Back to school reading: Four briefings to read before COP17
The next few months could see some major milestones for biodiversity, both in the UK and internationally.
COP17 will be a major summit for negotiating the delivery of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which sits at the top of a pyramid of policies shaping the future of biodiversity from the global level down to local outcomes.
Yet those policies are not yet delivering, which is why more action is needed. COP17 needs to accelerate the pace of delivery, while we need to do more at the national level to deliver change in practice.
Ahead of COP17, the IES has published a handful of briefings to help shape those discussions and set them up for success, so that we can collectively negotiate a better future for nature, then improve the way we implement nature policy.
Whether you’re going to COP17, working with biodiversity policies in the UK, or just trying to keep on top of the latest developments, this is your chance to get in your ‘back to school’ reading early with four key briefings that will help you to lead the debate.
Joseph Lewis is Head of Policy at the Institution of Environmental Sciences, working to promote the use of the environmental sciences in decision making. Joseph leads the delivery of the IES Policy Programme, standing up for the voice of science, scientists, and the natural world in policy. He also delivers the IES policy training programme.
Joseph has more than ten years of experience in public policy, including in Parliament and the charity sector. He was recognised on the ENDS Power List 2026 as "a prominent advocate for ensuring environmental science is reflected in public policy".
New briefing: COP17
Ahead of next month’s crucial summit on biodiversity, the IES has published a briefing for members, setting out the most important information on COP17, what to expect, and all the background and context.
The briefing covers:
- Background on COP17 and why it matters
- What to expect, including key themes, the provisional agenda, and our priority messages
- The context of the Global Biodiversity Framework and how it will shape COP17
- A recap on COP16 and COP15 to set the scene
- Information about the latest policy developments in the UK and how they have affected biodiversity in the two years since the last biodiversity COP
- Links to other briefings and topical information, as well as a glossary of key terms
Read our COP17 briefing for all the details on the crucial biodiversity summit.
COP17 will be a crucial chance to get global action back on the right course ... it represents an unmissable opportunity to take a joined-up approach.
New briefing: 30by30 delivery plan
At the national level, the last few weeks have seen a significant conversation developing around the delivery of policies for nature protection and recovery. One of the most important developments is the recent publication of the Government’s delivery plan for 30by30 on land.
The plan should have an opportunity to bring together biodiversity policies and get English plans for nature back on track. Instead, questions have been raised on whether it even amounts to a true delivery plan.
Following a popular article for Essential Environment last month, our Policy Lead, Ellie Savage, has produced a more detailed briefing on the subject, covering:
- Background on the delivery plan and why it matters
- Recommendations for getting UK delivery for nature back on track
- Context on the policy environment around the delivery plan
- What the 30by30 delivery plan includes
- Insights on whether the plan is likely to deliver in practice and what it means for environmental experts
- Commentary from stakeholders
- Links to other briefings and topical information
Read our briefing on the 30by30 delivery plan to find out more about the delivery plan and what it will mean in practice.
“Taken as a whole, the plan provides many of the building blocks for delivery but does not yet provide enough detail to demonstrate that its actions will add up to 30by30. It creates a strong framework for participation but does not sufficiently set out a clear, quantified, and accountable route to protecting and improving 30% of England’s land for nature.” - Ellie Savage, IES Policy Lead, Briefing on 30by30 on land
Policy paper: Changing the narrative on nature
Recent years have seen an increasingly stark narrative on nature emerging from leaders and policy makers. Whether as a blocker to development or a barrier to growth, environmental rules have been painted as getting in the way of value.
Last year, as part of a process that convened hundreds of environmental experts to discuss the most pressing priorities for government policy, we brought together a group that set out asks for biodiversity and nature. That work led to the creation of a policy paper, ‘Changing the narrative on nature’, which outlined four headline recommendations:
- Change the narrative on nature. From the highest levels of government, make sure we are thinking about and engaging with nature in a way that reflects its value.
- Unleash a modern and data driven planning system that delivers high-quality development together with meaningful nature recovery.
- Make the Nature Recovery Network a reality, creating a strategic, connected and accessible network of nature-rich spaces.
- Urgently deliver the UK’s existing commitments to protect and restore nature by the end of this decade.
Those priorities formed part of our recommendations to the UK Government, ‘Our Shared Mission for Sustainable Wellbeing’, which covers the highest priority actions recommended by hundreds of environmental experts across eleven crucial specialisms, from air, land, and water to climate action, planning, and education.
Check out the recommendations in the report, or catch up with the latest developments for land and nature in our horizon scanning briefing.
Report: The Golden Thread of Governance
As COP17 puts the delivery of biodiversity targets in the spotlight, it raises many questions about how to most effectively carry targets and objectives through to outcomes. The same conversations are topical across the UK, as more than one UK country discusses its future targets and how to deliver them more effectively.
Earlier this year, IES President Julie Hill MBE led a challenge project that set out some of the most important answers to that question, identifying how we can reconnect environmental targets with credible outcomes.
The report is essential reading for anyone looking to support the delivery of targets over the coming months, or to scrutinise implementation and negotiations at events like COP17. Its recommendations included:
- Start with clear, simple targets underpinned by a unifying vision
- Produce actionable and specific delivery plans
- Convene government, partners, and practitioners for delivery
- Provide sufficient resources to ensure delivery
- Use strong accountability frameworks at the programme or project level
- Monitor with a purpose and make better use of data
- Ensure monitoring and evaluation result in feedback to refine plans and delivery
One of the case study issues used in the development of the report was biodiversity, so it includes several examples where biodiversity targets are already being effectively implemented, with a view to supporting better delivery.
Read our report on environmental targets for a perspective on how to achieve outcomes more effectively.
Essential Environment: Latest analysis
Get involved
The IES is already uniting the environmental sciences around a shared goal: to work with speed, vision, and expertise to solve the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Our work in biodiversity policy emphasises the importance of ambitious, actionable targets and the full range of insights and actions needed to deliver them effectively at a local and national level.
If you want to support the work of the IES to stand up for science and nature, become an affiliate, or if you’re an environmental professional, join the IES.
- Read our recommendations to the UK Government, including how to change the narrative on nature.
- Catch up on your essential reading ahead of COP17 with our briefing on COP17 and our briefing on delivering 30by30 in England.
- Join our Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) to support effective policy in practice, including unlocking action for biodiversity at a local level.
- Sign up for our training course on ‘Understanding environmental policy’ and our intermediate course on 'Influencing and Engaging with policy'.
- Learn more about recent policy developments in our briefings on clean air, water policy and land and nature policy.
- Find out more by reading the latest articles from Essential Environment, including insights on how vision and worldviews affect outcomes and our analysis on what the latest NPPF changes mean for environmental experts.
If you want to learn more about environmental policy or the training we offer for members, please contact Joseph Lewis, Head of Policy (joseph@the-ies.org).
Header image credit: © AnnaStills | Adobe Stock
