28 January 2026
Last week, ISEP convened sustainability leaders, environmental experts, academics and civil society organisations for a roundtable on Nature Recovery in England: Progress, Priorities and the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP 2025) with Fleur Anderson MP, Chair of the Environment APPG. The discussion explored how the UK can strengthen the delivery of environmental objectives, support nature recovery, embed Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), and build a more coherent, cross-government approach to environmental improvement.
In this blog, Asim Ali, Senior Public Affairs Officer at ISEP, reflects on the key themes that emerged.
Participants underscored that nature recovery is essential not only for ecological health but also for the UK’s economic resilience, public wellbeing and national security. Healthy ecosystems underpin long-term prosperity and help reduce systemic risks. This aligns with work undertaken at ISEP, including its recent paper on Natural Capital is Critical Infrastructure, which argues that nature is an asset fundamental to growth, resilience and security.
The urgency of translating ambition into action was a central point of discussion. With critical targets set for 2030, 2026 needs to be a major delivery year for the government – ensuring the successful implementation of EIP objectives and the rollout of BNG (biodiversity net gain) for NSIPs (nationally significant infrastructure projects).
A recurring theme was the challenge of converting strong policy frameworks into real-world improvements. Participants reflected on early experiences of BNG, noting that while the policy has transformative potential, local authorities often lack the capacity and resources required to process complex environmental assessments. This risks slowing delivery and limiting the effectiveness of nature recovery measures on the ground.
There was also the recognition of the need for greater alignment between the various elements of the nature recovery policy such as BNG, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and the Nature Restoration Fund. Fragmentation across these frameworks can undermine progress and create inefficiencies at a time when a more strategic, joined-up approach is needed.
Policy stability remains a core concern for businesses, landowners and local authorities. Shifting timelines and evolving priorities can undermine confidence and make long-term planning more difficult. While the EIP offers a more transparent overall direction, participants agreed that further clarity is needed on departmental responsibilities, delivery pathways and how progress will be monitored.
Many felt that nature recovery requires a genuinely cross-government response rather than reliance on Defra alone. A comprehensive, UK-wide Land Use Framework was seen as a key tool for achieving greater coherence and ensuring that environmental outcomes are embedded into planning, infrastructure and economic decision-making.
The discussion also highlighted growing business engagement with nature-related disclosures and frameworks such as TNFD. Increasingly, companies are recognising the need to assess and address their impacts and dependencies on nature.
However, participants acknowledged that the UK’s nature markets are still in their early stages. Without clear policy signals, robust governance and consistent market rules, private investment cannot be mobilised at the scale required. There is significant potential for well-designed markets to attract finance into habitat restoration and nature-based solutions, but this depends on creating an environment where investors have confidence over the direction of travel and that they can make long-term investments without it being undermined by policy changes.
This theme will be elaborated on in a paper from ISEP’s Biodiversity and Natural Capital Network, later this year.
Throughout the conversation, collaboration was highlighted as essential. Effective nature recovery relies on coordinated action between national government, local authorities, business, the financial sector, land managers and communities. No single actor can deliver the scale of change required.
Participants stressed the importance of shared priorities, consistent messaging and cross-sector partnerships to ensure coherent delivery and maximise the impact of nature recovery initiatives.
The roundtable concluded with a shared sense of opportunity. The EIP, continued BNG rollout, and growing business engagement provide a strong foundation for accelerating progress in 2026. But success will depend on clear political leadership, policy certainty, functioning nature markets and stronger cross-government coordination.
ISEP will continue to support this agenda by convening partners, facilitating dialogue and providing evidence-led insights to help ensure that environmental ambition translates into meaningful outcomes for nature, communities and the economy.
Asim joined ISEP in May 2022 as a Senior Public Affairs Officer. Prior to joining ISEP, Asim worked in a variety of roles for three Members of Parliament and interned for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. He also holds an MA in Human Rights, Globalisation & Justice
