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1140862

	registered interest
	date	22/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to enhance biodiversity.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
	uin	280128
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2019 answer text <p>Domestic biodiversity policy is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only, except in relation to our international activity.</p><p>The 25 Year Environment Plan marks a step-change in ambition for wildlife and the natural environment internationally and in England. It sets out over two hundred actions to enhance the environment and has long-term goals for recovering nature.</p><p>We are already delivering the 25 Year Plan commitments. We are bringing forward the first Environment Bill in over 20 years with ambitious measures to address the biggest environmental priorities of our age: air quality, thriving plants and wildlife, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and clean and plentiful water.</p><p>Agri-environment schemes provide financial incentives for farmers and land managers to look after the environment. We are developing a new Environmental Land Management scheme that will reward farmers and land managers for delivering environmental outcomes such as conserving and restoring habitats which will support our biodiversity goals.</p><p>We work with partners to support the recovery of threatened species and their habitats. For example, Natural England are working with landowners and conservation organisations on the Back from the Brink programme, which aims to put over 100 threatened species on the road to recovery by 2020.</p><p>At sea, we are expanding our protected areas. An ambitious third tranche of 41 Marine Conservation Zones were designated in May 2019.</p><p>Nature matters, but the ongoing decline in nature is a global problem that requires leadership and global action. Our Darwin Initiative programme funds projects to protect biodiversity and the natural environment in developing countries, with £10.3 million awarded in 2018/19. The UK Government is investing more than £36 million between 2014 and 2021 to counter the illegal wildlife trade and we are introducing one of the world’s toughest ivory bans.</p><p>The UK has committed to continuing its leading role in global biodiversity conservation, including calling for at least 30 per cent of the ocean to be in Marine Protected Areas by 2030 and negotiating hard to agree a global post-2020 framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity that is both ambitious and transformational.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 29/07/2019 16:41:17 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1130540

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the contribution that green bridges make to biodiversity.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	261183
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Green bridges are structures designed to provide wildlife and non-motorised users with easy and safe crossing of main roads and railways.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015, Natural England published a review of the literature on green bridges. The review looked at 53 case studies from Europe and North America and found evidence that, in the majority of cases, green bridges were utilised by wildlife, although an assessment of their effectiveness in conserving wildlife populations was limited by the lack of long-term monitoring data. Guidance on the design of green bridges was also published by the Landscape Institute based on research undertaken by Natural England.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015, the Government published research which included an assessment of the A21 Scotney Caste Green Bridge, constructed by the then Highways Agency, which found that of all incidences of bats crossing the road to and from the Scotney Castle Estate, 97 per cent used the green bridge. At least five bat species were recorded foraging over the bridge which was also used by deer, badger and breeding dormice.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will keep the evidence for the effectiveness of these structures under review as new green bridges are planned and implemented.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 11:08:13 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1130541

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which key performance indicators his Department uses to assess progress in improving the UK’s biodiversity.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	261184
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Domestic biodiversity policy is a devolved matter. The UK government has a range of performance indicators for England, although we do also work with the devolved administrations to compile indicators at UK scale for international reporting.</p><p> </p><p>In June 2019 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-environment-food-and-rural-affairs-single-departmental-plan/department-for-environment-food-and-rural-affairs-single-departmental-plan-may-2018" target="_blank">Single Departmental Plan</a> which includes biodiversity performance indicators for England, including: extent of marine protected areas and condition of protected sites and priority habitat.</p><p> </p><p>In May of this year, the Government published a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan" target="_blank">new indicator framework</a> for the 25 Year Environment Plan, setting out a transparent, comprehensive framework that shows how the environment in England is changing and whether it is improving over time. These indicators include diversity and health of our seas, wildlife and wild places, and nature on land and water.</p><p> </p><p>To support reporting of progress across the whole of the UK, the government publishes a set of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/biodiversity-indicators-for-the-uk" target="_blank">UK Biodiversity Indicators,</a> updated annually. These measure long term trends in the UK’s biodiversity and progress against our international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 09:52:58 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1093501

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to meet UN biodiversity targets on halting species decline and improving the condition of protected sites.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	235742
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2019 answer text <p>Domestic biodiversity policy is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only, except in relation to our plans internationally.</p><p>On land, around 94% of our protected sites, covering over 1 million hectares, are now in good condition or have management in place to restore their condition. At sea, we are putting management measures in place to protect and expand our Marine Protected Areas. We have consulted on a third tranche of 41 Marine Conservation Zones. Sites to be designated will be in place by 7 June.</p><p>Our agencies and non-Departmental bodies are working on species recovery projects with landowning and conservation partners, for example on freshwater pearl mussel, short-haired bumblebee and stone curlew.</p><p>The ongoing declines in nature are a global problem that need a global solution. That is why the UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing a global post-2020 framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity that is ambitious and transformational. Our Darwin Initiative supports global action by providing grants to protect biodiversity and the natural environment, with £10.6 million awarded in 2018. Defra has contributed almost £6 million over the last three years to Darwin Plus for Overseas Territories’ biodiversity. We continue to support activities to end poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, and have recently passed new legislation to close our domestic ivory market, which will be the toughest ivory ban in Europe and one of the toughest in the world.</p><p>The UK Government has committed to protecting the ocean, and has called for at least 30 per cent of the ocean to be in Marine Protected Areas by 2030. Our Blue Belt programme will protect marine habitats and species in 4million km<sup>2</sup> around the Overseas Territories by 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 27/03/2019 16:16:00 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1078625

