天美影院

Palm oil, cocoa, beef, leather and soy are to be included in new legislation aimed at helping ensure the products we buy do not harm the world鈥檚 forests.听听

At COP28 Nature Day (9 December), the government will set out how these new laws will ensure that there is no place on our supermarket shelves for products which have been produced on land linked to illegal deforestation.

This move will protect the habitats of some of the world鈥檚 most precious and endangered species, including tigers and leopards. It will give British shoppers assurance that the goods they buy are not contributing to deforestation that violates the laws and regulations of the countries where they come from.

The biggest driver of deforestation is agricultural expansion, with an area the size of the UK ploughed up each year to meet UK demand for commodities.

It is a huge threat to rainforests, effectively the 鈥渓ungs of the earth鈥� because of their ability to absorb harmful gasses and provide a home to thousands of animal and plant species.听听

The legislation marks a step change from voluntary approaches already in place, protecting the future of the world鈥檚 forests that we need to help tackle climate change, and their wildlife-rich canopies.

Introduced through the world leading Environment Act, this legislation will see businesses that have a global annual turnover of over 拢50 million and use over 500 tonnes of regulated commodities a year banned from using them if sourced from land used illegally.聽

These businesses will also be required to undertake a due diligence exercise on their supply chains and to report on this exercise annually for transparency.听听

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:聽聽

I find it heart-rending to see the way illegal deforestation is destroying the habitats of tigers, jaguars, orangutans and many other endangered species, and I know many people across the world feel the same. Globally, we lose forests equivalent to the size of about 30 football pitches every minute.

It鈥檚 why we are cleaning up supply chains to make sure that big businesses in the UK aren鈥檛 responsible for illegal deforestation. It also means shoppers can be confident that the money they spend is part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

Through our work at COP28 on forests, food, and nature we are reversing the loss of biodiversity, increasing food security, and tackling climate change 鈥� safeguarding these critically important landscapes for generations to come.

Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said:

Halting the decline of the natural world isn鈥檛 just about saving rare species, it鈥檚 about safeguarding the web of life upon which humanity depends for our food, water and economic security. On the pathway to tackling climate change we must go high nature at the same time as low carbon, creating bigger, better and more joined up places for nature to thrive.聽

The commitments outlined today are welcome further steps toward UK environmental leadership, both at home and on the world聽stage. We聽look forward to supporting the government in delivering results through practical action on the ground鈥�.

Tanya Steele, CEO of the WWF said:

Nearly eight million hectares of primary forest has been lost globally in the last two years alone, so this is an important first step to getting illegal deforestation off UK shopping shelves.

However illegal deforestation is only part of the picture 鈥� with wildlife numbers plummeting and wild habitats facing destruction, we must stop felling forests, full stop. Forests absorb 30% of the carbon we emit from burning fossil fuels, so nature is clearly our greatest ally in tackling climate change.听听

We haven鈥檛 a moment to lose to bring our world back to life and these measures must be implemented in Parliament as swiftly as possible.

Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said:

Retailers welcome the announcement on UK Deforestation Due Diligence legislation. This will give confidence to British retailers and their customers alike, helping retailers meet their ambitious targets on deforestation and enable a greater supply of deforestation-free products in the UK.

Tackling deforestation requires global cooperation and we look forward to seeing further detail as to how the legislation will align with European proposals.

At COP28 in Dubai, the Environment Secretary will set out his priorities to restore forests, recover nature and create sustainable food systems, building on the ambitions set out by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier during the conference. It is essential to the government鈥檚 determination to leave the environment in a better state for future generations and follows the UK鈥檚 leadership on nature at COP26 where the Glasgow Leaders鈥� Declaration on Forests and Land Use was signed by over 140 countries.

The UK government also played a central role in driving forward the global commitment to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. This takes a step forward today, with a new map published to show聽what areas could count in the delivery of 鈥�30by30鈥�.听听

This indicative map illustrates that 8.5% of land in England 鈥� including Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves 鈥� already count toward the target, with a further 26.8% of land having the potential to contribute in the future, including Protected Landscapes.

