Environmental Improvement Plan 2025
Overview
Published 1 December 2025 by Defra. The EIP 2025 is the current government’s updated environmental plan, replacing the EIP 2023 (published under the previous Conservative government). It is the delivery roadmap for England’s environment through 2043, grounded in the 25 Year Environment Plan and the Environment Act 2021 statutory targets.
The EIP 2023 was the first revision of the 25 Year Environment Plan. Two annual progress reports exist: 2023-24 (published July 2024, under previous government) and 2024-25 (published July 2025). The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) assessed progress under section 28 of the Environment Act; the government responded in October 2025.
Natural England’s Action Plan 2025-26 (“Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security”) operationalises EIP delivery.
Strategic intent
Core claim: Nature underpins economic resilience, wellbeing, and national security. Natural capital assets are worth £1.3 trillion (ONS 2024); nature services provide £37.1bn in annual benefits. Nature-related risks could shrink GDP by 3% over the next decade.
Approach: Measurable commitments, implementation clarity, private investment mobilisation, and strategic spatial planning (Local Nature Recovery Strategies, Land Use Framework).
10 Goals (from 25 Year Environment Plan, revised)
- Restored nature
- Air quality
- Water quality
- Chemicals and pesticides
- Waste management
- Resources sustainability
- Climate change adaptation
- Environmental hazards
- Biosecurity
- Public access to nature
Key statutory targets (Environment Act 2021)
Biodiversity and habitat
- defra-species-halt-2030 — Halt species abundance decline by 2030 (current: ~67% of 1970 levels)
- defra-habitat-250kha-2030 — Restore or create 250,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by December 2030
- defra-woodland-43kha-2030 — Increase woodland cover by 0.33% of land area (43,000 hectares net) by December 2030 (from 2022 baseline of 14.9%)
- defra-30by30 — Effectively conserve and manage 30% of UK land and seas by 2030
- defra-sssi-50pct-2030 — 50% of SSSI features on track to achieve favourable condition by December 2030 (4,128 SSSI sites)
- defra-farm-wildlife-double-2030 — Double farms providing year-round resources for wildlife by December 2030
- defra-marine-49pct-2030 — Achieve 49% of MPA protected features in favourable condition; 46% in recovering condition by December 2030 (181 MPAs)
- defra-hedgerows-48km-2037 — Create/restore 48,000 km hedgerows by 2037; 72,500 km by 2050
Air quality
- defra-air-quality-30pct-2030 — Cut population exposure to most harmful air pollutant by 30% by 2030 (vs. 2018 levels)
Delivery mechanisms
Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS)
- defra-lnrs-48-2025 — Publish 48 LNRS covering all England by end 2025
- Planning system required to “take account” of LNRS
Private investment
- Nature Positive Pathways for water, agri-food, and built environment
- Nature Markets Accelerator framework
- Big Nature Impact Fund: £30m targeting £120m platform
- Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund: 86 projects; £2.97m environmental unit sales
Three new National Forests
- Western Forest (announced March 2025): Cotswolds to Mendips
- Oxford-Cambridge Corridor (confirmed November 2025)
- Third Forest (competition early 2026): Midlands or North England
National Estate for Nature (NEN)
- Convene major landowners controlling ~10% of England’s land
- Estate management plans with SMART targets by April 2026
King’s Series National Nature Reserves
- 25 new/extended NNRs over 5 years; 5 more declared 2025-26 (Natural England)
Environmental Land Management (ELM)
- £800m (2023-24) rising to £2bn by 2028-29
- Sustainable farming investment: £2.7bn annually from 2026-27 to 2028-29
- SFI scheme reformed January 2026 (see farming-rural-policy-2025)
- Tree planting: over 10 million trees in 2024-25 — highest in 20 years
- £816m woodland planting over current SR period
Key investment figures
- Water infrastructure: £104bn private sector investment over 5 years (PR24)
- Flood defences: Record £10.5bn (includes nature-based solutions)
- Tree planting: Over £1bn this Parliament
- Protected Landscapes: £110m+ by April 2026
Upcoming milestones
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| End 2025 | 48 LNRS published covering all England |
| April 2026 | National estate management plans with SMART targets |
| May 2026 | Mandatory BNG for Nationally Significant Infrastructure |
| 2026 | Trees Action Plan, Pollinator Action Plan, farming roadmap |
| 2028 | King’s Series: 25 new NNRs completed |
| December 2030 | Species abundance halt; 250,000ha wildlife habitat; 43,000ha woodland; 30by30 land |
Assumptions and risks
- Species abundance trajectory requires reversal of long-term decline — current abundance at only ~67% of 1970 levels; less than 5 years to first target
- LNRS depend on local planning systems “taking account” of them — this is guidance, not a statutory duty to follow; enforcement unclear
- ELM funding (rising to £2bn/year) depends on SFI scheme remaining well-subscribed; January 2026 simplification may reduce uptake of environmental actions (see sfi-simplification-water-quality)
- 30by30 requires significant land and sea area designation; marine 30by30 has complex international fisheries dimensions
- Nature Restoration Fund (PIA 2025) is a new mechanism — operational delivery untested
Tensions flagged
- housing-biodiversity — 1.5 million homes target and Clean Power 2030 infrastructure expansion directly compete for land with 30by30 and habitat creation targets; Nature Restoration Fund is meant to resolve this but is new and untested
- sfi-simplification-water-quality — SFI January 2026 changes reduce number of actions and review payment rates for high-uptake actions that take land out of production — potentially undermining ELM delivery of EIP targets
- clean-power-marine-environment — Offshore wind expansion conflicts with MPA obligations; 49% MPA favourable condition target vs. 50GW offshore wind by 2030
Source files
raw/defra-environment/eip-2025.mdraw/defra-environment/eip-2023.mdraw/defra-environment/eip-progress-2023-24.mdraw/defra-environment/eip-progress-2024-25.mdraw/defra-environment/oep-response-2025.mdraw/defra-environment/natural-england-action-plan-2025-26.md