Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 May 2023.

A new section of the King Charles III England Coast Path is opening between Tarleton Locks, in Preston and Pier Head Ferry Terminal, in Liverpool.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 May 2023.

£3 million invested in the Global Fertiliser Challenge to fund new research to develop alternative fertilisers to boost sustainability and productivity.

The UK has today (Tuesday, 9 May) reaffirmed its role as a global leader in food productivity, sustainable farming and tackling climate change at the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) Summit including making a £3 million investment to develop more sustainable fertilisers.

Attending the summit in Washington D.C., Minister for Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Farming Minister Mark Spencer helped bring more than 20 countries together to further global progress on the Agriculture Breakthrough, a collaborative effort launched under the UK’s COP26 Presidency, to accelerate the development and deployment of clean technologies and sustainable solutions in the agriculture sector.

As part of this, the UK announced it will join the US-led Global Fertiliser Challenge, investing £3 million to develop, test and scale up new and alternative fertilisers that can enhance soil health, agricultural productivity, and the sustainability of agriculture globally.

In partnership with the US, the UK’s investment will fund a new Efficient Fertiliser Consortium, led by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, that will carry out research to advance efficient, environmentally beneficial and cost-effective fertilisers and management practices. This builds on a shared commitment to address food insecurity in low and middle income countries, and will go alongside the UK’s efforts to support domestic farmers with rising input costs through bringing forward direct payments and providing one-off grants to enable farmers to reduce their fertiliser use and increase productivity.

Launched during the UK’s Presidency of COP26, AIM for Climate seeks to increase investment in climate smart agricultural innovation, with this week’s summit marking a key moment to raise ambition, build collaborations and share knowledge on climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation in the lead-up to COP28. The Agriculture Breakthrough is a UK-led collaboration between governments to accelerate development and deployment of clean technologies and sustainable solutions in the agriculture sector. Its goal is “to make climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture the most attractive and widely adopted option for farmers everywhere by 2030”. It is part of the Breakthrough Agenda – a UK COP Presidency initiative launched at the World Leaders Summit at COP26.

Farming Minister, Mark Spencer said:

Innovation is key to unlocking a more sustainable, profitable future for our farming and agriculture sectors. It is vital we join together at the international table to share expertise and best practice, and fund new research to catalyse pioneering solutions that will support farmers around the world to meet the challenges of food security while delivering for our environment.

Alongside today’s £3m investment into the development of alternative fertilisers, we are investing hundreds of millions of pounds in ongoing support and one-off grants every year for UK farmers get the support they need to capitalise on cutting-edge technology and research that can increase productivity and help tackle climate change.

We must continue to foster this innovation not only at home but around the world, and I encourage countries to get onboard as we work to generate a real breakthrough for the agri-food sector.

FCDO Minister for Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

Our global food systems are under increasing pressure, from the devastating impacts of climate change as well as from the turmoil created by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We need collaboration, innovation and ambition to tackle these challenges, and today’s AIM4C Summit and Agriculture Breakthrough Ministerial Meeting have demonstrated the possibilities – we now need investment in research and development, and a laser-like focus on deployment and delivery.

That’s why the UK is committing £3m to the Global Fertiliser Challenge, to develop new, more efficient fertilisers to transform productivity and safeguard nature. With the US and FFAR, we will accelerate the pace and scale of agriculture innovation and the adoption of climate-resilient agriculture solutions.

The UK continues to invest in overcoming the global challenge of feeding the world’s population whilst responding to climate change and biodiversity loss, including pest and disease threats. Its long-standing partnership with CGIAR, the world’s leading agricultural science and innovation organisation, has already helped millions of farmers to increase the resilience of their crops to drought and disease and contributed to the food security of millions of people.

Meanwhile, at home, the UK has made more than £168 million in grants available to farmers this year to drive innovation, support food production, improve animal health and welfare and protect the environment.

This includes grants of £51 million for the Farming Innovation Programme in 2023, bringing together farmers, growers, businesses and researchers in research and development projects that seek to transform productivity, boost environmental sustainability and help meet net zero targets. Projects already benefitting from the Programme include a hands-free solution to monitor a cow’s welfare and performance, data-sharing solutions for farmers to support each other in measuring and monitoring soil health patterns, and a working herd of harvesting agri-robots.