The map has been published alongside the proposed criteria for contributions toward the target, and information on how this will be delivered through a voluntary, bottom-up approach.聽Work will now progress to identify further areas to contribute to the target, with additional guidance developed in collaboration with land managers and farmers. 聽

Delivering on the 30by30 commitment for England will ensure our most important places, at the core of nature鈥檚 recovery, are protected for our iconic species to thrive.聽

The move comes as government announces further support for the UK marine environment, while continuing to support the long-term future and聽sustainability聽of聽the UK fisheries聽and聽seafood聽sector. To help support the conservation and restoration of the ocean, the UK is announcing 拢72.5 million in new programmes from its flagship Blue Planet Fund.聽

Further support for the marine environment includes:聽聽

• New funding to restore marine biodiversity: 拢60 million of investment for Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN), a seven-year competitive grants programme as part of the flagship 拢500 million Blue Planet Fund.聽The OCEAN Grant Programme offers a vital path to ocean recovery and for local communities and nature to thrive side by side. A further 拢12.5 million has been committed towards PROBLUE, the World Bank鈥檚 multi-donor trust fund, through the Blue Planet Fund to support the blue economy and sustainable ocean sectors in developing countries, including Small Island Developing States.聽
• Strengthened commitments to deliver Marine Net Gain: Following a consultation in 2022, the government will take forward proposals for Marine Net Gain in England鈥� a policy that will ensure that infrastructure and development does not come at the cost of the marine environment, delivering measures to ensure that it is left in a better state than it was found聽
• Blue carbon habitat restoration: An additional 拢640,000 will be dedicated to support the vital restoration of iconic saltmarsh and seagrass habitats in England. Led by the Environment Agency, this fund will develop the UK Saltmarsh Code and increase the capacity of the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef initiative.听听聽

This package builds on the UK鈥檚 commitment to safeguard our marine habitats, complimenting recent support for a moratorium on deep sea mining. This confirmed that the government will not sponsor or support any licenses for deep sea mining by the International Seabed Authority, unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems.听听聽聽

Today鈥檚 announcements strengthens the UK鈥檚 leadership to address nature loss and tackle climate change.听听

The government has announced 拢15 million new funding to accelerate nature recovery across our most cherished Protected Landscapes, and a new Rainforest Strategy backed by 拢750,000 funding to protect the delicate and globally rare temperate rainforest habitats found across the Southwest and Cumbria.聽

As we mark one year on from the anniversary of the UN COP15 Summit in Montreal, the government is continuing to put nature recovery at the heart of climate change to further this legacy 鈥� protecting the environment for future generations.聽

Further information 聽聽

• The government played a leading role in negotiating and securing the global deal for nature at the UN CO15 summit in Montreal. This leadership was critical in bringing together 196 countries in a joint, global commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, and - through leadership of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People and the Global Ocean Alliance - to protect at least 30% of the land and of the ocean globally, with robust action underway to meet this target.听听
• The government has announced an additional 拢2 million funding for the global, market-led Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) initiative which launched its framework in September. This will support capacity building and boost market adoption of the TNFD recommendations for nature-related risk management and disclosure. The TNFD recommendations enable businesses and financial institutions to report and act on their nature-related risks, impacts, dependencies, and opportunities, with the ultimate aim of supporting the realignment of global financial flows towards nature positive outcomes.听听
• At COP28, the UK will be hosting the 10 Point Plan for Financing Biodiversity Ministerial Stocktake. Here the government will launch the 10 Point Plan (10PP) 鈥� reviewing positive trends and direction of progress against the 10 points of the plan to ensure that finance flows towards nature recovery.
• Today we are launching the pilot of the Projects for Nature platform, a new pioneering partnership with the Council for Sustainable Business, Crowdfunder, and Accenture. This initiative will match corporate donations to nature recovery projects across England which are selected by Defra, Natural England and Environment Agency. It will link up businesses who have shown leadership in addressing their nature impact, such as Lloyd鈥檚 Banking Group and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, with nature recovery projects that best align with our domestic and international environmental commitments. To view the platform, visit: .听听
• We announced today that we will continue to support the work of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People through a new 鈥淥cean Champion鈥� role, whilst continuing our leadership of the Global Ocean Alliance. The two coalitions have also agreed to work in partnership supporting countries to implement 30by30.听听
• The UK has endorsed and joined a number of initiatives at COP28 which elevate the role of nature in global climate聽 action. This includes: the Coral Reef Breakthrough, Mangrove Breakthrough Declaration, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy Joint Declaration on Ocean and Climate action and joining the Mangrove Alliance for Climate initiative.听听

