Defra’s delivery plan for nature explained – what land counts and how is it counted?

July has brought not just an unprecedented heatwave, but for those involved in nature recovery, a hotly anticipated announcement from Defra on how its 30by30 goals will be delivered.

Defra’s 30by30 delivery plan brings more details on how land areas can be volunteered for assessment as part of England’s 30by30 count, and a welcome recognition that designating more protected areas is not the only way forward. However, there is still work to be done on making submitting land for 30by30 an attractive proposition for private landowners.

The term 30by30 refers to an international commitment that the UK made to conserve and manage 30% of its land and seas for nature and biodiversity by 2030. The ‘30by30’ commitment was signed by a total of 198 countries at the UN Biodiversity Conference in December 2022 and aims to reverse global declines in biodiversity.

30by30 has become a core part of England’s approach to nature and biodiversity recovery since the UK signed the agreement. Its goals have been central to England’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) since 2023, marking the beginning of the government’s efforts to develop a plan for delivering by 30by30.

The CLA has been engaged in this process from the beginning, pushing for a version of 30by30 that enabled voluntary participation, alongside designation, and offered landowners incentives, not risks and administrative burdens.

The Welsh Government has a separate commitment for 30by30 and published their initial plans last year – which you can read here.

Defra’s delivery plan for 30by30 introduces an assessment process for creating an inventory land in England that is already being managed for nature for the long term. The aim is to identify land that can meet the internationally agreed criteria, or that may do so with further action.

The assessment process categorises land into tiers related to the 30by30 criteria:

• Gold tier land fully meets the criteria for 30by30 and can already be counted towards England’s 30by30 commitment
• Silver tier land may become Gold tier in the future with further action – the 30by30 pipeline
• Bronze tier land has a recognised benefit for nature, even if it does not have the potential to become Gold tier

To qualify for Gold tier and count towards 30by30, land needs to fulfil three criteria:

• Purpose – land should be managed for the explicit purpose of nature restoration
• Protection – there should be protection in place to ensure the management of the area for conservation for at least 20 years
• Management – management for conservation and monitoring should already be in place

The Defra Group will make some 'central assessments' of areas that that are likely to qualify, such as protected sites, National Nature Reserves and some Defra funded schemes such as Landscape Recovery projects. Other assessments will be voluntary and led by landowners, managers or partner organisations.

Full details of the assessment process and criteria are given in more detail below.

Currently, Defra estimates that between 7 to 10.5% of England’s land can be considered Gold tier and can count towards 30by30. Formally assessing and registering this land will be Defra’s first priority.

It has identified a further 9% of England’s land that partially meets 30by30 criteria and can be classed as Silver tier. Another 12.5% has the potential to support habitat creation or restoration that can eventually qualify the land for 30by30. These areas will require changes in how they are managed and/or protected to achieve 30by30 status. Silver tier areas may receive support and, in some cases, targeted funding to become Gold tier 30by30 sites.

Defra has also convened the National Estate for Nature group to lead the way on submitting land for 30by30. The group consists of public landowners, charities and other large estates who are expected to drive large-scale nature restoration on their own land and establish and promote best practice.

The remaining land will come through voluntary participation by private landowners who essential for achieving 30by30 targets.

The CLA welcomes the focus on voluntary submission of land for inclusion in England’s 30by30 commitment, which provides choice for members.

The 30by30 delivery plan largely relies on aligning existing schemes like Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) or emerging funding streams like the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) to support 30by30 delivery. However, there are some additional incentives that are targeted at National Parks and National Landscapes.

Defra has pledged £37m per year for the next three years to accelerate 30by30 delivery in England’s National Landscapes, and an additional £30m over the next three years for the creation of new wildlife-rich habitats.

The delivery plan states that tailored 30by30 funding may be made available for certain Silver tier areas to bring them to up to standard. However, it is not clear whether this will come from new or existing funding streams.

