 https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-05-en.pdf https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-06-en.pdf Title URL Climate Change Act 2008 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/27/contents CSGN (Central Scotland Green Network) https://centralscotlandgreennetwork.org/ Consortium (Madagascar/Kew) https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/madagascar-support project CSGN Delivery Plan 2020-2030 https://csgn.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSGN DP30-1.pdf Darwin Initiative https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/ Darwin Plus https://darwinplus.org.uk/ Environment Act 2021 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/30/ enacted#:~:text=An%20Act%20to%20make%20provision,that%20 fail%20to%20meet%20environmental Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental improvement-plan Environmental Improvement Plan for Northern Ireland https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/environmental improvement-plan-northern-ireland Environmental Land Management schemes https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental land-management-update-how-government-will-pay-for land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services/ environmental-land-management-elm-update-how-government will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and services Environmental Principles Policy Statement https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental principles-policy-statement Financial Sector Deepening Africa https://fsdafrica.org/ Fisheries Act 2020 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/22/contents/enacted Global Biodiversity Framework full text and guidance materials https://www.cbd.int/gbf/ Global Biodiversity Framework Fund https://www.cbd.int/article/launch-global-biodiversity-framework fund 41 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/27/contents https://centralscotlandgreennetwork.org/ https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/madagascar-support-project https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/madagascar-support-project https://csgn.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSGN-DP30-1.pdf https://csgn.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSGN-DP30-1.pdf https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/ https://darwinplus.org.uk/ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/30/enacted#:~:text=An%20Act%20to%20make%20provision,that%20fail%20to%20meet%20environmental https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/30/enacted#:~:text=An%20Act%20to%20make%20provision,that%20fail%20to%20meet%20environmental https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/30/enacted#:~:text=An%20Act%20to%20make%20provision,that%20fail%20to%20meet%20environmental https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-improvement-plan https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-improvement-plan https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services/environmental-land-management-elm-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services/environmental-land-management-elm-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services/environmental-land-management-elm-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services/environmental-land-management-elm-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services/environmental-land-management-elm-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services/environmental-land-management-elm-update-how-government-will-pay-for-land-based-environment-and-climate-goods-and-services https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-principles-policy-statement https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-principles-policy-statement https://fsdafrica.org/ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/22/contents/enacted https://www.cbd.int/gbf/ https://www.cbd.int/article/launch-global-biodiversity-framework-fund https://www.cbd.int/article/launch-global-biodiversity-framework-fund Title URL Global Forest Finance Pledge https://www.gov.uk/government/news/12-billion-donor-support to-halt-and-reverse-forest-loss-and-protect-land-rights G7 2030 Nature Compact https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/g7-2030-nature compact/g7-2030-nature-compact Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/ Inter-agency Air Pollution Group https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/inter-agency-air-pollution-group-iapg/ International Climate Finance Pledge https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-international climate-finance-results-2023/uk-international-climate-finance results-2023#international-climate-finance International Sustainability Standards Board https://www.ifrs.org/groups/international-sustainability-standards board/ Joint Fisheries Statement https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-fisheries statement-jfs Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) https://prod.drupal.www.infra.cbd.int/article/cop15-final-text kunming-montreal-gbf-221222 Local Nature Recovery Strategies https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-nature recovery-strategies/local-nature-recovery-strategies Millennium Seed Bank Partnership https://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp Natur a Ni https://www.natureandus.wales/en/ Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-capital and-ecosystem-assessment-programme/natural-capital-and ecosystem-assessment-programme Nature Recovery Action Plan 2020 (Wales) https://www.gov.wales/nature-recovery-action-plan New UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy https://consult.defra.gov.uk/biodiversity-in-the-uk-overseas territories/uk-overseas-territories-biodiversity-strategy/ 42 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/12-billion-donor-support-to-halt-and-reverse-forest-loss-and-protect-land-rights https://www.gov.uk/government/news/12-billion-donor-support-to-halt-and-reverse-forest-loss-and-protect-land-rights https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/g7-2030-nature-compact/g7-2030-nature-compact https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/g7-2030-nature-compact/g7-2030-nature-compact https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/ https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/inter-agency-air-pollution-group-iapg/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-international-climate-finance-results-2023/uk-international-climate-finance-results-2023#international-climate-finance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-international-climate-finance-results-2023/uk-international-climate-finance-results-2023#international-climate-finance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-international-climate-finance-results-2023/uk-international-climate-finance-results-2023#international-climate-finance https://www.ifrs.org/groups/international-sustainability-standards-board/ https://www.ifrs.org/groups/international-sustainability-standards-board/ https://prod.drupal.www.infra.cbd.int/article/cop15-final-text-kunming-montreal-gbf-221222 https://prod.drupal.www.infra.cbd.int/article/cop15-final-text-kunming-montreal-gbf-221222 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-nature-recovery-strategies/local-nature-recovery-strategies https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-nature-recovery-strategies/local-nature-recovery-strategies