‘Too often, we take for granted the goods, services and amenity value that nature freely provides us. They risk being lost as a consequence. We can and we must do things differently. With a new way of thinking we can nurture them.’

The Rt Hon. Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Govtoday presents Natural Environment 2012: Balancing Nature, Society and the Economy Conference and Exhibition, which will be held on the 12th June 2012 at the prestigious Brewery Conference Centre, London.

Govtoday’s Securing the Future Series of Conferences and Exhibitions have studied in detail the Government’s strategies and policies regarding the all encompassing Sustainable Development Agenda. Taking into account the ‘Climate Change Act 2008’ – and its challenge of delivering a reduction in UK carbon emissions of 34 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050 below the 1990 baseline – we have discussed and debated the environmental impacts of the Government Estate, NHS, Education, Communities and the Transport Sector, as well as the requirements for achieving these targets and ramifications of failure.

‘Nature is sometimes taken for granted and undervalued. But people cannot flourish without the benefits and services our natural environment provides. Nature is a complex, interconnected system. A healthy, properly functioning natural environment is the foundation of sustained economic growth, prospering communities and personal wellbeing’ - ‘The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature’

Natural Environment 2012: Balancing Nature, Society and the Economy will examine the first White Paper for over 20 years on the Natural Environment. ‘The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature’ was launched on the 7th June 2011 by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Caroline Spelman MP, and placed the value of nature at the centre of choices that the nation must take.

Furthermore, on the 19th August 2011, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published ‘Biodiversity 2020: A Strategy for England’s Wildlife and Ecosystem Services’. This ambitious strategy for England builds on the Natural Environment White Paper and provides a comprehensive picture of how the Government sets out to meet international and EU commitments.

The ‘Convention on Biological Diversity Strategic Plan 2011-2020’, adopted in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010, included 20 headline targets for 2020 (the ‘Aichi’ targets). These targets provide a flexible framework to inform the establishment of national plans, taking national circumstances and priorities into account. To ensure that the high level targets of ‘Biodiversity 2020’ are met, government will deliver action in four areas, which are broadly aligned with CBD;

• a more integrated large-scale approach to conservation on land and at sea;
• putting people at the heart of biodiversity policy;
• reducing environmental pressures; and
• improving our knowledge.