Convention on Biological Diversity

In the adjournment debate on the Convention on Biological Diversity, Barry Gardiner, the MP for Brent West, opened by welcoming the new Deputy Speaker and the return of Mary Creagh, the new Minister for nature, to the House. Gardiner praised Creagh's enthusiasm for her brief and her commitment to championing nature in this critical decade for the natural world. Gardiner emphasized that nature is the foundation of everything we have and value, yet it is often treated as an externality by classical economics. He warned that the Earth can no longer support human communities without difficulty, and that natural capital has been eroded to the extent that the complex mechanism of ecosystem services has been compromised. Gardiner highlighted the aims of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its supplementary agreements, and expressed disappointment that the world has not made the progress needed to halt the decline in biodiversity. Gardiner outlined his hopes for the UK's revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), including the need for legally binding targets, costed delivery plans, and a strategic approach to planning for new energy infrastructure that puts nature at its heart. He also called for increased funding for the UK's overseas territories, which hold 93% of the biodiversity for which the UK is responsible. Gardiner urged the Minister to ensure that the NBSAP is submitted by the early deadline of 1 August and is a robust and ambitious contribution to the delivery of the global targets. Responding, the Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mary Creagh, congratulated Gardiner on his work as a champion of nature and expressed her privilege in taking on the role of Minister for nature in the new Labour government. Creagh acknowledged the alarming decline in biodiversity in the UK, and stated that the government is laser-focused on restoring and protecting nature, including through delivering a plan to halt the decline of species by 2030 and honoring the commitment to protect 30% of land and sea by the same date. Creagh emphasized that nature is central to the government's missions, from promoting wellbeing to tackling climate change, and that the government will send a senior delegation to the upcoming COP16 in Colombia to demonstrate the UK's commitment to global cooperation on nature loss. She highlighted three priorities for the UK at COP16: the negotiations on digital sequence information, the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework through the publication of the UK's NBSAP, and the mobilization of finance from all sources to align with the global biodiversity targets. In a brief intervention, Calum Miller, the MP for Bicester and Woodstock, asked the Minister to clarify whether the government intends to persist with the previous government's efforts around local nature recovery partnerships and strategies, and whether they will be adequately funded. Creagh responded that the government is committed to partnership working on nature recovery projects and that she will ensure nature is at the heart of upcoming spending reviews.