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1129024

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Forests: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken since signing the Amsterdam Declaration in 2015 to eliminate deforestation from agricultural commodity chains.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol East
	tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
	uin	259091
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government’s 25-Year Environment Action Plan outlines our ambition to reduce deforestation caused by the UK’s imports of agricultural commodities and has established an industry-led Task Force to advise Government on how to achieve that goal.</p><p> </p><p>Internationally, the UK has been an active member the Amsterdam Declarations Partnership, providing funding to support analysis and coordination. Through our bilateral programme, we have developed the Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use programme, which runs from 2015-2023, with current committed funding of £113 million from DFID and BEIS. It was designed to accelerate progress on delivery of the Amsterdam Declaration commitments, and operates in Southeast Asia, East Africa, West and Central Africa (with DFID support), and in Latin America (with BEIS assistance). The programme is pioneering new approaches which both promote economic growth and livelihoods and protect forests. It currently has a portfolio of public-private partnerships that aim to bring up to 1.4 million hectares of land under sustainable management and mobilise up to £350m of private investment.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 11/06/2019 16:47:24 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1344700

	registered interest
	date	07/07/2021
	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	Forests: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government's recent announcement on the COP26 initiative to protect the world’s forests, what steps he has taken to strengthen measures to protect forests in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	29113
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2021 answer text <p>We are committed to increasing tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this parliament. We published our ambitious England Trees Action Plan on 18 May which sets out our plans to at least treble tree planting rates in England in support of this, using more than £500m from the Nature for Climate Fund.</p><p> </p><p>The irreplaceable nature of ancient and long-established woodlands is recognised in our 25 Year Environment Plan. We therefore strengthened the protection of ancient and veteran trees in 2018 through the National Planning Policy Framework and guidance to planners. These outline that developments should be refused if they would lead to the loss and deterioration of ancient and veteran trees unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and suitable compensation measures.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will also introduce a new category of ‘Long Established Woodland’, which are woodlands that have been in situ since 1840, alongside ancient woodland. We will consult on the protections these woodlands are afforded in the planning system, recognising their high ecological and societal value.</p><p> </p><p>We will also continue to lead efforts to build resilience to protect and enhance our trees, woods, and forests for the future, implementing the four environmental goals of the Tree Health Resilience Strategy: Extent, Connectivity, Diversity, and Condition. This includes launching a new Centre for Forest Protection which will help protect our trees, woodlands, and forests from the threats from pests and pathogens through the provision of better evidence.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 16/07/2021 13:18:16 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1365338

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2021
	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	Forests: Conservation
	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 recent steps he has taken to stop deforestation.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
	uin	68443
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2021 answer text <p>The UK continues to take a leading role working with global partners to halt and reverse deforestation. At COP26, the UK led the way on securing agreement from 128 world leaders to work together to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030 under the Glasgow Leader's Declaration on Forests and Land Use. Signatory countries account for almost 90% of the world’s forests, including first-time commitments from Brazil and China.</p><p> </p><p>Unlocking finance is a crucial element in delivering shared global objectives for preventing deforestation. This is why Defra, along with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), has secured strong financial commitments at COP26 from partner states and philanthropic organisations in the fight against deforestation. This total includes a commitment of $12 billion from 12 countries for a new Global Forest Finance Pledge for the protection, restoration and sustainable management of forests; $7.2 billion of private sector funding was mobilised for protecting forests and nature and CEOs from more than 30 financial institutions representing $8.7 trillion of global assets committed to eliminate investment in activities linked to agricultural commodity-driven deforestation.</p><p> </p><p>Defra supports several programmes which protect and restore diverse types of forests. This includes the 'Blue Forests' project in Madagascar and Indonesia, which has protected and restored over 180,000 hectares of mangrove forests and avoided 487 hectares of deforestation to date; and an investment of over £62 million to promote sustainable agriculture in Brazil, through low carbon technology, agroforestry and recovery of degraded lands with forests or pastures.</p><p> </p><p>Defra and BEIS established the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade Dialogue at COP26, where we are working with other producer and consumer governments to develop a joint approach to protect forests and other ecosystems while promoting sustainable development and trade.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Government has doubled its international climate finance to £11.6 billion for the period from 2021-26, of which at least £3 billion will be spent on nature and nature-based solutions, including protecting and restoring forests.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has introduced due diligence legislation through the Environment Act to tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. This law will help us ensure there is no place on our supermarket shelves for commodities that have been grown on land that is illegally owned or used, and to support other countries to strengthen and enforce their forest protection measures. To maintain pace, we plan to launch a consultation to further inform the design of the law in late 2021. This is one part of a wider package of measures to improve the sustainability of our supply chains and will contribute to global efforts to protect forests and other ecosystems.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 10/11/2021 15:44:58 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1415915

