An additional portion of the English countryside amounting to 400,000 hectares will be under protection by the year 2030, according to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as support for nature's recovery.
UK's Pledge to the UN
UK's prime minister will announce this commitment at a virtual event to be sponsored by the United Nations. There will be a worldwide pledge, including the UK's, be committed by 65 leaders to reverse the losses of the environment, also by 2030.
In England, 26 percent of the total land is allocated to national parks, protected areas, and other AONB's or Areas with Outstanding Natural Beauty. Boris Johnson promised the government that this land will be increased, with a total of 30% of the land to become protected areas by the said year, a decade from now.
According to the government, it will work together with landowners and the governments of Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, to be able to fulfill this promise all over the UK.
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Targets for Biodiversity and Nature Funding
Boris Johnson is expected to sign, together with other leaders, the United Nations' Leaders' Pledge for Nature. This pledge has commitments for prioritizing the green recovery of various countries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a plan to deliver lofty biodiversity targets and put more funds for nature's renewal and rehabilitation.
According to Johnson, the signatory countries should concretize their words into real action and unite in accomplishing ambitious targets and binding goals.
The Need for Immediate Action
Johnson is set to say that delaying is not a luxury that anyone can afford, since the loss of biodiversity is already happening. It is occurring at a frighteningly fast rate. His speech will emphasize that the consequences will be catastrophic for everyone if the loss is not stopped now.
He will declare that the extinction of species is permanent so that the action of countries should be immediate.
A Welcome Development
The pledge is a rare top-level commitment coming from world leaders on saving nature. There have been many climate change deals among world leaders in the past, but the commitment level for this pledge is a rarer occurrence.
Need for Concrete and Action
Environmentalists supported the announcement, but they also declare that the need to protect is urgent, since the Earth is covered by housing, roads, farmland, and railways.
They also say that the Prime Minister should set the example as a leader. They emphasize that roughly 50% of existing UK SSSI's or Sites of Scientific Special Interest lack proper funding and are in dire condition. They also cite the delay or inaction regarding the Environment Bill's wildlife protection measures.
According to campaigners, if the UK is serious about caring for nature, it should not go through with trade deals that damage wildlife and stop food imports that damaged the environment in their countries of origin. An example is beef importation from cattle raised in the Amazon rainforest.
According to global conservation director of RSPB Martin Harper, UK's commitment is commendable, but should not stop on paper. He said the pledges set ten years ago did not succeed because they were not followed up with real action. The same sentiment was expressed by The Wildlife Trusts chief executive Craig Bennett.
Thus, the commitment by the UK and Boris Johnson for the English countryside will come under scrutiny in the next decade.
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