It sets out how the Government is going to achieve their manifesto commitment to 'deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth'. But with less than seven years left to meet the Government's target to halt the decline of nature by 2030, this plan must deliver a huge shift in action and ambition to reverse the chronic loss of wildlife.

Our CEO, Eliot Lyne, says: "We welcome the measures within the Government's Environmental Improvement Plan; however, we are concerned that a lack of action in the past has left previous environmental targets unmet.

"We are incredibly lucky in Norfolk to have many rich natural places - from the coast to the Broads and from chalk rivers to the Brecks, but we urgently need to see action to protect wildlife and fund nature's recovery. Wildlife is in crisis; it is declining at an alarming rate and the natural systems that our communities rely on for clean air and water are being seriously compromised. Reversing these trends means more investment in the protection of Norfolk's existing wild spaces and a focus on nature's recovery at a landscape scale. Policies and plans, whilst welcome, are only useful alongside committed action to embed nature's recovery into every decision, from planning applications and neighbourhood plans to major infrastructure schemes and agri-environment grants.

"Across the county, this means creating new habitats and restoring hedgerows, ponds and meadows to connect up the landscape. Connectivity is essential for species to move and adapt to the challenges presented by climate change. We need support and incentives to help landowners move away from the use of harmful pesticides alongside policies and actions that protect our chalk streams and other rivers from sewage.

"Finally, we must ensure the Retained EU Law Bill doesn't result in the loss of vital habitats and species protections that currently safeguard our most valuable wild places including those found along the North Norfolk coast and The Broads, vulnerable species such as barbastelle bats, and Special Areas for Conservation such as the wildlife-rich River Wensum."