Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have a target for the proportion of the Church's land it plans to protect for nature by (a) 2030 and (b) other future dates.

The Church Commissioners do not have a target to allocate a fixed percentage of land exclusively for nature protection.
Much of the land managed by the Church Commissioners is leased to tenants for farming and food production, with over 90% classed as highly productive or productive (Grade I-III) or sustainable forestry. Our approach is holistic, aiming to optimise land management by integrating nature recovery alongside these activities rather than re-allocating land solely to protect nature. We work with Wildlife Trusts and Natural England through specific nature-focused tenancies, including a marshland restoration project with the RSPB.

We also support tenant farmers in adopting sustainable practices and integrating nature projects. A survey of over 80 tenants found that 91% are carrying out initiatives to increase biodiversity, and 80% participate in government environmental schemes. All our established forests are managed sustainably, and all harvested timber is certified. In the UK, biodiversity is the primary management objective for at least 20% of our forests by area, including native woodland, which we have doubled since acquisition

More information about the sustainability and stewardship of our land can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/national-church-institutions/church-commissioners-england/how-we-0
The most recent report about our approach to timberland and biodiversity on farmland can be found here on page 34: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/6677_cc_stewardship_v11b_0.pdf