UK spends record amount on nature protection projects

THE UK’s climate-aid spending on nature protection and restoration reached record levels of nearly £800 million last year, analysis of Government figures shows.

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The data, provided to climate and energy website Carbon Brief under freedom of information laws, suggests the country is on track to achieve its five-year pledge to provide £3 billion in nature-related funds for developing countries by 2026.

The analysis shows that UK spending on nature-related programmes reached £796.6m in 2024-25, bringing the cumulative total to £2.3bn.

This means it would need to spend £684.8m on such projects in 2025-26 to hit the £3bn target.

Funding for forest protection has also increased, but will need to rise by an additional £100m this year in order to meet the target of £1.5bn within the £3bn total, Carbon Brief said.