Celtic Rainforest. Photo Wales Environment Link

Martin Shipton

A new report from Wales Environment Link shows that only 2.1% of Welsh land is properly protected for nature – far short of the Welsh Government’s 30% by 2030 target.

Conservationists are warning that Wales – and the UK – risks missing its target by a “country mile”.

30by30 is part of the international Global Biodiversity Framework, committed to by the Welsh and UK Governments in 2022.

The Framework commits governments to halting and reversing biodiversity loss by protecting 30% of land, water, and sea for nature. In the UK, delivering on this means restoring nature across a network of well-managed, legally designated protected areas – a target critical to tackling both the climate and nature crises.

Perfect storm

But with just five years to go, progress has stalled against a perfect storm of challenges including a failure to designate new sites for nature, lack of capacity and resourcing for maintaining or restoring protected sites to good condition, uncertainty in nature friendly farming policy, and continued underfunding for the monitoring of site condition.

The analysis, which drew on SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) condition data, paints a stark picture. In Wales, the report shows that just 2.1% of land is effectively protected and well managed for nature. The Welsh Government led a “deep dive” to identify actions needed to deliver 30 by 30 in Wales, but the report says the pace of change must be stepped up if the government is to meet its international obligations to nature and communities.

Wales Environment Link has made five recommendations for the Welsh Government to act with urgency to meet the ambitious 2030 target, including five actions for the next two years:

The Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to designate new protected areas. The Welsh Government must act to improve the condition of protected sites, including setting statutory biodiversity targets for the attainment and maintenance of the favourable condition of protected sites and watercourses.

The Welsh Government to implement long-term funding to deliver sustainable land management.

The Welsh Government to reform the statutory purposes, duties and governance arrangements for national parks

The Welsh Government to deliver a reduction in pollution of all kinds, including, but not limited to, nitrates, phosphate, pesticide, light, and litter, reducing excess nutrient loss and developing catchment specific action plans for rivers.

Across the other nations of the UK, the data shows a similar pattern with just 2.82% of land in good condition in England, 4% in Northern Ireland and 12.63% of land in Scotland. The report found that in all four countries the same problems are blocking progress on nature recovery. These include:

Slow expansion of protected networks – the pace of adding new protected areas remains far too slow.

Poor condition of designated sites – many protected areas are still damaged or degraded due to insufficient or inappropriate management.

Harmful activities continue – destructive practices are still allowed in some of our most important places for wildlife.

Lack of monitoring – governments often don’t have the data they need to track biodiversity or plan recovery.

Marine Protected Areas

Although 38% of UK waters are designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), many remain exposed to damaging activities including bottom trawling, offshore energy development, pollution, dredging, and cable laying.

Despite the recent publication of new Special Protected Areas and Special Area of Conservation site condition assessments by NRW, the lack of a plan for delivering sustainable monitoring and restoration of sites means the extent of effective protection remains unclear. Increased funding for monitoring efforts is urgently needed to understand the state of nature in MPAs and the activities affecting them.

Karen Whitfield, Director of Wales Environment Link said: “While the Welsh Government has recognised a nature crisis, action too often falls short of the scale, priority and investment necessary to turn it around. The Biodiversity Targets framework under the new Environment Bill is a critical opportunity to better embed commitments and drive delivery to turn around the nature crisis. Designations by themselves do not restore biodiversity; the way the sites are monitored and managed is crucial. A step change in the way environmental investment is prioritised is crucial to enable nature’s recovery.

“Our Pathways to 2030 report sets out the need for investment of £438m a year to restore Welsh nature. This is only 1.7% of the 2025/26 Welsh Government budget, and entirely possible to achieve if Welsh Ministers decide to prioritise nature’s recovery.”

Investment

Julia Harrison, Project Manager with Celtic Rainforests LIFE said: “Celtic Rainforests LIFE shines a light on the scale of collaboration and investment needed to restore degraded sites, secure their long term protection and management, and meet the 30by30 target in Wales. Land owners and managers, public authorities, NGOs, and communities are all central to the project’s success and its enduring impact. Today’s report shows the urgency of getting the right policies in place to drive action and investment for nature, and replicate the success of Celtic Rainforests LIFE across Wales.”

Richard Benwell, CEO at Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “The UK risks missing its 30by30 nature target by a country mile. Protecting 30% of land and sea isn’t a luxury, it’s vital for wildlife, our health, and the economy. This snail’s pace progress shows the UK governments have neglected nature for too long.

“The goal is still attainable, but only if Ministers across the nations show real political will. An increase in monitoring of sites, rapid rollout of new protected sites, along with better care for nature in our current site network and National Parks, could make this ambition a reality. We need more nature sites in better condition and a crack down on pollution and unsustainable development. The price of failure is terrible for people and wildlife, but the prize of success will be a thriving, healthy society that’s rich in nature.”

Environmental charities are calling on the UK’s governments to take urgent action on its 30by30 commitments:

A rapid increase in site designations across the UK;

Proper funding for site management and restoration;

Stronger rules to end harmful activities in protected areas;

Robust monitoring so progress can be accurately measured.

This year’s figures are published ahead of the Wild Summit 2025, which will bring together leading voices in conservation, politics, farming, and business to set out an urgent rescue plan for nature, ensuring that the UK makes good on its nature commitments. The day will feature keynotes from Special Representative for Nature, Ruth Davis, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Natural England Chair, Tony Juniper, and Director General of the National Trust, Hilary McGrady.

Committed

The Welsh Government responded: “We are committed to expanding and strengthening our network of protected areas to better represent key habitats and species.

“This work is supported by legislation which will help us deliver on our 30by30 commitment and ensure Wales continues to lead when it comes to environmental protection and sustainable development.”

The Welsh Government also pointed out that:

The 30by30 Framework for Wales sets out clear criteria for both Protected Areas and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), aligning with international IUCN guidance to ensure these areas contribute to a resilient, well-connected ecological network.

To support the identification and development of OECMs, Wales is exploring a pipeline approach, enabling candidate sites to be supported and improved until they meet the full criteria for recognition.

This work is supported by the Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Bill. By embedding environmental principles into policymaking, establishing the Office for Environmental Governance Wales (OEGW), and setting ambitious biodiversity targets, the Bill provides the legislative foundation to deliver the 30by30 commitment and ensure Wales continues to lead in environmental protection and sustainable development.

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