	registered interest
	date	24/01/2022
	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	Forests: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to protect and restore Britain’s temperate rainforests.
	tabling member constituency	Totnes
	tabling member printed	Anthony Mangnall
	uin	110592
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2022 answer text <p>This government recognises the importance of trees and woodlands, and has ambitious targets to treble tree planting in England as part of a UK wide commitment to establish 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this Parliament. This sits alongside our work to protect existing woodland, particularly ancient woodland. The England Trees Action Plan will help to deliver this by seeing an unprecedented number of trees planted, protected and managed to deliver more for society, nature, the climate and the economy.</p><p>The international importance of temperate rainforests (also termed Atlantic woodland) in supporting rare and threatened species has been recognised in domestic biodiversity policy for many decades. Many temperate rainforests are protected by existing policy. Many are ancient woodlands, which are protected from development in all but wholly exceptional circumstances; we have committed in the England Trees Action Plan to increase protections in the planning system for long established woodland in situ since 1840. Many of our temperate rainforests support rich assemblages of species and are in our series of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. SSSI selection guidelines for woodlands are focussed on securing a representative series rather than protecting every example.</p><p>This government has made a world-leading commitment to halt the decline in nature by 2030, which will rely on the restoration and creation of habitats across the country. This will be supported by funding from the Nature for Climate Fund, future farming schemes including Landscape Recovery, and new funds such as the Big Nature Impact Fund. We will consider, while designing and rolling out these schemes, how they might support the protection and restoration of certain types of woodlands including ‘temperate rainforest’. We also provide financial support the buffering and expansion of valuable woodlands such as temperate rainforests through the England Woodland Creation Offer, and funding for the improvement and restoration of temperate rainforest sites through the Regional Restoration Funds.</p><p>Forestry policy is devolved, so the protection and restoration of temperate rainforests outside England is a matter for the devolved authorities.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 08/02/2022 14:31:35 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4762 label Biography information for Anthony Mangnall

1415916

	registered interest
	date	24/01/2022
	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	Forests: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of his Department’s £30 million Big Nature Impact Fund will be allocated to protecting and restoring Britain’s temperate rainforests.
	tabling member constituency	Totnes
	tabling member printed	Anthony Mangnall
	uin	110593
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2022 answer text <p>We are working to design a new Big Nature Impact Fund, which aims to develop environmental markets by investing in projects capable of generating revenue from ecosystem services.</p><p>The Fund should focus investments on the creation or restoration of carbon-rich biodiverse habitats, primarily native woodlands and restored peatlands. This could also fund projects which support and expand England's temperate rainforests. This was set out in our procurement document:</p><p><a href="https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/1b46e6f5-c2ec-4d9b-8504-b77c4eb3f112" target="_blank">https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/1b46e6f5-c2ec-4d9b-8504-b77c4eb3f112</a></p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 01/02/2022 16:53:28 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	4762 label Biography information for Anthony Mangnall

1713178

	registered interest
	date	23/04/2024
	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	Forests: Conservation
	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 bring the majority of Plantation on Ancient Woodland Sites into restoration by 2030.
	tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
	tabling member printed	Mr Toby Perkins
	uin	23179
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The Keepers of Time policy, updated in 2021, sets out our principles and objectives to protect and improve ancient and native woodland and trees for future generations. Restoring ancient woodlands that are ecologically degraded is a high priority for the Government. This includes restoring plantations on ancient woodland sites by gradually transforming stands from non-native planted species to native species.</p><p> </p><p>We provide support and incentives through Countryside Stewardship and the HS2 Woodland Fund to restore plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS). We are currently considering how best to support and incentivise PAWS restoration in future environmental land management schemes while making sure they continue to provide owners with income. We support Forestry England to manage ancient woodland sites across the nation’s forests to improve their ecological value and ultimately restore all plantations on ancient woodland sites to resilient native woodland.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 29/04/2024 12:43:47 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
	tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

