Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the 2030 goal of 50 per cent of Sites of Special Scientific Interest features reaching a favourable condition is sufficiently ambitious.

This Government considers the interim target for 50% of Sites of Special Scientific Interest features to have actions on track to achieve favourable condition by December 2030, to be ambitious and achievable.

The interim target was set following the review of the 2023 Environmental Improvement plan, which looked at the environmental data and indicators and the expected delivery against Environment Act targets.

We considered the scale of action needed to improve the condition of features alongside the ambition for 75% of protected sites to be in favourable condition by 2042. Delivery is supported by improved monitoring, sustainable land management, action to tackle pressures such as pollution, Protected Site Strategies, and the Major Landowners Group.