The UK Government has published its revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), setting out a new five-year roadmap to tackle the nature and climate crisis while creating a greener and more prosperous future. The plan is required under the Environment Act and is designed to meet targets to restore the natural environment.

Water at the Core

Improving the condition of England’s waterways is a central theme of the EIP, with a focus on freshwater, marine environments, and overall water use. The strategy addresses the considerable challenges facing the nation’s water security.

The government has set specific, long-term targets:

• Wastewater and Agriculture: A reduction in total nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution from agriculture into the water environment by at least 40% by 2038, compared to a 2018 baseline. Furthermore, the plan targets an 80% reduction in phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 2038.
• Mine Pollution: The EIP aims to halve the length of rivers polluted by harmful metals from abandoned metal mines by 2038, against a baseline of 1,491 km.
• Marine Protection: Ensure that at least 70% of protected features in Marine Protected Areas are in favourable condition by the end of 2042, with the remainder in recovering condition.
• Water Usage: To improve long-term resilience, the plan sets a legally binding target to reduce the use of public water supply in England per head of population by 20% by 2038.

Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, stated that the agency welcomes the revised plan and is responsible for many of its actions focused on water quality, including “ensuring water companies comply with permits and reduce storm overflow pollution”.

Habitat and Species Recovery

The EIP seeks to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, a key legally binding objective. The plan commits to the restoration or creation of at least 500,000 hectares of wildlife habitat across England. The government is supporting this ambition with £500 million in funding for Landscape Recovery projects.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said that the plan “marks a step change in restoring nature,” and that the targets are backed by “real action to cut harmful air pollutants, revive habitats and protect the environment for generations to come”.