1145618

	registered interest
	date	24/09/2019
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Forests: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps his Department has taken to promote the objectives of the Amsterdam Declaration.
	tabling member constituency	West Ham
	tabling member printed	Lyn Brown
	uin	290304
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2019 answer text <p>​Ministers and our Embassy routinely engage with the Brazilian Government on many environmental issues, including sustainable commodities</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 30/09/2019 11:58:05 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
	tabling member	1583 label Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown

1486543

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2022
	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	Forests: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make its policy to introduce a Great British rainforests strategy.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Dr James Davies
	uin	31167
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2022 answer text <p>The international importance of temperate rainforests (also termed Atlantic woodland) in supporting rare and threatened species has been recognised in domestic biodiversity policy for many decades. Many temperate rainforests are protected by existing policy. Many are ancient woodlands, which are protected from development in all but wholly exceptional circumstances. We have also committed in the England Trees Action Plan to increase protections in the planning system for long established woodland in situ since 1840. Many of our temperate rainforests support rich assemblages of species and are in our series of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). SSSI selection guidelines for woodlands are focused on securing a representative series rather than protecting every example.</p><p> </p><p>This government has made a world-leading commitment to halt the decline in nature by 2030, which will rely on the restoration and creation of habitats across the country. This will be supported by funding from the Nature for Climate Fund, future farming schemes including Landscape Recovery, and new funds such as the Big Nature Impact Fund. We will consider, while designing and rolling out these schemes, how they might support the protection and restoration of certain types of woodlands including ‘temperate rainforest’. We also provide financial support to the buffering and expansion of valuable woodlands such as temperate rainforests through the England Woodland Creation Offer, and funding for the improvement and restoration of temperate rainforest sites through the Regional Restoration Funds.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently working on the revision of the 25 Year Environment Plan, the next Environmental Improvement Plan, due January 2023. This is the overarching strategy for the environment, as set out in the Environment Act, and where relevant we will consider the role of temperate rainforest in helping to meet our substantial environmental commitments.</p><p> </p><p>Forestry policy is devolved, so the protection and restoration of temperate rainforests outside England is a matter for the devolved authorities.</p> answering member constituency St Austell and Newquay answering member printed Steve Double question first answered 14/07/2022 16:32:27 answering member 4452 label Biography information for Steve Double
	tabling member	4476 label Biography information for Dr James Davies

1486544

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2022
	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	Forests: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the £30 million Big Nature Impact Fund his Department plans to use to protect and restore Britain’s temperate rainforests.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Dr James Davies
	uin	31168
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2022 answer text <p>The Government is working to design a new Big Nature Impact Fund, which we propose should focus investments on the creation or restoration of carbon-rich biodiverse habitats, primarily native woodlands and restored peatlands. This could include projects involving temperate rainforest should they apply. In line with the Fund's aims to develop environmental markets, investments will only be made in projects capable of generating revenue from ecosystem services.</p> answering member constituency St Austell and Newquay answering member printed Steve Double question first answered 13/07/2022 15:02:18 answering member 4452 label Biography information for Steve Double
	tabling member	4476 label Biography information for Dr James Davies

1486545

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2022
	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	Forests: Conservation
	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 his Department plans to include temperate rainforest restoration in its Landscape Recovery pilot projects.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Dr James Davies
	uin	31169
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2022 answer text <p>Landscape Recovery will provide funding for long-term, large-scale projects to enhance habitats and deliver land-use change with a focus on biodiversity, water quality and net zero. This could include projects that plan to restore woodland or temperate rainforest.</p><p> </p><p>Applications for the first round of Landscape Recovery pilots closed on 24 May. We are currently assessing the 51 bids received and will confirm which projects have been selected later this summer.</p><p> </p><p>We intend to launch a second round of pilot projects next year and will confirm the proposed focus for that round later this year.</p> answering member constituency St Austell and Newquay answering member printed Steve Double question first answered 13/07/2022 15:07:42 answering member 4452 label Biography information for Steve Double
	tabling member	4476 label Biography information for Dr James Davies