Natural England RNC0006
Written evidence submitted by Natural England
The Role of Natural Capital in the Green Economy – Natural England Response
Dear members of the Environmental Audit Committee
We commend the revival of your important and timely inquiry in the state of natural capital as the momentum behind moves to recover and protect nature needs to continue to gather pace, both globally and domestically. At Biodiversity COP 15 in Montreal almost 200 nations, including the UK, pledged to reverse biodiversity loss and protect 30% of land and seas by 2030.
We were pleased to provide both written evidence and oral evidence to the initial EAC inquiry earlier this year and wanted to add to that by submitting a copy of our recent Natural England State of Natural Capital Report (SONC) October 2024 (https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/5465017590480896) as formal written evidence to the revived inquiry.
As we have outlined to the Committee previously, and reiterate in the foreword to this report, our relationship with nature is one of the most urgent challenges of our age. The idea of natural capital supports our ongoing efforts to preserve, monitor and manage our natural resources so that they continue to meet our needs long into the future. Until now, we lacked a clear picture that systematically brought together the best evidence about the state of our ecosystems, and which comprehensively demonstrated what this meant for the benefits provided.
As the committee will see, the Natural England State of the Natural Capital Report (SONC) seeks to bring together best evidence about the state of our ecosystems and the benefits it provides, in a way which is accessible and interprets the evidence so that people beyond the environmental sector can use it to take action. We hope that by expressing nature in practical economic terms it is easier for decision-makers to incorporate it into their plans, while providing reassurance that economic development and a thriving natural environment go hand in hand and that integrated policy making provides multiple outcomes with the best value for money.
Tackling the nature crisis will require action across all sectors to reduce risks to society and secure the benefits nature provides into the future, for society as a whole and the natural world which sustains us. The SONC report is a guide to action, and we trust that it will be a useful addition to the Committee’s evidence base for this inquiry.
We would also be delighted to attend any further oral evidence sessions the EAC Committee seeks to hold on this subject and please don’t hesitate to call on us should that be useful during the course of future deliberations.
Natural England
December 2024