UK Target 14: The UK will ensure the full integration of biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, planning and development processes, poverty eradication strategies, strategic environmental assessments, environmental impact assessments and, as appropriate, national accounting, within and across all levels of government and across all sectors, in particular those with significant impacts on biodiversity, progressively aligning all relevant public and private activities, and fiscal and financial flows with the goals and targets of this framework.

Commitments:

UK

• As one of the first countries to publish natural capital accounts as part of our National Accounts, we will continue to implement the national capital accounts roadmap to ensure the further development of the UK natural capital accounts through to 2026. 
• We will continue to update the Green Book—the Government’s guidance on how to appraise policies, programmes and projects—to ensure that it stays at the forefront of emerging evidence and best practice on environmental impacts. We have convened a group of experts to produce new supplementary guidance on biodiversity valuation for the Green Book for use in the appraisal process, building upon the already extensive guidance for evaluating and monetising natural capital impacts.
• The UK, as a Contracting Party to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR), has committed to work collaboratively with the other OSPAR Contracting Parties to deliver on the 12 high-level strategic objectives of the North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy (NEAES), which together aim to achieve clean, biologically diverse and healthy, and productive and sustainably used seas, resilient to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.

England

• We will continue to support implementation of the strengthened Biodiversity Duty, which came into force on 1 January 2023 and requires public authorities in England to consider what they can do to conserve and enhance biodiversity in England. Public authorities must have completed the first consideration of what action to take for biodiversity by 1 January 2024 and must reconsider these actions at least every five years.
• We will continue to support implementation of the legal duty across government to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement, which came in to force on 1 November 2023, to make sure that environmental considerations are at the heart of government policy making.
• We will continue to implement the Biodiversity Net Gain condition for planning permissions, which was launched on 12 February 2024 to support nature recovery. This means that new developments must provide a 10% gain for biodiversity, and that where it is not possible to deliver the net gain on-site developers will invest in off-site habitat creation and enhancement.
• We will publish Local Nature Recovery Strategies to cover the whole of England for use by public, private and voluntary sectors to deliver nature recovery and wider environmental commitments by the end of 2025 or shortly after.
• We will implement a package of Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement measures to enable faster consenting of offshore wind developments while maintaining high levels of environmental protection.

Scotland

• We will ensure we secure positive effects for biodiversity from our National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4).
• All levels of government will participate fully in the delivery of our goals for biodiversity, in line with the principles identified in the Edinburgh Process led by the Scottish Government for the CBD for COP15, and with the Edinburgh Declaration.
• We will systematically mainstream biodiversity across sectors and the wider policy landscape (e.g. energy, housing, industry, education, health and transport).
• We will deliver the National Strategy for Economic Transformation’s ‘greener economy’ ambition to demonstrate “global leadership in delivering a just transition to a net zero, nature-positive economy, and rebuilding natural capital”.

Wales

• Our Programme for Government commits us to embed our response to the climate and nature emergency in everything we do. 
• Section 6 of the Environment (Wales) Act introduced a stronger biodiversity and resilience of ecosystems duty for Public Authorities in Wales, which include the Welsh Government. The duty requires public authorities to seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity and promote the resilience of ecosystems, as part of their business planning and day-to-day activities. 
• Planning Policy Wales explains the legislation and policy for enhancing biodiversity in Wales including regulations in the Environment Act, and through the Nature Recovery Action Plan.

Northern Ireland

• We will continue to support implementation of the Biodiversity Duty set out in the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 that requires every public body, in exercising any functions, to further the conservation of biodiversity, particularly in relation to restoring or enhancing a population of any species of flora or fauna and/or any habitat.
• We will ensure we secure positive effects for biodiversity from our national planning policy, Strategic Planning Policy Statement for Northern Ireland, Edition 2 (SPPS).
• We will continue to implement the Environmental Improvement Plan for Northern Ireland that forms the basis for a coherent and effective set of interventions that can collectively deliver real improvements in the quality of the environment.
• We will ensure the Marine Plan for Northern Ireland, once adopted, is implemented to facilitate the sustainable development of the marine environment.

UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies 

The British Virgin Islands 

• Regional, national and sectoral policies and plans will better reflect consideration of priorities for protection and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems.

The Falkland Islands

• We will consider the strong links between natural environment and human health when making decisions and policies, recognising that an impact on environmental health frequently translates to an impact on human health.

Gibraltar

• We will protect, conserve and enhance Gibraltar’s natural capital and develop a strong and resilient environmental governance framework by recognising that Biodiversity is the cornerstone of our environment’s health.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

• By the end of 2024, we will review and update where necessary the legislative and policy framework for activities on South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in view of the latest international legislation, guidance and standards, including the delivery of an Environmental Impact Assessment regime that is proportionate and effective in maintaining biodiversity conservation and sustainable activities.

England

• We have published guidance to support public authorities' compliance with the strengthened Biodiversity Duty and guidance on producing biodiversity reports for local authorities and local planning authorities. This guidance includes suggestions of action public authorities could take to further conserve and enhance biodiversity and what the relevant authorities who must report should include in their biodiversity reports due in 2026.
• We are delivering an Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement package to ensure the acceleration of offshore wind deployment is achieved alongside protecting the marine environment. The package includes reforming environmental assessments for offshore wind (through guidance and where necessary secondary legislation); enabling strategic compensatory measures for offshore wind through a ‘library of measures’; establishing an optional Marine Recovery Fund to deliver those measures; and designing Offshore Wind Environmental Standards to reduce the overall impact of developments.

Scotland

• We will introduce a Natural Environment Bill to enshrine statutory biodiversity targets, ensuring that biodiversity is factored into policy development at all levels of government.
• Through our National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), we are placing a spatial planning priority on Sustainable Places so we can restore and better connect our biodiversity.
• We will increase the effectiveness of mainstreaming biodiversity on land and at sea through the National Planning Framework 4, the Agricultural Reform Programme, the Climate Adaptation Programme, the Land Reform Programme, Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation, the Climate Change Plan, and the National Marine Plan 2.
• We will progress by 2026 the mainstreaming of biodiversity, including through the review of the National Performance Framework. 

Wales

• Section 6 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 introduced a stronger biodiversity and resilience of ecosystems duty for public authorities in Wales, which include the Welsh Government. The duty requires public authorities to seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity and promote the resilience of ecosystems, as part of their business planning and day-to-day activities.

Northern Ireland

• We will increase the effectiveness of mainstreaming biodiversity on land and at sea through the Environmental Improvement Plan for Northern Ireland, the Strategic Planning Policy Statement for Northern Ireland, Edition 2 (SPPS), the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, the Sustainable Agriculture Programme, the biodiversity duty under the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 and the Marine Plan for Northern Ireland.

UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies 

The Falkland Islands

• The Falkland Islands Environment Strategy 2021–2040 sets out the Falkland Islands’ objectives for the next 20 years, so that we can work towards a shared vision for the future of our environment.

Gibraltar

• The Environmental Governance Act 2023 contains a general duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity (Part III, section 24) and public authorities are required to consider what actions they can take to further this objective. It also requires the Minister for the Environment to prepare a policy statement on environmental principles.
• The Town Planning Environmental Impact Regulations 2019 ensure that environmental considerations are fully integrated into the planning process for certain types of development. The Nature Conservancy Council must be consulted on plans and projects that might impact the nature reserves.
• The 25 Year Environment Plan includes an overarching goal to protect, conserve and enhance Gibraltar’s natural capital and to ensure economic growth is consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. It recognises the importance of access to green spaces on mental and physical health and promotes the concept of ecotherapy.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

• The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Terrestrial Protected Area Management Plan provides information on the South Sandwich Islands Terrestrial Protected Area and conservation objectives and activities taking place to protect this environment.
• Protect Sustain Inspire (PSI) – A values-driven approach to the stewardship of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands 2021–2025 sets out the Islands’ seven priority areas for the period 2021 to 2025 and includes an overview of the range of activities and delivery commitments that will take priority. Delivering PSI – The Government’s Implementation Programme provides detail on the implementation programme for the PSI commitments beyond 2025.