Gemini:

The Church of England General Synod did not vote to adopt an ambitious plan to restore nature on 30% of its land by 2030.

On Tuesday, July 14, 2026 (today), during its July session in York, the General Synod considered a private member’s motion (GS 2461A) proposed by Revd Canon Valerie Plumb (Oxford). The motion called for the Church Commissioners (who manage the Church’s endowment, including significant rural land holdings) to commit to “protecting nature on 30% of its land — in line with the UN’s definition — by 2030, or the nearest plausible date,” focusing on lower-productivity farmland, restoring Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) to favourable condition, and restoring fenland peat, while supporting tenant farmers.33

The motion was defeated. Synod instead passed a weaker amendment proposed by the Bishop of Norwich (Rt Revd Graham Usher). This amendment encourages continuing to support nature restoration projects “where appropriate,” engaging and collaborating with tenants on sustainable farming, and integrating nature recovery into working landscapes — but it sets no specific measurable targets (such as 30% by 2030) or binding commitments.23

Context

• The Church of England, via the Church Commissioners, is one of England’s largest institutional landowners, with roughly 105,000–108,000 acres (around 42,500 hectares) of rural land, much of it productive farmland. Currently, only about 3.5% of this land is used primarily for nature restoration/biodiversity.23
• The proposal aligned with the UK government’s “30by30” target (part of the global biodiversity framework) to protect and restore 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. Campaign groups like Wild Card ran a “Vote for Nature” / “Rewild the Church” effort urging Synod members to back the 30% commitment.0
• The Church Commissioners and others argued that the original motion conflicted with legal and fiduciary duties (including long-term capital growth and supporting food production). They welcomed the passed amendment as striking a better balance.23
• This builds on earlier Church actions: In February 2024, General Synod passed a “Land and Nature” motion giving biodiversity equal weight to net-zero efforts in its environmental programme. The Church also has a broader net-zero carbon target for 2030.

Campaigners expressed disappointment, noting the urgency of the biodiversity crisis and comparing the outcome unfavourably to commitments by other major landowners. The Church has framed its approach as collaborative and pragmatic rather than setting fixed percentage targets.23

In short: The Synod debated and voted on nature protection on Church land, but it rejected the specific high-ambition 30% rewilding/restoration target and opted for a more flexible, non-binding approach instead.

The reason given:

Snip of Guardian