The government has published its response to the independent, global Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity.

Key points

• The Government agrees with the Dasgupta Review’s fundamental conclusion: nature, and the biodiversity that underpins it, ultimately sustains our economies, livelihoods and well-being, and so our decisions must take into account the true value of the goods and services we derive from it.
• The Government commits to: (1) delivering a ‘nature positive’ future, in which we leave the environment in a better state than we found it, and reverse biodiversity loss globally by 2030; and (2) ensuring economic and financial decision-making, and the systems and institutions that underpin it, supports the delivery of that nature positive future.
• A legally binding target on species abundance by 2030 will be included in the Environment Bill.
• Building on the success of the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund launched earlier this year, the Government is developing a Nature for Climate Impact Fund which will leverage private finance into new natural capital markets for carbon, water quality, biodiversity, natural flood alleviation and other ecosystem services.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has published a report on the state of UK biodiversity in relation to existing policies.

It says the UK’s ‘poorly mixed cocktail’ of policy driving biodiversity decline. Further, the MPs warn that current Government policies are inadequate to address a sharp decline in nature-based losses.

From edie news.

Link to the EAC press release and report.