Government publishes new Strategic Policy Statements for Natural England and the Environment Agency

The UK Government has published new Strategic Policy Statements (SPS) for Natural England and the Environment Agency, setting out how Ministers expect these regulators to deliver their functions and contribute to wider government priorities.

The statements form part of the Government’s wider “regulation reset”, which aims to accelerate the delivery of housing, transport and clean energy infrastructure while maintaining environmental protections.

CIEEM recognises that a more strategic approach to environmental management and nature recovery can play an important role in delivering positive outcomes for both nature and society. However, the new Strategic Policy Statements raise significant concerns about the increasing emphasis being placed on economic growth within the remit of environmental regulators.

The Government appears to be playing a high risk game with our life support systems. While the SPSs provide some additional resources to support the Environment Agency and Natural England in delivering their functions more pragmatically, they also signal a shift in emphasis away from the protection of existing sites and species towards the potential for future recovery.

A strategic, landscape-scale approach to nature recovery can be valuable. But prioritising future recovery potential must not come at the expense of protecting the sites, habitats and species that remain today. England is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and our existing protected sites and populations form the foundation upon which any meaningful nature recovery must be built.

The new SPSs represent another step in a broader policy direction – also reflected in recent legislation and initiatives such as Environmental Delivery Plans and District Level Licensing – that moves away from protecting individual sites and species towards managing nature at the scale of landscapes and populations. While this approach has potential benefits, it also carries significant risks if it is used to justify weakening protections for existing sites and species before robust recovery mechanisms are in place.

Effective implementation of a more outcomes-focused and innovative regulatory approach will require strong ecological expertise within government agencies. Yet Natural England has experienced falling operational budgets and the loss of experienced staff through recent voluntary exit schemes. This raises serious questions about whether regulators currently have the capacity and expertise needed to confidently assess risks and opportunities under these new policy directions.

For a strategic approach to succeed, it must be grounded in robust ecological evidence and informed by the expertise of the professionals who implement environmental policy on the ground. CIEEM will continue to work with government, regulators and our members to ensure that new approaches strengthen – rather than weaken – the protection and recovery of nature.