The opportunities and risks of voluntarily registering land for assessment for 30by30 will vary by business. There is no need to rush into any decision.

Submitting land for voluntary 30by30 assessment may be an attractive option for landowners and managers who would take pride in contributing to its overall goals, and in return, receive recognition for their conservation efforts.

Participation in 30by30 may give landowners access to targeted guidance and preferential access to funding to manage their land effectively for nature. Landowners with land in National Parks or National Landscapes may particularly benefit from the additional funding being targeted towards these areas to support 30by30 delivery.

Registering land as 30by30 may also come with some reputational benefits for landowners, which could support future participation in emerging nature markets or becoming an NRF delivery partner.

The guidance states that voluntary 30by30 land can be withdrawn at any time, but there may be other restrictions on changing use such as the need for Environmental Impact Assessments. Putting land into long-term management for nature can reduce flexibility in how land can be used in the future – which may affect income and potentially land values depending on individual circumstances. Registration may also bring landowners under greater public scrutiny and comes with the risk that stronger protections may be introduced in the future.

On balance, participation is likely to be mostly beneficial and come with least risk for landowners that already manage and have protected their land for nature restoration in the long-term. In other words, land that already meets many of the 30by30 criteria, particularly the protection requirement. An example could be a wetland that is under a long-term agreement for wildlife and flood risk management with a local water company.

The criteria set out below can provide a clearer indication of the types of land that are most likely to be suitable.

The land has to fulfil three criteria to be qualify as Gold tier and count towards England’s 30by30 target: purpose, protection and management.

To qualify for 30by30, land areas should be managed for the purpose of nature conservation and uplift. Nature conservation does not need to be the sole use of the area and exceptions can be made for small areas that fail to meet the criteria. Excluded areas should not be used for purposes that Defra see as incompatible with biodiversity goals. For example, low-intensity agriculture or forestry would be acceptable, while intensive agriculture or forestry would be considered incompatible.

There should be also adequate protection in place to ensure that the area is managed for conservation for at least 20 years. Defra has developed a points system to evaluate whether land fulfils the 30by30 protection criteria. Designation as a protected area automatically meets this requirement. However, other types of protection can count, including the land being managed by a tenant with at least 20 years left on their lease.

The area should have a formal management plan for achieving biodiversity improvements over a 20-year timeframe. The management plan should be completed or in the process of being implemented and have effective monitoring in place to evidence and learn from any changes.

Formal assessment is required for land to qualify as Silver and Gold tier. There are two possible ways for land to be assessed: through centralised assessment and delivery partner assessment.

Central assessment is performed automatically by Defra for land in protected areas, protected sites and Defra-funded schemes. This includes Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), National Nature Reserves (NNRs), and land involved in a Landscape Recovery project. Delivery partner assessment is a voluntary assessment that is performed by a landowner or manage who wishes to submit other land for inclusion in 30by30.

The assessment process has two phases. The first involves answering the following screening questions to qualify the land as Silver tier:

• Is there a purpose or management objective to conserve biodiversity in the area?
• Is the area free from activities or uses which are unsuitable for 30by30 areas?
• Does the area contain wildlife-rich habitat, or is action taking place to create or restore wildlife-rich habitat?
• Is there an intention to ensure conservation in this area for at least 20 years?

The next phase is a full assessment, which will then undergo quality control by Defra Group. Details of the process and data required are not yet publicly available. However, the assessment will require filling out a spreadsheet supplied by Defra and submitting evidence.

Land that meets all the criteria will be registered as Gold tier and count towards England’s 30by30 target. Land that doesn’t meet all the criteria will remain classed as Silver tier. The landowner will then receive guidance on actions that can be taken so the land can qualify for 30by30 in the future.

Defra has made a commitment to continue developing the 30by30 delivery plan through engaging stakeholders in a working group. The CLA is a member of the working group and will continue to engage with Defra key issues, including the value proposition for landowners and widening the definition of nature-friendly land management.