Running alongside this, the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) offers farmers specific equipment to boost environmental sustainability, improve animal health and welfare, and reduce input use to cut emissions and waste. This includes £34 million in slurry storage grants to help farmers reduce their dependence on artificial fertilisers through better storage of organic nutrients whilst also improving water and air quality.

The UAE announced its participation in the Agriculture Breakthrough during the event, confirming the COP28 Presidency’s commitment to the Breakthrough Agenda. Canada and Kenya also announced their participation, bringing the total number of countries participating in the international collaboration to sixteen.

Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, United Arab Emirates Minister of Climate Change and Environment said:

I am delighted to announce the UAE joining the UK’s Agriculture Breakthrough Initiative. This participation emphasises the UAE’s dedication to transforming food systems and developing innovative approaches that support agricultural R&D and innovation efforts.

Our mission is to set ambitious goals for the 2024 Agriculture Breakthrough Priority Actions that will be announced at COP28 in the UAE later this year. We recognise the critical role agricultural innovation plays in addressing climate change and are dedicated to promoting it at local, regional, and global levels.

The full list of participating countries is: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Kenya, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sweden, UAE and the UK.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 May 2023.

Consultation to expand storm overflow reduction targets to cover all coasts, estuaries and marine protected sites.

The government is planning to consult on expanding its targets to tackle sewage even further to cover all coasts, estuaries and marine protected sites, Defra has confirmed today (9 May 2023).

The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, published in August 2022, set out stringent targets to protect people and the environment, backed up by £56 billion capital investment – the largest infrastructure programme in water company history.

Since then, the government has continued to drive action to hold water companies to account, bring in tougher regulation and accelerate infrastructure to tackle pollution. Building on the measures in the plan to address the overflows causing the most harm first, the government is now planning to consult to expand the targets to cover all coastal and estuarine overflows.

It follows last month’s announcement that the government’s target to reduce storm overflows will be enshrined in law through the Environment Act 2021. This will be backed by separate interim milestones for bathing waters and high priority nature sites.

The government has always been clear that it will go further and faster to tackle the issue of storm overflows wherever possible, with Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey demanding earlier this year that water companies share individual improvement plans on all storm overflows by June.

The targets outlined in the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan provide an achievable, credible route to tackling sewage and delivering the improvements customers expect without disproportionately impacting consumer bills.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

As a coastal MP myself, I know that our coastlines are hugely important to local communities and to nature.  While 93% of our beaches with designated bathing status are already rated excellent or good, I intend to use my powers to better protect all of our coasts and estuaries”.

The Plan for Water set out the government’s strategy to tackle all sources of pollution – not just storm overflows, but also agriculture, plastics, road run-off and chemicals – as well as managing the pressures on our water resources.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 3 May 2023.

To celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, the government has announced the renaming of the England Coast Path, the creation of a King’s Series of National Nature Reserves, and new Coronation Woods.

• England’s longest national trail to be renamed the ‘King Charles III England Coast Path’
• ‘King’s Series of National Nature Reserves’ to be launched, with first to be declared in Lincolnshire
• New ‘Coronation Woods’- large-scale woodland creation as part of the nation’s forests and funding for local communities to plant trees in the King’s honour.

To celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, the government will leave a lasting public legacy for people and nature with the renaming of the England Coast Path, the creation of a King’s Series of National Nature Reserves, and new Coronation Woods it has been announced (Monday 1st May).

As Prince of Wales, His Majesty expressed a deep love and concern for England’s wildlife, natural and rural places, frequently reflecting on his love of walking and its role in promoting a healthy mind and body. The plans will see:

