The Environmental Improvement Plan published on 31 January 2023 sets out government targets and commitments on habitats. This includes the long-term legally binding Environment Act habitat target as described in the Statutory Instrument (SI) “The Environmental Targets (Biodiversity) (England) Regulations 2023”:
“To restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitats outside of protected sites by 2042.”
A new interim target was also set within the EIP23:
“To restore or create 140,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitats outside protected sites by 2028.”
This paper was prepared jointly by Defra and Natural England, and sets out how the habitat targets will be defined and measured. This information serves two purposes: to provide high-level clarification for non-experts, and to provide detail for experts/those advising in the context of on-the-ground action. It includes definitions for restoration and creation, the list of wildlife-rich habitats, and the actions that will count toward the target.