Proposed legally-binding nature recovery targets for England: At a glance

Michael Holder
clock • 6 min read
Surface pollution on the Leeds-Liverpool canal in Lancashire | Credit: iStock
Image:

Surface pollution on the Leeds-Liverpool canal in Lancashire | Credit: iStock

The government has proposed 13 legally-binding targets for England covering water quality, air pollution, biodiversity, and waste - here they are in full

The government has today unveiled a suite of proposed targets to halt and reverse nature's decline across water, land, sea, and air, all of which are set to be made legally-binding under the new Environment...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Legislation

Osborne Clarke's Caroline Bush: 'Nature risk is higher up the corporate agenda than ever'

Osborne Clarke's Caroline Bush: 'Nature risk is higher up the corporate agenda than ever'

VIDEO: Caroline Bush, an associate director in law firm Osborne Clarke's environment team, reflects on the UK's Biodiversity Net Gain rules, assessing nature risk, and the changing landscape for environmental and climate regulation and legislation

BusinessGreen staff
clock 12 January 2026 • 1 min read
Biodiversity Net Gain can help boost economic resilience - weakening the policy would show a lack of ambition

Biodiversity Net Gain can help boost economic resilience - weakening the policy would show a lack of ambition

Government proposals to exempt small sites from BNG rules signals a disappointing lack of ambition and understanding of how the sectors have already mobilised to support this new market, writes Forsters lawyer Polly Montoneri

Polly Montoneri, Forsters
clock 09 January 2026 • 5 min read
Government presses water firms to produce mandatory pollution-cutting plans

Government presses water firms to produce mandatory pollution-cutting plans

Environment Agency warns 'every water company now needs to focus on delivery', as new rules require them to produce pollution action plans from April

Michael Holder
clock 09 January 2026 • 5 min read