Climate and Ecology Bill [HL] (changed to Ecology Bill [HL])

1 Duty of the Secretary of State: nature target

(1)

The Secretary of State must achieve the objective in subsection (2) (“the
objective”).

(2)

The objective is to ensure that the United Kingdom halts and reverses its
overall contribution to the degradation and loss of nature in the United
Kingdom and overseas by—

(a)

increasing the health, abundance, diversity and resilience of species,
populations, habitats and ecosystems so that by 2030, and measured
against a baseline of 2020, nature is visibly and measurably on the
path of recovery, and

(b)

fulfilling its obligations under the UNCBD and its protocols and the
commitments set out in the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature,

(“the nature target”).

(3)

The Secretary of State may fulfil the duty in subsection (1) by acting on matters
of devolved legislative competence subject to section 2 .

2 Approval by devolved legislatures

(1)

The target in section 1 applies to matters of devolved legislative competence
if the condition in subsection (2) is met.

(2)

That condition is—

(a)

in relation to Scotland, that the Scottish Parliament has passed a motion
of the form “That this Parliament agrees to the nature target in section
1 of the Ecology Act 2022”;

(b)

in relation to Wales, that Senedd Cymru has passed a motion of the
form “That the Senedd agrees to the nature target in section 1 of the
Ecology Act 2022”;

(c)

in relation to Northern Ireland, that the Northern Ireland Assembly
has passed a motion of the form “That this Assembly agrees to the
nature target in section 1 of the Ecology Act 2022”.

3 Financial provisions

There is to be paid out of money provided by Parliament—

(a)

any expenditure incurred under or by virtue of this Act, and

(b)

any increase attributable to this Act in the sums payable under any
other Act out of money so provided.

4 Interpretation

In this Act—

“
nature” includes (a) the abundance, diversity and distribution of animal,
plant, fungal and microbial life, (b) the extent and condition of habitats,
and (c) the health and integrity of ecosystems;

“
ecosystems” includes natural and managed ecosystems and the air, soils,
water and abundance and diversity of organisms of which they are
composed;

“
UNCBD and its protocols” means the United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity, which entered into force on 29 December 1993,
and all subsequent agreements and protocols arising from it;

“
the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature” means the agreement of the United
Nations Summit on Biodiversity of 28 September 2020.

5 Extent, commencement and short title

(1)

This Act extends to England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

(2)

This Act comes into force on the day on which it is passed.

(3)

This Act may be cited as the Ecology Act 2022.