Forest Risk Commodities聽聽

• Between 2016 and 2018, WWF estimate that around 21 million hectares 鈥� an area almost the size of the UK 鈥� was required each year to meet UK demand for seven forest-risk commodities (FRCs) alone.听听聽
• The Forest Risk Commodities Scheme will be introduced through provisions in Schedule 17 of the Environment Act 2021.聽 Secondary regulation to operationalise these provisions will be laid when parliamentary time allows.聽 This new due diligence legislation requires regulated businesses to establish and implement a due diligence system for any regulated commodity, and any products derived from them, that they use in their UK commercial activities聽聽
• The full list of commodities in scope is as follows: Non-dairy Cattle products (beef and leather), cocoa, palm, and soy.听听
• Organisations using these commodities in UK supply chains with a global turnover of over 拢50m are in scope of the regulations.听听
• Organisations whose use of the regulated commodities does not exceed the annual volume threshold of 500 tonnes may submit an exemption.听听聽
• Legislation follows a consultation in 2021 on the implementation of the regulations. The consultation outcome informed policy decisions on the commodities in scope, thresholds and exemptions for businesses, enforcement of the regulations, a grace period and variable monetary penalties听听听
• Organisations (whether in scope or as suppliers or service providers to organisations in scope) will have a grace period to prepare for regulation before the beginning of the first reporting period.听听
• Unlimited Variable Monetary Penalties will be in place as part of civil sanctions聽

On 30by30:聽 听听听聽

• The government will work with landowners, farmers, land managers and wider partners to further develop our approach to delivering 30by30 in England.听听
• Following publication of the 30by30 map, we will work with these partners to finalise our 30by30 criteria and develop more detailed guidance by summer 2024.听听聽
• Contributions to the 30by30 target will be voluntary, and do not represent any new management requirements or designation.听听
• To view the 30by30 map and read the accompanying documents, visit: /government/publications/delivering-30by30-on-land-in-england

Marine Net Gain:听听听聽聽

• Marine Net Gain is an opportunity to leave our environment in a better place and to reverse the biodiversity decline/crisis in our seas. It compliments and builds on other policies but uniquely seeks to deliver a net gain improvement in the marine environment.听听聽
• We have published the Government Response to the consultation on the principles of Marine Net Gain, held in 2022. This applies in English waters only.听听聽
• Government has listened to feedback from the consultation and will now take forward the agreed high-level principles in the next phase of policy development. Decisions on the implementation approach for MNG, will be taken during the next phase of policy development following additional evidence collection, impact assessment and stakeholder engagement.听听聽
• We will seek to ensure that MNG is simple to follow and operates seamlessly with Biodiversity Net Gain which from January 2024 will apply above the low water line and on land. Where a new development straddles this line there will be no requirement to double up on net gain measures.听听聽
• The full government response can be seen here.听听听

On blue carbon habitat restoration:听听听聽

• The additional 拢640,000 will help drive investment flows from the private sector towards nature through the development of a Saltmarsh Code. This code will allow saltmarsh carbon to be marketed and traded as a carbon offset.听听聽聽
• This funding is for Phase 2 of the development of the UK Saltmarsh Code, the first phase (which ended in January 2023) was funded through Defra鈥檚 Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund.听听聽聽
• This funding will also create a pipeline of restoration projects in key estuarine and coastal habitats by increasing the capacity of the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef initiative (ReMeMaRe).听听聽聽
• This funding will also improve the blue carbon evidence base, helping us to fill the gaps identified by the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership鈥檚 Evidence Needs Statement (published in June 2023).