A new UK Government: What we need for butterflies and moths

A new Government: What we need for butterflies and moths

Butterfly Conservation extend our warmest congratulations to Steve Reed MP, on his new role as Secretary of State for the Environment.
Since arriving in post we have seen the welcome inclusion of nature recovery as one of DEFRA’s key priorities after the 2024 General Election, something that we tirelessly campaign for. Alongside this announcement came the news of a review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) – a strategy for a thriving future for our wildlife and landscapes.

What does the Environmental Improvement Plan mean for butterflies and moths?
The Environment Act 2021 in England set statutory targets for species for the first time and a requirement for the Government to write an EIP to identify how to deliver those targets. Under the previous government there seemed to be a significant mismatch between the targets and the plan to deliver them. One of the first acts by the new Secretary of State has been an announcement of a review of the plan.

We see this as critically important, both to meet the targets but, more importantly, to stop the ongoing decline that we have all been seeing in butterfly and moth populations. We have written to the Secretary of State to stress the importance of the EIP and have offered to be part of the review – making sure butterflies and moths have a voice in their future.

Image credits: Richard Heafield.