In 2022, world leaders agreed on a plan to reverse nature loss by 2030. Here’s how we’re doing.
The plan is known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and it aims to secure a nature-positive future by 2030, with a set of measurable targets.
We’re now just four years off 2030, so it’s time to take stock. On 27 February 2026, the UK Government released its Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity. This includes a report of progress against the UK’s National Targets, which are the UK’s contribution towards the global framework.
In collaboration with the devolved governments and some UK Overseas Territories, the UK Government set these targets in August 2024. They now need to be held to account.
Sadly, we’re not yet on track. But we know what we need to do.
The RSPB policy teams have scrutinised the report, recognised our governments are falling short, and have identified the urgent next steps. The aim is to get us all back on track. We focus on the set of targets where we know we can make a real difference.
The UK government's own assessment of progress finds that of the 23 targets, only 3 are on track, 19 are off track, and progress on one of the targets is unknown.
In response to the government's report, RSPB Chief Executive Beccy Speight said:
“This government progress report makes one thing painfully clear, the UK is off track to meet its global nature targets, with just four years left to halt and reverse the loss of nature. Despite some progress, the fact that so many of these targets are progressing at an insufficient rate shows that governments across the UK are still not treating these commitments with the seriousness they demand.
"This comes despite another recent assessment, the national security review on biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, setting out in stark terms just how fundamental nature is to our long term stability and security.
"If we are to secure a safer, more resilient future by the end of this decade, governments must urgently reprioritise nature. The next five years must be defined by urgency, clarity, and genuine investment. We know what we need to do but we now need the political will in place to change the fortunes of wildlife, wild places and the natural resources we all depend on.”
In our report, we set out exactly what’s needed to get back on track.
For example, Target 3 is an important one: to conserve 30% of land, waters, and seas for nature by 2030. But the UK’s progress for this target is rated as ‘Progress made but at an insufficient rate’. We think the next steps should be to set robust criteria and frameworks for 30 by 30 on land and at sea, with clear and costed delivery plans; address insufficiencies in the network of ‘Special Protection Areas’ for threatened bird species; make sure protected and conserved areas are in the best condition possible, by improving their management; and to make sure these areas are monitored in a transparent and robust manner.
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These targets are important because they give us a plan of action. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth. A staggering 38 million birds have disappeared from our skies in the last 50 years, 97% of our wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s, and our woodland cover is some of the lowest in Europe.
But nature underpins everything. It gives us air, water and food and is vital for our economy. In fact, species and habitat loss are one of the top risks to the global economy over the next ten years, and it has already slowed the UK economy by around a 12% loss of GDP.
These targets recognise this and give us a clear set of goals on how to act.
The governments of the UK have made these promises, and now they need to translate them into action.
If they act now and take the urgent steps we’ve listed, there’s still hope that we can halt and reverse the loss of nature by 2030.
