On the 5th of November, 2020, the government announced a new initiative to restore nature across the country, as set out in the ‘25 Year Environment Plan’. With national efforts focussing on a green recovery from the climate crisis and current pandemic, the new initiative aims to mitigate the negative impact of climate change on human health and the biodiversity of the natural world.
Plans are to link together nature-rich landscapes and restore protected sites across England, creating at least 500,000 hectares of new landscape and recovering threatened animal and plant species. The project will also connect new and existing green and blue spaces, such as meadows, ponds, rivers and woodlands, to improve accessibility and encourage people to reconnect with nature.
Not to mention the importance of nature for our health and wellbeing, the restoration initiative will also help tackle climate change through carbon capture – locking in the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – as well as flood prevention, pollination and driving biodiversity across England. It will improve the quality of the air, water, soil, and wildlife habitats.
