Today the Office for Environmental Protection has published a new report, ‘Review of implementation of laws for terrestrial and freshwater protected sites in England’.  

It says that “Protected sites in England offer a golden opportunity to drive nature’s urgently needed recovery but they are failing to deliver the outcomes needed.” 

Joan Edwards, director of policy and public affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, says:  

“Places that are legally protected because of the rare and fragile nature they contain cover 8% of England and, given the alarming scale of nature declines across the UK, it’s vital that Government maximises the contribution of these highly valuable sites for nature. 

“The Office for Environmental Protection makes important recommendations in its new report. To ensure legally protected sites can achieve their role as the cornerstones of nature recovery, the Government must reject proposals from the nuclear regulatory taskforce for new legislation that would weaken their protections. Instead, the Government must support implementation of the current rules by investing in ecological skills; environmental monitoring and the capacity of environmental regulators to do their jobs properly. 

“The Wildlife Trusts care for a large number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and are committed to managing land that’s legally protected as well as possible for wildlife and to play our part in meeting environmental targets. However, as only 30% of features across our Sites of Special Scientific Interests have been recently assessed by Natural England due to funding cuts, it’s frustrating that these sites can’t be recognised as fulfilling their role until this work is done. Natural England has had to delay the completion of this work by another 7 years – and so it’s vital that the Government supports and sufficiently funds its official nature advisor to do the job properly, instead of undermining it at every turn.”