On 20th January 2026 the UK Government published a document assessing the threat to our national security posed by the worldwide biodiversity crisis – National security assessment – global biodiversity loss ecosystem collapse and national security. The National Security Assessment report shows how environmental degradation can significantly impact society – including through crop failures, intensified natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks, and the resultant geopolitical instability – and examines how impacts on six key ecosystems (from the amazon rainforest to the Himalayas) could have significant effects on the UK as well as the wider world.
The key message here is that we need strong leadership and collaborative long-term strategic planning that focuses on truly sustainable development whilst at the same time supporting the ecosystems that underpin our collective security and prosperity. This is particularly important given the threats posed to effective political partnership by the current geopolitical situation, and the need for a broad coalition across politics, industry and society if this is to succeed. The assessment highlights opportunities for innovation, green finance and global partnerships, making it clear that collaborative nature positive growth is not just possible but essential for our long-term future.
Many of us working in ecology – especially in the UK, one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – recognise the adverse effect that ecological degradation can have on society and the environment, but also understand how effective policy-making can help reverse biodiversity loss. Indeed, the UK has been leading the way in the use of policy and legislation to bring about this positive change, not least through the introduction (through the Environment Act in England) of the principle of Biodiversity Net Gain.
Unfortunately, BNG is already under threat from the pro-growth (or even ‘growth at all costs’!) lobby, with nature (in particular bats and newts) often being wrongly blamed for holding back development. We need to stand firm (especially in the light of the NSA report) and ensure that we continue to show the way and support this flagship policy. Other countries around the world have shown interest in how BNG can be used to address the sort of threats to ecosystems that the Assessment discusses, so it is imperative that we don’t undermine it.
Environmentalists have long pointed out the seriousness of the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, but it is clear from the NSA report that this is an existential threat that should concern everyone, and not just those with an interest in the environment. Much of the threat to ecosystems comes from climate breakdown, so it is interesting to note that the Government also launched the Warm Homes Plan yesterday, to encourage the uptake of solar panels for households. It is exactly this sort of large-scale public investment in sustainable development and the green economy that is required, and this should also be applied to nature restoration.
However, corporations can also play their part, investing in green solutions and ensuring that they properly consider (and compensate for) the impacts of their activities and supply chains both on biodiversity and the climate. At RSK Wilding – and our sister company RSKNatureRepair – we work closely with our colleagues at NaturePositive, who advise companies on their nature impacts and how they can make significant positive contributions.
Whether dealing with BNG for development or the biodiversity benefits required by corporations (e.g. through TNFD, ESG, etc.), the aim should always be to deliver landscape-scale habitat restoration that not only achieves the net gain required by legislation or policy but also has other, wide-ranging climate, environmental and societal benefits. So whilst climate change and biodiversity loss are twin crises, they are also twin solutions.
Through this NSA report the Government has signalled how important ecological restoration is for our collective futures. Whilst it is deeply frustrating that it has got to this point, and that the issue needs to be addressed in such stark terms as National Security, at least this should now give further impetus to the importance of this work.