Environmental Improvement Plan
Publications related to the Environmental Improvement Plan for England, including delivery plans for the Environment Act 2021 targets and annual progress reports.
The Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) is the UK government’s long-term plan to improve the natural environment in England. It builds on the 25 Year Environment Plan and EIP 2023. The plan is structured around 10 goals and is supported by statutory targets, delivery plans, progress reports and an evaluation framework.
Environmental Improvement Plan
The Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) is the UK government’s cross-cutting plan to improve the natural environment in England.
The EIP clearly describes the actions we need to take and who is responsible for delivering them. This will help us to restore nature, improve environmental quality, create a circular economy, protect environmental security and improve people’s access to nature.
Delivery plans for our Environment Act targets
The delivery plans set out the steps the government will take to deliver the Environment Act 2021 statutory targets and the 5-year interim targets as set out in the 2025 Environmental Improvement Plan.
These plans will be delivered with a range of partners including Defra and Defra arm’s length bodies, other governmental departments, local authorities, landowners, farmers, private companies, third-sector organisations and community groups. These documents will be updated as evidence and policy evolve.
EIP monitoring
The EIP monitoring plan sets out how the UK government will track progress and assess the impact of the EIP. The plan includes theories of change, commitments and actions for each of the 10 goals.
The EIP is also a core pillar of England’s delivery of the UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030 (UK NBSAP) and UK national targets. The EIP and Kunming-Montreat Global Biodiversity Framework paper maps the national targets against the EIP outcomes.
Environmental Indicator Framework
The Environmental Improvement Plan is served by a bespoke evidence suite called the Environmental Indicator Framework (EIF) which describes how the environment is changing.
EIP annual progress reports and responses to the Office of Environmental protection (OEP)
The EIP annual progress reports track the government’s progress in delivering the goals set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Published yearly, these reports provide updates on actions taken to restore nature, improve environmental quality, and support public access and enjoyment.
They highlight achievements, challenges, and next steps, offering transparency and accountability across departments and delivery partners.
The UK government responses to OEP reports and recommendations under the Environment Act 2021, explain how progress is being made against the Environmental Improvement Plan and its targets.
Previous Environmental Improvement Plans
This includes:
- the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2023, which built on and updated the earlier plan
- the 25 Year Environment Plan, published in 2018, which was retrospectively designated as the first Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) under the Environment Act