ZSL’s Response to the King’s Speech – 17 July 2024

The King’s Speech was an important moment for nature, outlining the key steps this government will take on tackling water pollution and integrating nature-positive actions into planning and infrastructure development.

We urgently need to deliver solutions that benefit both people and planet. The only way we will do this effectively is by having a cohesive approach in which nature is at the heart of policy decisions and implementation across energy, food, and housing.

What is the King’s Speech and why does it matter for nature?

The King’s Speech is the first opportunity for a government to set out its plans for the coming Parliamentary session. The priorities outlined on Wednesday are important because they spotlight how this government might help or hinder the environment and nature’s recovery.

Key commitments for nature

While the King’s Speech didn't include a specific bill for nature, there are key opportunities to strengthen species and habitat recovery:
 

Water (Special Measures) Bill

Aims to deliver strengthened regulation and accountability to ensure water companies put the environment and their customers first.

Freshwater ecosystems, home to 10% of all known animal species, are vital for flood resilience and climate change mitigation. We welcome early action to clean up our rivers, lakes, and seas and the commitment to restore them to good health. Stronger accountability for water companies is an important step toward improving our waterways, but the scale of the problem should not be underestimated. It is essential that these actions are accompanied by much-needed investment in habitat creation, restoration, and protection.

ZSL has first-hand experience in rehabilitating polluted waterways, particularly in urban areas. Since 2004, we have been tirelessly working with partners and volunteers to significantly improve the health and biodiversity of the Thames Estuary and the wider river catchment. In and around the Thames, we lead key interventions such as aerial seal population counts, seagrass habitat replanting, and using citizen science to monitor river pollution. 
 

Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Commits to accelerating the delivery of high-quality infrastructure and housing while ensuring that development funds nature recovery

Balancing land and sea use to deliver for nature, climate, and people across the UK is one of our biggest challenges. When done well and in the right places we know that nature-positive housing and development is both achievable and beneficial for local communities. Current planning legislation requires developers to increase biodiversity by a minimum of 10%, and there are numerous ways to embed nature positively in development, such as planting wildlife-rich community green spaces.

The Government has also been clear that it wants to increase the UK’s production of renewable energy, starting with the Great British Energy Bill. Renewable energy development is not without impact, and we need to ensure that the energy transition is implemented hand-in-hand with measures to protect and restore nature.

At ZSL, our world-leading science supports solutions to this balancing act. Our recent Land Use Summit in April 2024 produced a critical report detailing how we can achieve a coordinated land-use approach at scale that works for housing, communities, food production, and nature amid a climate and nature emergency. We have also been collaborating with Network Rail and Google Cloud on cutting-edge technology to monitor wildlife along railway tracks and support ecologists in protecting nature at these sites.
 

What's next for nature?

The newly elected UK Government faces a significant challenge: halting the loss of wildlife, putting nature on a path to recovery, and protecting 30% of land and seas by 2030. The King’s Speech has indicated some positive steps in the right direction, and at ZSL, we look forward to working with the Government to achieve these goals.