The Wildlife and Countryside Link
Category: Environment & Climate Change
Year Awarded: 2023
Amount: £150,000
The Wildlife and Countryside Link
Link united an impressive cross-section of environmental charities – including the National Trust, RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, ClientEarth and Wild Justice – in support of a legal challenge to strengthen the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan. This was link’s first judicial review, which they felt was needed when the Office for Environmental Protection concluded that the UK was not on track to meet the legally-binding target to halt the decline of species by 2030.
The case centred on the Government’s decision not to consider a review of the EIP following the OEP’s report. The new Government agreed to review the plan, so Link achieved the result it was looking for. This has already had a profound impact, kickstarting consultation and reform. Through the review, the Government is committed to strengthening delivery of environmental improvements, including agricultural reform, to ensure that key nature targets are met. Link and its members are closely involved in discussions across Government to ensure the new plan is fit for purpose.
Link were able to use our some of our unrestricted funding to cover most of the legal costs of this judicial review, with the remainder supporting their agriculture and chemicals policy work.
We’re hugely grateful for Samworth’s support for our first legal action, which helped us secure a review of the Environmental Improvement Plan. The EIP is a fundamental part of the Government’s nature strategy, but it was not fit for purpose. Already, the review is catalysing action and engagement with DEFRA and other Departments. This time, we are determined that the EIP should be a delivery plan capable of meeting the all-important target to halt the decline of wildlife by 2030