• The England Coast Path renamed the ‘King Charles III England Coast Path’ leaving a lasting legacy to be enjoyed by walkers around the entire English coastline. The King Charles III England Coast Path will be a 2,700 mile long National Trail around the whole of the English coast, passing through some of our finest countryside and some of England’s most stunning, dynamic, and internationally famous coastal scenery. Natural England has worked in partnership with local access authorities to open 794 miles of the route so far and the trail will be fully walkable by the end of 2024 – connecting communities from Northumberland to Cumbria via Cornwall;
• The creation of a new ‘King’s Series of National Nature Reserves’, with five major National Nature Reserve (NNR) declarations per year for the next five years (25 in total). The first the ‘Lincolnshire Coronation Coast NNR’ will be declared by Natural England this summer and will be over 12 square miles and contain a wonderful variety of habitats including sand dunes, saltmarsh, mudflats and freshwater marshes, supporting many breeding and wintering birds, natterjack toads, special plants and insects. The remaining four ‘King’s Series National Nature Reserves’ for the 2023-2024 year will be announced at a later date, but are likely to include The Mendip Hills in Somerset, Moccas Park in Herefordshire, Ingleborough in North Yorkshire and Lullington in East Sussex. Now as we move from an era of Nature conservation to Nature recovery, this new ‘King’s Series’ of National Nature Reserves showcases our ambition for bigger, better and more connected spaces for nature – building on the 221 declared in the reign of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; and
• The development of ‘Coronation Woods’, with Forestry England creating new woodland on land they buy and plant between April 2023 and March 2025. These will be the first official new woodlands created to recognise the Coronation of King Charles III. In addition, Defra will provide up to £2.5 million of funding for communities in England to plant trees as a permanent reminder of the Coronation in their local areas. The funding will support Local Authorities, Parish Councils and Housing Associations to deliver local planting initiatives including community orchards, small areas of woodland and ‘tree handouts’ – whereby trees are supplied to local residents to plant in areas of their choosing. This will create a wonderful variety of local wooded spaces that communities are involved in, allowing them to connect with nature on their doorsteps.

Thérèse Coffey, Environment Secretary said:

The King is a dedicated champion of nature in our country. He spearheaded efforts to move to more environmentally friendly farming techniques and through his Prince’s Foundation has sought to highlight how education can foster responsible stewardship towards the planet and the natural environment.

The Coronation marks the beginning of a new chapter in our national story and it’s fitting that nature and the public will benefit from these lasting commemorations for years to come.

As Prince of Wales, his Majesty has held number of patronages of wildlife and conservation charities including the Wildlife Trusts. He has also worked to encourage the private sector to work to respond to climate change and increase their focus on sustainability with more than 500 CEOs part of his Sustainable Markets Initiative including the heads of some of the world’s biggest financial institutions.

Through our Environmental Improvement Plan we want to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it and in this Coronation year even more people will get out and experience our incredible wildlife and landscapes.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 1 May 2023.

‘King’s Series of National Nature Reserves’ to be launched, with first to be declared in Lincolnshire.

Natural England will leave a lasting public legacy for people and nature by creating of a King’s Series of National Nature Reserves to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

As Prince of Wales, His Majesty expressed a deep love and concern for England’s wildlife, natural and rural places, frequently reflecting on his love of walking and its role in promoting a healthy mind and body.

The plans will see the creation of a new ‘King’s Series of National Nature Reserves’, with five major National Nature Reserves named every year for the next five years – 25 in total.

The first – the Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve – will be declared by Natural England this summer. Over 21 square miles in area, it contains a wonderful variety of sand dunes, saltmarsh, mudflats and freshwater marshes, which support many breeding and wintering birds, natterjack toads, special plants and insects.

The remaining four National Nature Reserves for 2023-2024 will be confirmed at a later date, but are likely to include the Mendip Hills in Somerset, Moccas Park in Herefordshire, Ingleborough in North Yorkshire and Lullington in East Sussex.

As the government’s focus moves on from an era of nature conservation to nature recovery to create spaces for wildlife to thrive, this new series showcases our ambition for bigger, better and more connected spaces for nature – building on the 221 declared in the reign of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said:

For more than five decades our King has been at the forefront of thinking about the need to restore our depleted natural world. He has highlighted the vital importance of sustainable agriculture, questions of water security, solutions to climate change and the urgency of moving to a circular economy inspired by nature. He’s helped make progress on all these and other subjects while having people’s wellbeing at the centre of his ideas.

It is fitting that today Natural England begins the process of declaring 25 new National Nature Reserves that will be called the ‘King’s Series’, marking His Majesty’s Coronation and the new era of nature recovery that is now enshrined in national law and global agreements.

The National Nature Reserves are the jewels in the crown of England’s nature and they are there for wildlife and people alike. The first one in this new series will be a very substantial area of protected habitat on the Lincolnshire coast, through which a section of the England Coast Path will soon be opened by Natural England.

National Nature Reserves are the most important places for nature in England and provide significant benefits for nature conservation, science and people.

Work leading to the declaration of the first seven NNRs in England in 1952 took place during the Second World War, laying a legacy for future generations. Over the last 70 years, during the reign of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 221 NNRs were declared, focusing on nature conservation and science and providing opportunities for people to enjoy nature.

