Next month’s UN biodiversity summit is the “best and last chance” to halt and reverse the decline of nature, the head of Natural England has said.

In December nearly 200 countries will meet in Montreal, Canada, to agree a landmark deal to safeguard nature.

The chair of the government nature agency, Natural England, said countries must come together and agree an ambitious plan.

“This isn’t just about saving rare species,” said Tony Juniper.

“It’s about sustaining the web of life upon which humankind ultimately depends, for food, water, health and climate regulation.”

On Wednesday, Natural England and other government agencies are setting out their vision on restoring nature at an event at the Royal Society in London, ahead of the long-delayed talks.

A healthy natural environment is “the cornerstone of a healthy climate, secure and clean water supplies and a resilient food supply” said the minister for international nature, Lord Benyon.

Biodiversity refers to all the different living things on Earth and how they fit together in a delicate web of life. And the new Global Biodiversity Framework is seen as the “nature equivalent” of the Paris climate agreement, an international treaty in which nations committed to limit global temperature rise.