Ambitious roadmap for nature launched by UK Government: Environmental Improvement Plan 2025

The UK Government published its revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025 on Monday. This five-year roadmap sets out Defra’s interim targets and plans to restore nature, improve environmental quality and meet long-term statutory targets under the Environment Act 2021.

The plan is ambitious, with 91 commitments grouped under 10 goals. Each commitment is underpinned by various actions which vary in specificity. Some actions are new, while others restate work already underway. What is clear is that landowners and managers are key in the delivery of many of the government targets.

Alongside the EIP 2025, the government has announced:

• £500m for landscape recovery over 20 years
• £85m for peatland restoration
• £3m to improve access to the Public Forest Estate

The CLA welcomes the new EIP and its ambitious plan for nature recovery and environmental improvement. The plan is vast and covers forestry, commercial waste, water quality, access and almost everything land-based in between. This is appropriate given how multifaceted a plan to deliver environmental improvement needs to be. However, delivery on this scale will be challenging given Defra and its arm's-length bodies’ current resources and capacity.

The EIP places a heavy reliance on land managers, who collectively manage 67% of the land area, to deliver nature recovery, improve soil and water quality, and help to meet carbon targets.

It signals opportunities for land managers including agri-environment schemes, grants, and nature market opportunities. There is strong emphasis on local priorities and delivery, and a key action for members will be to start building the local connections with the government, environmental organisations and other landowners and managers.

Key commitments include restoring or creating 250,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by December 2030 (up from 140,000 hectares by 2028 in the previous EIP), before rising to 500,000 hectares by 2042. Hedgerows remain a major focus, with plans to create or restore 48,000 km by 2037, expanding to 72,500 km by 2050.

Another important new target is to double the number of farms providing year-round resources for wildlife by 2030, such as food and shelter for birds and pollinators. These targets underline the central role of Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes in delivering nature recovery alongside productive farming.

The government has recommitted to the international goal of protecting 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030, but interim targets for Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) to have actions on track to achieve favourable conditions have been pushed back from January 2028 to December 2030.

The EIP 2025 reinforces the role of National Parks and National Landscapes (formerly AONBs) in delivering nature recovery and improving public access. These areas are expected to provide half of the statutory target for restoring or creating wildlife-rich habitat, and the government plans to strengthen legislation by the end of this Parliament to widen public access. A new commitment of over £110m in direct funding to Protected Landscape organisations by April 2026 will support local action on nationally important priorities, including nature recovery and access improvements.

The revised EIP announces several important steps forward on water. These include committing to consult on making Sustainable Drainage Schemes (SuDS) mandatory in new developments, which will reduce the amount of rainwater entering rivers and worsening flooding. The government will ‘support the agricultural sector in ensuring collaborative sustainable water use’ by doubling the number of Water Abstractor Groups by 2030.

The EIP 2025 confirms that the government will consult on extending Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) to dairy and intensive beef systems, something we will be watching closely. There is also a plan to modernise the abstraction licensing system, which is much needed, but we will carefully scrutinise how this happens as the proposal to move it into EPR could have big implications for anyone relying on irrigation or water storage.

On the positive side, the government will double funding for advice-led farm inspections by 2029, rewarding those who have invested in compliance, and launch a free nutrient management planning tool in 2026. Grants to support innovation in tackling water pollution are also promised, and there is a push for more collaborative water use, with Water Abstractor Groups set to double by 2030. Plus, a consultation on introducing Schedule 3 for Sustainable Drainage Systems is a major step forward for managing flood risk.

The EIP 2025 also confirms that the government will consult on extending Environmental Permitting Regulations to dairy and intensive beef systems, something we will be watching closely.

When it comes to soil health, Defra will publish principles for sustainable soil management and guidance for consistent soil health monitoring by 2026, aiming to establish a national soil health baseline by 2029. There is also a commitment to measure carbon storage in six non-peat habitats, such as species-rich grasslands and saltmarsh, by 2028 – which is good news for net zero planning. Silvopasture is now officially recognised alongside silvoarable systems, and new targets aim to expand saltmarsh, seagrass meadows, and oyster reefs by 15% by 2043. These are welcome moves, but many lack detail on funding or delivery.

The statutory tree cover target to raise England’s woodland and tree canopy cover to 16.5% by 2050 remains in place, supported by a new interim goal to deliver 43,000 hectares of additional tree and woodland cover by 2030, ensuring progress stays on track. The 16.5% of land area target involves the creation of about 210,000 hectares of new tree cover by 2050.

There are positive commitments to increase the proportion of timber bearing conifer species contributing to planting targets through grants and green finance, alongside implementing the actions set out in the ‘Timber in Construction Roadmap 2025’. Plans also include exploring the creation of a Woodland Carbon Purchase Fund and determining UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) eligibility for new woodlands accredited under the UK Woodland Carbon Code.

Further detail will follow in a new ‘Trees Action Plan’ in 2026, which is also expected to include a target for enhanced woodland management. Commitments to strengthen biosecurity are welcome given the increased threat from tree pest and diseases, such as the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle which is currently being addressed through a Forestry Commission programme of surveillance, trapping, grants, and advice.

The strategy also sets out measures to prevent the establishment and spread of new invasive non-native species (INNS), including a goal to reduce their establishment rate by 50% by 2030. However, there is limited clarity on tackling species already causing damage, such as grey squirrels and some deer species. A deer strategy and revised grey squirrel action plan were submitted for Secretary of State approval under the previous government but remain unpublished – hopefully these will be included in or alongside the 2026 Trees Action Plan.

Agri-environment schemes are cited in the EIP 2025 as one of the key incentives for land managers to achieve these outcomes. If the government expects land managers to deliver these outcomes, it must provide long-term and stable access to well-funded agri-environment schemes that work for all types of farms and estates.

The government’s £500m commitment for Landscape Recovery projects over the next 20 years is positive and supports the commitment to conserve and manage at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. However, this funding equates to around £25m per year, which is modest given the scale and ambition of landscape recovery.

Landscape recovery projects are large-scale, long-term agreements blending public and private finance. However, the implementation agreements include a concerning break clause which allows Defra to withdraw with 12 months’ notice, creating considerable uncertainty for farmers considering decades-long commitments.

The EIP 2025 has a commitment to mobilise private investment and finance to restore and protect nature in England, signalling nature market’s key role in delivering the EIP 2025. This is underpinned by actions including developing 'Nature Positive Pathways' for key sectors of the economy such as water, agri-food, and the built environment, and setting out next steps to streamline and strengthen governance of voluntary carbon and nature markets, following recent consultations and the Corry Review’s recommendation to explore a Nature Markets Accelerator.

The government will also provide £250,000 to support the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and encourage UK organisations to adopt its risk management and disclosure framework. Alongside this, there is a clear ambition to increase private investment in woodland creation, restoration, and management.

For these markets to succeed, the government must lead the way so land managers and investors can participate with confidence.

The EIP 2025 includes requirements on pesticide reduction, soil health monitoring, and water quality and other areas affecting farmers and land managers. Regulation underpinning this needs to be practical and proportionate, and regulators need to work alongside farmers and land managers to ensure that efforts are focused on results.

While the EIP 2025 is ambitious and wide ranging, many commitments lack specific measurable goals or delivery detail.

The EIP will be followed by a Land Use Framework setting out the changes needed to support multifunctional land use and sophisticated spatial planning and a farming roadmap outlining a vision for farming to 2050 and how we get there. The CLA will continue to keep a close eye on this work and its implications for members.