His Majesty has held number of patronages of wildlife and conservation charities, including the Wildlife Trusts. As Prince of Wales he has also worked to encourage the private sector to work to respond to climate change and increase their focus on sustainability with more than 500 CEOs part of his Sustainable Markets Initiative, including the heads of some of the world’s biggest financial institutions.

Through our Environmental Improvement Plan we want to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it and in this Coronation year even more people will get out and experience our incredible wildlife and landscapes

This Coronation year will also see the very first National Nature Reserves Week which will take place from 20th to 29th May 2023.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 1 May 2023.

• Trail will be fully walkable by the end of 2024 – connecting communities across England

The Government will leave a lasting public legacy for people and nature with the renaming of the England Coast Path to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

As Prince of Wales, His Majesty expressed a deep love and concern for England’s wildlife, natural and rural places, frequently reflecting on his love of walking and its role in promoting a healthy mind and body.

The plans will see the England Coast Path renamed the ‘King Charles III England Coast Path’ after an unveiling on 10 May, leaving a lasting legacy to be enjoyed by people around the entire English coastline.

The King Charles III England Coast Path will be a 2,700-mile long National Trail around the whole of the English coast, passing through some of our finest countryside and some of England’s most stunning, dynamic and internationally famous coastal scenery

Natural England has worked in partnership with local authorities to open 794 miles of the route so far and the trail will be fully walkable by the end of 2024 – connecting communities from Northumberland to Cumbria via Cornwall.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

“The King is a dedicated champion of nature in our country. He spearheaded efforts to move to more environmentally friendly farming techniques and through his Prince’s Foundation has sought to highlight how education can foster responsible stewardship towards the planet and the natural environment.

“The Coronation marks the beginning of a new chapter in our national story and it’s fitting that nature and the public will benefit from these lasting commemorations for years to come.”

In line with the spirit of sustainability championed by His Majesty, signage featuring the new name will only be installed as new stretches of the trail are established, with existing signage retained elsewhere along the route until it requires replacing.

The next two sections of the King Charles III England Coast Path to open will be in Filey, North Yorkshire, and Crosby Beach, Liverpool. Both sections will be opened on the 10 May. Please contact Defra press office for media attendance at the unveiling.

His Majesty has held number of patronages of wildlife conservation charities, including the Wildlife Trusts. As Prince of Wales he has also worked to encourage the private sector to work to respond to climate change and increase their focus on sustainability with more than 500 CEOs part of his Sustainable Markets Initiative, including the heads of some of the world’s biggest financial institutions.

Through our Environmental Improvement Plan we want to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it and in this Coronation year even more people will get out and experience our incredible wildlife and landscapes

To celebrate the path’s gradual completion, a series of events will be held across England throughout the summer of 2023. Find out more about the events or plan your route along the coastal path at England Coast Path – National Trails

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 April 2023.

Scheme to improve traceability of wild venison, increase buyer confidence and support woodland management launches in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

• The new standard, along with the existing Scottish scheme, will enable the industry to demonstrate best practice for food production and increase buyer confidence in British wild venison.

A new scheme to boost consumers’ confidence in the venison market and support the sustainable management of wild deer in the countryside has launched.

The UK’s deer population is believed to be at its highest level for 1,000 years, with some two million deer in our countryside and semi-urban areas. A growing deer population with no natural predator puts more browsing pressure on woodland ground flora through their consumption of tree shoots, shrubs and woody vegetation that sequester carbon. Increased wild deer management is essential if we are to protect existing woodland and newly planted saplings, meet England’s tree planting targets, protect agricultural crops and biodiversity and increase carbon stocks in woodlands.

The wild venison quality assurance scheme, which will be open to applicants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, will ensure a set of audited standards are met throughout the supply chain, from forests, to the processing chain, to supermarket shelves. Successful applicants – including venison producer and processers – will support the development of a wider, more robust marketplace for British wild venison, which is a sustainable and healthy food source.

Applicants must demonstrate they comply with the new scheme, ensuring carcasses are handled correctly, premises are registered as food businesses with the local authority, and that standards expected for producing food are met in line with relevant regulations and best practice, ensuring that full traceability occurs. It is hoped the first quality-assured meat badged under this scheme will go on sale next year.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said:

“We must develop ways to manage deer more sustainably if we are to meet our tree-planting targets and protect our precious woodlands and biodiversity. This announcement is an important step towards achieving that aim and creating a thriving market for British wild venison.”

