The UK Government’s ‘Nature Recovery Green Paper: Protected Sites and Species’ was released on 16 March and the consultation runs until 11May 2022. A summary of the Green Paper contents can be found in The Planner here.

The Government states that: ‘The Green Paper includes options to bring clarity and coherence to our framework for protected sites; to reform species protections; and to modernise funding arrangements. It also looks at what institutional and delivery arrangements would best support our nature recovery objectives.

We are setting out proposals to create a system which better reflects the latest science and the impending impacts of climate change, which better reflects our domestic species and habitats, and which will help us achieve our significant goals to recover nature.’

The Government is asking for views via an online survey which can be found here.

Below is a selection of the initial reactions to the Green Paper from a wide selection of groups:

• Conservative Environment Network
• Local Government Association
• Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)
• The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) 
• Marine Conservation Society
• Wildlife and Countryside Link
• Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

The Consultation documents can be found here.