Biodiversity and Nature Conservation
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on biodiversity and habitat restoration in the last 12 months.
Answered by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The 2026 Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) annual progress report, published in July, sets out the progress made on biodiversity and habitat restoration in the previous 12 months. The report shows that over 85% of 308 actions in the EIP were underway as of March 2026. Recently completed EIP actions supporting biodiversity and habitat restoration include extending Countryside Stewardship to support farming and nature recovery (October 2025), designating the new Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve (March 2026) and announcing £47m of new funding to support peatland restoration (June 2026)
An Environment Act Habitat Target evidence report produced by Natural England shows that as of by March 2026, action has been taken to create or restore a cumulative total of 77,638 hectares likely to qualify for meeting habitat targets, an increase from 38,877 hectares as of May 2025.
The latest species abundance indicator, updated in April 2026, based on data until 2024, shows a declining trajectory. However, we are taking action targeted at species, including £60m allocated to projects via the species restoration fund for the period 2026 to 2029, and continued work to support species, including this summer the release of six White tailed Eagles to Exmoor.
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