Richard Stanford, Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, said:

“A healthy native wild deer population that is in balance with its ecosystem will allow woodland to flourish, and support biodiversity.  However where there are high-density populations of wild deer these can negatively impact the establishment, growth and biodiversity of woodland.  Deer therefore must be managed as part of sustainable forestry in England which will also support the development of the wild venison market as a healthy meat.

“Boosting confidence in the British venison market encourages deer management and is a sustainable alternative to fencing and plastic tree guards in the landscape. As such, I strongly encourage producers to apply for this new scheme.”

Rachel Lawrence, Business Manager Grown in Britain, said:

“Wild deer are an important part of our natural landscape but without proper management their numbers are escalating, causing damage to existing and new woodlands. For Grown in Britain, writing the BQWV standard, in partnership with the venison sector, was an important step towards bringing that balance back to our natural habitats, securing a better future for our woodlands and the many benefits they deliver.”

Martin Edwards, Head of Deer & Woodland Management British Association for Shooting and Conservation, said:

“The British Quality Wild Venison standard has the capability to grow confidence in the wild venison market through opening doors and allowing wild venison to reach its full potential. A wild venison market working at full capacity across the supply chain will assist with the management of wild deer in England & Wales and maximise the use of a healthy source of protein.”

The scheme is a cross-sector initiative developed by the Forestry Commission, Grown in Britain, Forestry England, Natural Resources Wales, National Game Dealers Association, British Association for Shooting and Conservation, British Deer Society, and the National Gamekeepers Organisation.

Venison is an affordable meat option high in essential amino acids and in addition, a rich source of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron, and zinc, low in cholesterol and saturated fats compared to other red meats and is a high-quality source of protein.

In the England Trees Action Plan and the Environment Improvement Plan the Government committed to releasing a deer management strategy. We recently consulted on deer management and will be publishing a response in due course.

To apply for the British Quality Wild Venison scheme visit: British Quality Wild Venison – Quality assurance for British Wild Venison.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 29 April 2023.

Darwin Plus Strategic initiative opens for the first time, supporting ambitious, transformative projects to tackle biodiversity loss in the UK Overseas Territories.

• UK government also opens applications for Darwin Plus Main, Fellowship and Local, continuing to support nature recovery and species under threat
• Funding delivers on government’s target to halt and reverse biodiversity decline

Efforts to boost biodiversity recovery in the UK Overseas Territories have been bolstered with large-scale projects funded for the first time to tackle nature loss.

The UK Overseas Territories, including the Falkland Islands and Montserrat, are some of the most nature-rich and biodiverse areas in the world. Thick forests, shimmering oceans and vast grasslands thrive with wildlife, many of which are under threat from climate change and habitat loss.

The new Darwin Plus Strategic Fund will support projects up to £3 million over the next three years to strengthen species and habitat recovery in the Overseas Territories.

The funding will be awarded to projects in the UK Overseas Territories which are designed to tackle invasive species, improve internationally important habitats such as cloud forests and coral reefs, and expand monitoring of climate change to improve resilience.

Environment Minister Trudy Harrison said:

“From dense rainforests to marshlands which capture carbon, our Overseas Territories are full of unique habitats and diverse wildlife which must be protected for future generations.

“The new grant scheme announced today is a flagship commitment which will support transformative improvements in biodiversity, halt nature-loss and build climate resilience.”

Howard Nelson, Chair of Darwin Plus Advisory Group, said:

“Every annual call for projects for Darwin Plus is important, as it provides a way to fund important efforts to conserve the unique biodiversity of the territories.

“The addition of the Darwin Plus Strategic Fund enables the stakeholders from the Overseas Territories with an opportunity to scale up and accelerate actions that work for conservation, and bring positive change for biodiversity across these amazing places. We are very excited to see the proposals and the new opportunities this will create for conservation action.”

Under the Environmental Improvement Plan, the government reiterated the commitment to bolster support for biodiversity in the Overseas Territories. Today’s announcement delivers on this pledge and will help achieve the target to halt biodiversity decline by 2030 and improve species abundance by 10% by 2042.