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to prevent loss of biodiversity in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
	tabling member printed	Bill Wiggin
	uin	226587
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2019 answer text <p>Domestic biodiversity policy is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only, except in relation to our plans internationally.</p><p> </p><p>Our 25 Year Environment Plan sets out over 200 actions to enhance the environment and has long-term goals for recovering nature.</p><p> </p><p>We are developing a new environmental land management system that will reward farmers and land managers for delivering environmental outcomes such as protection of habitats, which will support our biodiversity goals.</p><p> </p><p>At sea, we are expanding our protected areas. Last summer we consulted on an ambitious third tranche of 41 Marine Conservation Zones. Sites to be designated in this tranche will be announced and in place by 7 June.</p><p> </p><p>The ongoing declines in nature are a global problem that need a global solution. That is why the UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing a global post-2020 framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity that is ambitious and transformational. Our Darwin Initiative supports global action, awarding £10.6 million to projects in 2018, for example sustaining snow leopard conservation in Nepal. Defra’s contribution to Darwin Plus, our main funding source for UK Overseas Territories’ biodiversity, has totalled nearly £6million over the last three years. We continue to support activities to end poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, including introducing a ban on ivory sales which is the toughest in Europe and one of the strongest in the world.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 08/03/2019 14:43:56 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1077291

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2019 to Question 216362 on Biodiversity, how much funding his Department has allocated to each organisation in relation to reducing biodiversity loss in each year since 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	225567
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not allocate funding specifically for reducing biodiversity loss. Funding is allocated to Defra non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and executive agencies in order to support their functions including biodiversity conservation. It is for those bodies to allocate resources to programmes aimed at tackling biodiversity loss.</p><p> </p><p>Funding allocated to NDPBs and executive agencies is only a small proportion of the Government funding for biodiversity. For example, funding for agri-environment and forestry agreements, and for marine biodiversity also address biodiversity conservation.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 28/02/2019 10:07:07 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1077295

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what legislative proposals his Department plans to bring forward to address the decline in biodiversity.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	225571
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2019 answer text <p>We are taking action through our widely welcomed Ivory Act to support the conservation of elephants. We will launch a call for evidence in the coming months on extending the ban on UK ivory sales to other ivory-bearing species.</p><p>Our forthcoming Environment Bill will include ambitious legislative measures to take direct action to restore and enhance nature. Subject to consultation, we will legislate on biodiversity net gain to ensure that new developments have a positive effect on the environment. We will also consider proposals for conservation covenants. In terms of trees, we will take action to stop illegal deforestation and deliver on our manifesto commitment to ensure councils consult if they are removing street trees. This will give the public a greater say in street tree management.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 04/03/2019 15:43:58 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1054567

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to slow biodiversity loss in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	216362
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.</p><p> </p><p>In England we are investing in our protected sites, in the restoration and creation of wildlife-rich habitats and in species recovery.</p><p> </p><p>At sea, we are expanding our protected areas. Twelve Special Protection Areas have been designated since 2017, with more under consideration. Last summer we consulted on an ambitious third tranche of 41 Marine Conservation Zones, to be designated later this year.</p><p> </p><p>On land, around 94% of our protected sites, covering over 1 million hectares, are now in good condition or have management in place to restore their condition. We have established management to create approximately 130,000 hectares of additional wildlife-rich habitat since the publication of <em>Biodiversity 2020 </em>in 2011.</p><p> </p><p>In the last two years we have announced new funding for peatland restoration and tree planting. In April 2018, £10 million of funding for peatland restoration was allocated to four large-scale peatland restoration projects in England. Additionally, in the 2018 Budget, the Chancellor announced £60 million for new woodland creation through the Woodland Carbon Guarantee and Urban Trees Challenge Fund.</p><p> </p><p>Our agencies are working on a range of species recovery projects with landowning and conservation partners, for example on freshwater pearl mussel, short-haired bumblebee and stone curlew. We also protect a wide variety of our most threatened native species through the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulation 2017. These laws make it an offence to intentionally kill, injure or capture listed species, as well as damage or destroy breeding sites.</p><p> </p><p>Our 25 Year Environment Plan steps up our ambition further, setting long-term goals for recovering nature and setting out over two hundred actions to enhance the environment.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 07/02/2019 10:57:31 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1045942

	registered interest
	date	22/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Biodiversity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by what date his Department plans to publish the UK's sixth national report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	211141
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2019 answer text <p>The UK’s sixth national report will set out the UK’s progress towards the goals and targets set out in the global strategic plan for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). A draft report has been prepared and is in the final stages of internal review prior to submission and publication. We aim to submit to the CBD in the first quarter of this year.</p><p> </p><p>The UK is committed to being the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it and we are committed to leading action globally on halting the loss of biodiversity, including under the Convention on Biological Diversity.</p><p> </p><p>We have undertaken consultation and review by specialists in the Government, NGO and academic sector to ensure the report is based on best available evidence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey grouped question UIN 211219 question first answered 28/01/2019 17:21:46 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas