Government’s nature plans ‘at severe risk of failure’, peers warn

A report by the House of Lords’ Science and Technology Committee has concluded that without policy clarity, urgent investment in research, skills training and a new advisory service for farmers and land managers, the government’s plans for nature-based solutions to climate change are at risk of failure.

Such a failure would threaten the 2050 net zero ambition and undermine the agricultural sector.

Nature-based solutions are not a ‘get out of jail free card’, the committee warned, but they can play a vital role in compensating for emissions from sectors that cannot eliminate all emissions by 2050 – alongside restoring UK nature and providing additional benefits. The priority must be to reduce emissions from all sectors.

The committee was concerned about the lack of certainty around carbon sequestration and storage of different habitats, which can make it difficult to measure the impact of nature-based solutions.

Authors also said they do not believe the UK and its land managers have the necessary skills, ranging from forestry and ecology to peatland restoration, to deliver nature-based solutions at scale.

Policy uncertainty, particularly around post-Brexit agricultural subsidies, is hindering the adoption of nature-based solutions, they added.

Nature-based solutions cannot be employed without the support of land managers, and particularly farmers. They need policy certainty and better communication and engagement from the government, the report said.

The role of private and public investment in supporting nature-based solutions, and of nature-based solutions in any carbon offsetting scheme, need to be clarified.

The committee chair commented: “While the government’s plans for nature-based solutions are ambitious and have much potential to help the UK achieve net zero by 2050 as well as restore its natural environment, these plans are at severe risk of failure. They will not work without the support of farmers and land managers, and investment in the skills needed to restore nature.

“In the United Kingdom, 72% of land is agricultural, so it is essential that farmers are fully engaged and supported by the government. This support must take the form of: incentives; training; an advisory service; and support to adapt to changes in farming methods, subsidies, and land use. Key decisions must be made about how the UK should use its land and the role of nature and carbon markets in supporting nature restoration.

“The Committee’s recommendations are not only vital to help the government achieve net zero by 2050 and restore the UK’s natural environment, but they can also help to address other societal challenges and secure an improved environment for future generations.

“The Glasgow Climate Pact, signed at COP26, emphasises the importance of ‘protecting, conserving, and restoring nature and ecosystems’ to tackle climate change. The UK can still achieve this, but only with a renewed policy effort.”

Key recommendations from the report were:

• Support for research and demonstration projects in different marine and terrestrial habitats to clarify what actions and interventions are effective and quantify these effects
• A training and advisory service for farmers and land managers to help them negotiate a new and complex funding landscape, and to change land management practices where appropriate
• Guaranteed funding for land managers and farmers over the long term to ensure that they can take the right actions for the environment and stay in business
• A defined role for carbon and natural capital markets
• Explaining how competing demands on land will be balanced and how the government will ensure environmentally damaging activities are not simply offshored.