In addition to opening of the new Darwin Plus Strategic Fund, existing funding allocated through Darwin Plus Local will support over 40 projects including:

• Support for Bermuda’s Living Reef foundation which preserves and restores coral reefs by rearing young corals in its land-based hatchery and planting them on the reef habitat. The funding will support increased monitoring, the use of 3D computer modelling infrastructure and train four scientists to enhance coastal protections
• Biodiversity surveys in Antarctica to better understand and implement new biodiversity protection measures around the Western Antarctic Peninsula and increase protection for flora and fauna sites. The grant will support the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust to create a new Environmental Management Plan to address climate adaptation
• The protection and hand-pollination of endemic ghost orchids in the Cayman Islands to address the threat of extinction. The funding will support partners who raise seedlings in nutrient-rich media to combat pollination limitations observed in natural populations

Since 2012, the Darwin Plus programme has invested over £45 million in over 240 biodiversity and conservation projects in the UKOTs. For further information on Darwin Plus programmes and the full list of projects visit: https://darwinplus.org.uk/

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 29 April 2023.

UK government awards nearly £40 million to more than 80 projects through the Darwin Initiative and Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.

• Projects from Ghana to Ecuador will support global action to protect wildlife and reverse biodiversity loss
• Next round of funding also opens to new projects, building on government’s target to halt biodiversity loss by 2030

Threatened plants and animals, including elephants and pangolins are set to be protected thanks to new UK government funding announced today, Saturday 29 April.

Over 80 conservation projects across the globe will benefit from nearly £40 million funding aimed at boosting international biodiversity, supporting the communities that live alongside nature and tackling illegal wildlife trade.

Some of the successful projects include:

• Support for the International Snow Leopard Trust to provide specialised training to combat the poaching of snow leopards in countries like Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Pakistan;
• Supporting the work of the Wildlife Conservation Society to reduce demand for collagen rich Pangolin scales in Traditional Chinese Medicine;
• Supporting the Zoological Society of London’s effort to create sustainable ways for humans and elephants to coexist in areas such as Thailand, where they are often in conflict.

Environment minister Trudy Harrison said:

“The fantastic projects announced today will enhance efforts to protect threatened wildlife, support economic growth of developing countries and drive nature recovery.

“The UK is a global champion when it comes to biodiversity and driving action to halt and reverse the decline of nature. I am proud that – through our Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and the Darwin Initiative – we will continue to play a leading role in conservation efforts around the world.”

Dr Charudutt Mishra, from the International Snow Leopard Trust said:

“The snow leopard, an iconic species of Asia’s high mountains, is threatened by retaliatory killing due to their predation on livestock, and illegal trade of its pelt and other body parts. With support from the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, we are empowering local and indigenous communities of High Asia with livelihood and conflict management initiatives to enable them to better coexist with snow leopards, and to support conservation efforts.

“We are also helping rangers improve their capacity and motivation in Illegal Wildlife Trade disruption with training, resources and enhanced social recognition in three countries.”

Chair of the Darwin Expert Committee Professor E.J. Milner-Gulland said:

“I’m thrilled that the Darwin Initiative is funding such a wide range of outstanding projects, which will improve both biodiversity and human wellbeing in such a diversity of ways and in so many places. These projects bring fresh thinking and new ideas to conservation practice, produce evidence to support better conservation, as well as building the capacity of the next generation of conservationists around the world.

“It was a pleasure and honour to support Defra in their selection of these projects and I look forward to a new set of exciting proposals in the upcoming 30th round of the Darwin Initiative.”

The Darwin Initiative, a grants scheme to conserve and restore biodiversity and the communities that live alongside in developing countries, supported 63 of these successful projects with over £31.5 million funding. Projects will conserve nature-rich areas in developing countries and support communities who live and work in biodiverse areas to build resilience to climate change.

The Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund has supported 21 projects through £7.8 million funding to enhance the protection of threatened species. The projects will protect species including elephants, pangolins and threatened timber – and cement our leading role in cracking down on the £17 billion a year illegal wildlife trade which fuels corruption, deprives communities of sustainable livelihoods and degrades ecosystems.
The UK is a global leader in supporting efforts to halt the decline in nature, protect wildlife and restore the natural world. Our efforts will help to deliver on the ambitious new global deal for nature agreed at the UN Nature Summit COP15 in December, which will protect 30% of our land and ocean by 2030.

Today’s announcement also confirms that the launch of Round 10 of the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and Round 30 of the Darwin Initiative will be opening to applications in May 2023. Projects will soon be able to access up to a further £40 million funding building on the government’s commitment to combat biodiversity loss and improve animal welfare standards.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 25 April 2023.

The government’s target to reduce storm overflows will be enshrined in law.