Watchdog warning: England is off track for nature targets — and our seas can’t afford “paper protection”

A stark new assessment from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has warned that England is not moving fast enough to meet legally binding environmental targets set under the Environment Act - with the 2030 deadline rapidly closing in. The OEP’s latest statutory progress report (covering April 2024 to March 2025) says government action right now will determine whether key goals for biodiversity and protecting land and sea are met.

In response, Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) and more than 20 member organisations have urged the Prime Minister to “act now”, warning that missing these targets risks making the Government the first to break its own nature-recovery law. Their call focuses on five urgent priorities: wildlife-friendly farming, land use change, marine recovery, the circular economy, and properly managed protected sites.

Why this matters for whales, dolphins and porpoises

For ORCA, the marine recovery message is impossible to ignore. WCL highlights that UK seas currently meet only 2 out of 15 indicators of good environmental health - and argues that damaging activities such as bottom trawling should be banned in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Sally Hamilton, CEO of ORCA, said:

"As an island nation, our wellbeing is tied to the health of our seas - yet too much of the marine environment remains exposed to damage, despite being ‘protected’ on paper. If we want cetaceans to thrive in UK waters, we have to safeguard the habitats they depend on and restore the ecosystems that sustain them. That means stronger management of Marine Protected Areas, real enforcement, and bold leadership to put marine recovery at the heart of nature’s return.”

Cetaceans are often the most visible sign of ocean health - but they’re also a reminder of what’s at stake when protections exist in name only. Healthy MPAs, cleaner waters, and sustainable fisheries management aren’t “nice-to-haves”; they are the foundations for resilient marine ecosystems.

What is the Government saying?

In a Written Statement to Parliament, the Government said it welcomes the OEP report and will consider its assessment, with a formal response to recommendations promised “in the summer.” The statement also points to the revised Environmental Improvement Plan published on 1 December 2025, alongside actions including reforming the Sustainable Farming Incentive, tree planting, water sector measures, air quality action, and circular economy reforms.

Separately, reporting on the OEP findings quoted Nature Minister Mary Creagh saying the Government is taking urgent action and will respond to the OEP “in due course.”

Delivery is the whole point

Plans and promises only matter if they translate into enforcement at sea - especially in MPAs - and into measurable recovery for habitats that cetaceans rely on to feed, breed and migrate. ORCA will keep pushing for the shift from designated protection to effective protection: properly managed MPAs, meaningful restrictions on damaging activities, and the monitoring and enforcement needed to make marine recovery real.