British Nature Bill (2015)

BE IT ENACTED by The Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1. British Nature Committee

(1) The Secretary of State shall establish a body corporate, to be known as the British Nature Committee (henceforth referred to as 'the Committee').

(2) The Secretary of State may pay grants to the Committee.

(3) The Committee may pay such remuneration and allowances to or in respect of members or staff as the Secretary of State determines appropriate.

2. Composition of the British Nature Committee

(1) The Committee shall consist of:

(a) a person appointed by the Secretary of State to perform the role of chair the committee, and

(b) no fewer than 5 and no more than 8 other members appointed by the Secretary of State.

(2) In appointing a member, the Secretary of State must have regard to the desirability of ensuring that the Committee has experience in relation to biodiversity and other matters relating to the natural environment.

(3) A member holds and vacates office in accordance with the terms of appointment set out by the Secretary of State.

(4) A member may resign by giving written notice to the Secretary of State.

(5) A member who has previously resigned may be reappointed by the Secretary of State.

3. Responsibilities of the British Nature Committee

(1) At least once each year the Committee shall prepare a report for the Secretary of State as to:

(a) whether progress towards the achievement of the targets in section 7 is likely to allow the targets to be met; and

(b) what actions and policies would contribute to meeting or exceeding those targets.

(2) The Committee must advise the Secretary of State about the implications of regulatory and other policy proposals for:

(a) natural assets, and

(b) the achievement of the targets in section 7.

(3) Advice under subsection (2) must be given by the Committee when requested by the Secretary of State and may be given of the Committee’s own motion.

(4) The Committee must, having consulted the UK Statistics Authority, advise the Treasury as to the treatment of natural assets in the UK Environmental Accounts.

(5) At least once in each year, and whenever requested, the Committee must advise the Secretary of State as to:

(a) when, where and how natural assets are being used in an unsustainable manner in the United Kingdom;

(b) how to protect and improve natural assets in the United Kingdom;

(c) methodologies to ensure that the value of natural assets in United Kingdom is fully taken into account in policy decisions and in economic planning; and

(d) research priorities to improve future advice and decisions on protecting and enhancing natural assets in United Kingdom.

(6) Before providing advice under subsection (4), the Committee must consult such research councils, conservation bodies, civil society and academic persons as the Committee considers appropriate.

(7) The Committee must publish advice given under subsection (2) or (5) as soon as is reasonably practicable.

(8) The Secretary of State must publish, as soon as is reasonably practicable and in such a form as he considers appropriate, a response to any advice given by the Committee.

4. Connection to Nature

(1) The Secretary of State must, in the exercise of any statutory or other functions, take any reasonable steps for the purpose of ensuring that children, aged between 8 and 13 are, in his opinion, adequately connected with nature having regard to the Connection to Nature Index.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the Connection to Nature Index is an index specified by regulations made by the Secretary of State.

(3) The regulations shall provide for the Index to be maintained by a specified organisation, and shall provide that the Index must reflect the level among children aged between 8 and 13 of:

(a) enjoyment of nature;

(b) empathy for creatures;

(c) sense of oneness with nature; and

(d) sense of responsibility for the environment.

(4) Regulations under subsection (2) shall be made by statutory instrument.

5. Curriculum in maintained schools

(1) After section 78 (1) (b) of the Education Act 2002 (general requirements in relation to curriculum) at the end insert

“, and

(c) instils an ethos and ability actively to care for oneself, others and the natural environment, now and in the future.”

6. Species Recovery

(1) Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (biodiversity lists and action (England)) is amended as follows.

(2) After subsection (1) insert:

“(1A) The Secretary of State must, with respect to England, publish a list of the living organisms which in the Secretary of State’s opinion are most at risk of extinction.”

(3) After subsection (4) insert:

“(5) The Secretary of State must:

(a) identify and publish the actions needed to further the conservation of the species included in any list published under subsection (1A) within one year of the list being published; and

(b) at least once every three years, lay before Parliament a report on the population trends of all living organisms listed under subsection (1A) and on the progress made in carrying out the actions identified under paragraph (a).”

7. Targets

(1) The Secretary of State must take all reasonable steps to ensure that by 2050:

(a) the national biodiversity index of all species within the United Kingdom has increased by at least 20 percentage points using the 1st of January 2016 as a baseline, and

(b) at least 90% of the sites of specific scientific interest in the United Kingdom are deemed to be in favourable condition by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

(2) The Secretary of State shall specify an index of biodiversity which, in their opinion, is an accurate and scientific representation of biodiversity.

8. Commencement, Short Title, and Extent

(1) This act extends to the United Kingdom.

(2) This act shall come into force immediately upon enactment.

(3) This act may be cited as the British Nature Act (2015).

This bill was submitted by /u/Can_Triforce on behalf of the 6th Government.

This voting period for this bill will end on the 3rd December at 10PM GMT.