The Government has just published The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature. It is the first Government White Paper dealing with the natural environment in over 20 years, marking the most significant shift in environmental policy for a generation.
Together with Natural England and the Forestry Commission (England) we have responded with the following joint statement.
Joint statement in response to the Natural Environment White Paper
The Environment Agency, Forestry Commission England and Natural England welcome the publication of the Natural Environment White Paper. We will work together, and with our partners and customers, so that government, business and civil society can successfully deliver the ambitious proposals it sets out.
We share the vision set out in the White Paper that:
“by 2060, our essential natural assets will be contributing fully to robust and resilient ecosystems, providing a wide range of goods and services so that increasing numbers of people enjoy benefits from a healthier natural environment."
We will each play our part in achieving this vision and will, wherever we can, work together, and with landowners and managers, businesses, civil society organisations and local communities, to ensure that our efforts are coordinated and make the best use of available resources.
The Natural Environment White Paper sets out how together we can start to tackle the challenges ahead, for example, by:
- Giving local people more involvement in the natural environment and helping them to realise the benefits.
- Helping to develop a thriving green economy, developing payments for ecosystem services and addressing barriers to using green infrastructure to promote sustainable growth.
- Helping to deliver the Government’s ambitions for resilient ecological networks, biodiversity recovery, sustainable agriculture, healthy woods and forests, an improved water environment and a better protected marine environment.
- Taking action to address the risks and consequences of climate change and other pressures.
- Delivering conservation at the landscape scale, including through Nature Improvement Areas.
- Further improving how we monitor progress and provide access to environmental information.
Ensuring that the true value of nature is recognised by society, holds the key to creating better places and ensuring a green and growing economy. The Natural Environment White Paper provides a long term vision for this. We look forward to working with others to make this vision a reality.
Environment Agency
Forestry Commission England
Natural England
7 June 2011
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