Policy paper

Government response to OEP recommendations in its review of implementation of laws for terrestrial and freshwater protected sites in England

The government's response to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) report on its Review of implementation of laws for terrestrial and freshwater protected sites in England.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 2 March 2026

Applies to England

Documents

Government response to OEP recommendations in its review of implementation of laws for terrestrial and freshwater protected sites in England

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-6157-7, E03525708

Unnumbered act paper

HTML

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Government response to OEP recommendations in its Review of implementation of laws for terrestrial and freshwater protected sites in England (PDF version)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-6157-7, E03525708

Unnumbered act paper

PDF, 1.37 MB, 16 pages

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Details

On 4 December 2025 the Office of Environmental Protection published a report ‘Review of Implementation of Laws for Terrestrial and Freshwater Protected Sites in England’. The report makes 15 recommendations, primarily for Defra and Natural England.

The Government response to the report laid in Parliament on 2 March 2026 provides a response to the recommendations along the themes of:

• governance
• resources
• designation
• monitoring
• evaluation and reporting
• land management incentives and advice
• regulatory tools and enforcement

Published 2 March 2026