Poots praises UK Nature Positive 2030 Report

Date published: 05 October 2021

Environment Minister Edwin Poots MLA has commended the recent UK Nature Positive 2030 Report.

Environment Minister Edwin Poots is pictured with Matthew Aikenhead, soil scientist at the Hutton Institute at a recent visit to Peatlands Park, Dungannon ahead of International Bog Day on 25 July.

The report prepared by the UK’s five nature agencies, setting out how the UK can reverse declines in biodiversity so that species & ecosystems can recover and become Nature Positive by 2030. It is designed to inform preparations for the upcoming important global conferences, such as COP26 (climate change) and COP15 (biodiversity).

Minister Poots said:Healthy nature is critical for our health, prosperity and addressing climate change but our biodiversity is under severe pressure. I welcome the recent UK Nature Positive 2030 Report, produced by NIEA and the UK other nature bodies. With COP 26 taking place next month, and preparations for COP15 on biodiversity,  this is a big year for taking action on nature and climate. The report focuses on how we can turn things around for biodiversity, showcasing where interventions in the right place can deliver high nature, low carbon outcomes. 

 “We have some good stories to tell in Northern Ireland, with the report highlighting peatland restoration at the Garron Plateau, lapwing recovery at Portmore Nature reserve, restoration of the Peatlands Park and Connswater Greenway improvements.  But, these are not the only outstanding nature recovery local projects, I recently visited the upland peat restoration at Cuilcagh and upland management at Glenwherry hill farm.”

The Minster added: “We must not forget that much more needs to be done. I am progressing this through a Green Growth Strategy, Environment Strategy, Biodiversity Strategy and a future agricultural policy framework. Nature recovery and nature based solutions are central to achieve a ‘low carbon, high nature’ future.”

Northern Ireland’s award winning own young naturalist, writer and environmental campaigner, Dara McAnulty has appealed to be bold and take urgent action to recover nature .. He said: “The climate crisis is here and we have 9 years to fix it. We have to go high nature and low carbon to tackle both biodiversity loss and climate change together. The UK has committed to becoming nature positive by 2030. This means reversing declines in biodiversity so that species and ecosystems can begin to recover. Together we can become nature positive. The time to act is now.”

The Nature Positive 2030 report consists of two reports – a detailed Evidence Report [Nature Positive 2030 Evidence Report] and a more accessible Summary Report [Nature Positive 2030 Summary].

Notes to editors: 

  1. The publication of this important joint report by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA),  Natural England, NatureScot, Natural Resources Wales, and JNCC (the Joint Nature Conservation Committee), coincided with the first anniversary of the UN Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, to which the UK is a signatory. 
  2. Political leaders participating in the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity in September 2020, representing 91 countries from all regions, and the European Union, have committed to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 through the UN Leaders Pledge for Nature. By doing so, these leaders are sending a united signal to step up global ambition and encourage others to match their collective ambition for nature, climate and people with the scale of the crisis at hand. For more information go to: https://www.leaderspledgefornature.org/
  3. COP15 (Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity)  will take place over 2 sessions – virtually in October 2021 and in-person summit in April/May 2021.  It will set out the post-2020 Global Biodiversity framework, including a new set of goals for nature over the next decade.  The framework will set out an ambitious plan to implement broad action to address the drivers of biodiversity loss, to ensure that, by 2030, we have reversed biodiversity loss and created a nature positive world and by 2050, the shared vision of living in harmony with nature is fulfilled.
  4. For media enquiries please contact DAERA Press Office
  5. Follow DAERA on Twitter @Daera_ni  and Facebook @daera.ni

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