Part 1: Environmental Governance Chapter 1: Improving the natural environment Section 8: Environmental improvement plans
Section 8 introduces a duty on the Secretary of State to prepare a plan for significantly improving the natural environment (an "environmental improvement plan" (EIP)). It sets requirements for what an EIP must contain. The 25 Year Environment Plan, as published on 11 January 2018, will become the first EIP.
	Subsection (1) introduces the requirement for the Secretary of State to prepare an EIP.
	Subsection (2) clarifies that an EIP is a plan for significantly improving the natural environment in the period it covers. The natural environment is defined in section 44 (meaning of "natural environment"). This definition includes living and non-living elements of the environment, such as plants, wildlife, their habitats, air, water and land, natural systems and processes through which organisms interact with their surroundings. As such, the definition extends to the marine environment, as well as the terrestrial and water environments.
	Subsection (3) specifies that the period of each EIP must be at least 15 years. Long-term EIPs are needed because some aspects of the natural environment change slowly and require continuity in how they are managed. The current 25 Year Environment Plan covers a period of 25 years, but a future government may prefer to set an EIP for a different period. Section 8 requires the government to review and revise EIPs at least every five years. A period of 15 years allows for an EIP to be introduced, reviewed and revised twice before its end. This will allow its effectiveness to be assessed, and meaningful corrective action taken if necessary.
	Subsection (4) specifies that the EIP must set out the steps the government will take to improve the natural environment during the lifetime of the EIP.
	Subsection (5) allows EIPs to contain steps the government will take to improve people’s enjoyment of the natural environment. Steps relating to people’s enjoyment of the natural environment may relate to its use, access to natural areas or a measure of public views about the environment. Amongst other initiatives, enjoyment may be increased through education and public awareness of the natural environment both past and present, natural systems and processes through which organisms interact with their surroundings. For example, the current 25 Year Environment Plan makes major new commitments to connect people with the environment to improve health and wellbeing, such as through the cross-governmental green social prescribing project. This project is testing how to help connect more people to nature-based activities to improve their mental health. One of the ten goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan also commits to "Enhancing beauty, heritage and engagement with the natural environment". It is anticipated that the current 25 Year Environment Plan, including the approach the government took on people’s enjoyment of the natural environment and heritage, will set the benchmark for future EIPs.
	This section and sections 9 to 15, 16, and 28 extend to England and Wales. Subsection (6) provides that the Secretary of State’s functions in relation to EIPs are not exercisable in relation to the natural environment in Wales. The policy areas covered by EIPs therefore could cover the natural environment in England (including the English inshore area), as well as in the offshore area (to the extent that Her Majesty’s Government has functions) and to Her Majesty’s Government’s international policy (including to the Overseas Territories where Her Majesty’s Government has functions: Gibraltar and the British Virgin Islands, for example).
	Subsection (7) confirms that the current 25 Year Environment Plan must be treated as an EIP. Furthermore, subsection (8) specifies that references to the first EIP are to that document, and that references to the current plan refer to the plan that is in effect at the time.