The government rejected calls from its own nature experts for a legally binding target to halt England’s catastrophic decline in wildlife, openDemocracy can reveal.
Natural England privately told ministers the best way to deliver their promises to restore wildlife would be to set a strict target for improving conditions at the most important and threatened nature sites, known as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). But the recommendation did not make it into plans announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
There are more than 4,000 SSSIs in England, including The New Forest, Morecambe Bay, the Humber Estuary and the River Wye. Two thirds of the sites have not been assessed by Natural England for more than a decade, partly due to budget cuts at the agency. Of those that have been assessed since 2021, only 27% are in a favourable condition.
