Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has said that more action is needed to protect and restore nature on both land and sea.
Coffey’s calls coincide with World Wildlife Day today (Friday, March 3) and her attendance at the Our Ocean conference in Panama which started yesterday (Thursday, March 2).
Coffey attended the conference to work with other countries in the halting and reversing of the loss of nature, as well as to strategise on the plan to have at least 30% of the global ocean protected by 2030.
The UK government has said that it renewed support through the £500 million Blue Planet Fund to protect and restore marine habitats like mangroves, coral reefs and seagrasses.
The fund includes an additional £24 million to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, as well as the UK’s £4 million contribution to support countries unlock and mobilise finance to protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems.
Coffey also announced the allocation of £45 million to the new ‘Blue Tech Superhighway’ project – which aims to support UK aquaculture and community-led fisheries.
Speaking on the recent funding announcements for the marine sectors, Coffey said: “It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of stepping up our efforts to bolster the resilience of the marine environment and, in turn, the economies and communities that depend on it.
“At the UN nature summit in Montreal, we made a commitment to manage our whole ocean sustainably and set a target to protect at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.
“The UK is leading, co-leading, and supporting global coalitions of ambition to drive forward this mission, and I urge countries to come together to deliver coordinated, impactful action on the ground.”