https://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp https://www.natureandus.wales/en/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-assessment-programme/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-assessment-programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-assessment-programme/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-assessment-programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-assessment-programme/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-assessment-programme https://www.gov.wales/nature-recovery-action-plan https://consult.defra.gov.uk/biodiversity-in-the-uk-overseas-territories/uk-overseas-territories-biodiversity-strategy/ https://consult.defra.gov.uk/biodiversity-in-the-uk-overseas-territories/uk-overseas-territories-biodiversity-strategy/ Title URL Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ ocean-community-empowerment-and-nature-ocean-grants programme Ocean Country Partnership Programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ ocean-country-partnership-programme-ocpp OSPAR assessments https://oap.ospar.org/en/ OSPAR Quality Status Reports 2023 https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/quality-status reports/qsr-2023/ And https://www.ospar.org/work-areas/cross-cutting-issues/qsr-ia OSPAR – the North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy (NEAES) 2030 https://www.ospar.org/convention/strategy Plan for Water https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-water-our integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water/plan-for water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water Revised Nature Recovery Action Plan (Wales) https://www.gov.wales/nature-recovery-action-plan Strategy of the OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic 2030 https://www.ospar.org/documents?v=46337 Surveillance schemes https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/surveillance-schemes/ Taskforce on Nature related Financial Disclosures https://tnfd.global/ Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/third-national adaptation-programme-nap3 UK Biodiversity Framework https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/uk-biodiversity-framework/ 43 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ocean-community-empowerment-and-nature-ocean-grants-programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ocean-community-empowerment-and-nature-ocean-grants-programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ocean-community-empowerment-and-nature-ocean-grants-programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ocean-country-partnership-programme-ocpp https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-planet-fund/ocean-country-partnership-programme-ocpp https://oap.ospar.org/en/ https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/quality-status-reports/qsr-2023/ https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/quality-status-reports/qsr-2023/ https://www.ospar.org/work-areas/cross-cutting-issues/qsr-ia https://www.ospar.org/convention/strategy https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water/plan-for-water-our-integrated-plan-for-delivering-clean-and-plentiful-water https://www.gov.wales/nature-recovery-action-plan https://www.ospar.org/documents?v=46337 https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/surveillance-schemes/ https://tnfd.global/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/third-national-adaptation-programme-nap3 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/third-national-adaptation-programme-nap3 https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/uk-biodiversity-framework/ Title URL UK Biodiversity Indicators https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/uk-biodiversity-indicators/ UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme https://ukbms.org/ UK Marine Strategy (UKMS) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5f6c8369d3bf7f7238f23151/marine-strategy-part1 october19.pdf UK Marine Strategy Part One: UK updated assessment and Good Environmental Status https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5f6c8369d3bf7f7238f23151/marine-strategy-part1 october19.pdf UK Marine Strategy Part Two: UK marine monitoring programmes https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy part-two-uk-marine-monitoring-programmes UK Marine Strategy Part Three: UK programme of measures https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy part-three-uk-programme-of-measures UK NBSAP for 2030 online event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvyOC qWXW4 UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy 2009 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5a7998a440f0b63d72fc70a8/pb13335-uk-ot-strat-091201. pdf UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy update 2014 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5a74bec240f0b61df477823d/final draft UKOTBS update. pdf UK Peatland Programme https://www.iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org/peatland-code-0 UK Science and Technology Framework https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/6405955ed3bf7f25f5948f99/uk-science-technology framework.pdf Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act https://www.gov.wales/well-being-of-future-generations-wales 44 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/uk-biodiversity-indicators/ https://ukbms.org/ https://moat.cefas.co.uk/ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f6c8369d3bf7f7238f23151/marine-strategy-part1-october19.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f6c8369d3bf7f7238f23151/marine-strategy-part1-october19.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f6c8369d3bf7f7238f23151/marine-strategy-part1-october19.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy-part-two-uk-marine-monitoring-programmes https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy-part-two-uk-marine-monitoring-programmes https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy-part-three-uk-programme-of-measures 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https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6405955ed3bf7f25f5948f99/uk-science-technology-framework.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6405955ed3bf7f25f5948f99/uk-science-technology-framework.pdf https://www.gov.wales/well-being-of-future-generations-wales 10. Annexes • Annex A: The UK’s National Targets 45 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 https://uk.chm-cbd.net/sites/gb/files/2025-02/NBSAP Annex A.pdf Photo credits Front cover Hands: Shane Rounce/Unsplash Barn Owl: charliebishop Flowers: Clive Hurford Otters: Karl Weller Page 3 Dolphin: FPLV Page 5 Mountains: nuvisionsphotography Page 7 Puffins: WLDavies Page 8 Man standing on mountain: WLDavies Page 10 Tollesbury Wick Marshes: Aerial Essex/iStock Page 15 People: SolStock Page 16 Flowers: Clive Hurford Page 19 Damselflies: EstuaryPig Page 20 Red squirrel: JohnFScott Page 23 Starfish: LaSalle-Photo Page 26 Beach: cdwheatley Page 28 Lizard: TETYANA LYAPI Page 29 Ibis: AGAMI Stock Page 31 Mountains: Michael Warren Page 33 Seal: Sam Hardman Fungi: Kevin Wells Basking shark: Rebecca Belleni Photography/iStock Page 34 Thistles: jmimages Back cover Orca: Karl Weller/iStock Bumble bees: Maddy Long 46 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 This page is intentionally blank 47 Blueprint for Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 ISBN 978-1-86107-645-8