- Cleaner rivers and air, less domestic waste, more nature and wildlife under plan
- £500 million to accelerate landscape-scale nature recovery across England
- New commitments will see government tackle forever chemicals and reduce harmful pollutants in the air
People across Portsmouth will have cleaner air and water under a strengthened new plan to restore the natural environment, with millions of pounds of funding announced for the benefit of landscapes across England.
The revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) published this week will accelerate action over the next five years to better meet the challenge posed by the nature and climate crisis. The plan will improve public health, boost nature and wildlife, and support growth which is dependent on a healthy environment.
Communities in Portsmouth will benefit from improved air quality thanks to action to tackle fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) which harms public health and can cause asthma, lung and heart conditions.
Under a new ambitious interim target, population exposure to this type of pollution will be reduced by 30% by 2030 when compared to 2018 levels.
Nature will be boosted with quarter of a million hectares of wildlife-rich habitats created or restored by 2030 – an area larger than Greater London.
This is 110,000 hectares of habitat more than had been previously committed supporting our aims for a healthier environment, which is essential to growth.
Efforts to tackle damaging invasive species, which outcompete our native wildlife and pose a threat to farmers’ livelihoods, will be stepped up with a new target to reduce their presence by half compared to 25 years ago.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan MP for Portsmouth South said:
“Having grown up in our city, and wanting to leave behind a cleaner, greener community, protecting our precious natural environment is a priority of mine in parliament.
“That is why I welcome the significant progress Labour has already made towards protecting nature for constituents in Portsmouth.
“This Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan offers a clear, detailed pathway to restore our Portsmouth’s natural environment for years to come.”
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said:
“Our environment faces real challenges, with pollution in our waterways, air quality that’s too low in many areas, and treasured species in decline.
“This plan marks a step change in our approach. Our ambitious targets are backed by real action and cut harmful air pollutants, restore wildlife habitats across an area larger than Greater London and reducing the establishment of new non-native species.
“We’re turning words into meaningful action so that future generations can inherit a country with a thriving natural environment while we grow our economy.”
The plan is being supported with new headline commitments and funding announced today. This includes £500 million for Landscape Recovery projects, bringing together farmers and land managers to restore nature at scale.
These unique, collaborative projects will achieve ambitious nature recovery specific to their local area. This will include boosting biodiversity, creating wildlife-rich environments for people to enjoy, reducing flood risk in vulnerable areas and improving water quality in local rivers and streams.
Building on this landscape-scale approach, £85 million will improve and restore peatlands, helping reduce flooding in communities and improve water quality.
A further £3 million will improve access to nature in the Public Forest Estates through facilities including accessible bike trails and all-terrain mobility equipment for hire at parks and nature reserves.
