Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle the decline in native wild birds in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) the British Isles.

We are committed to delivering our statutory biodiversity targets which will support the recovery and conservation of native wild birds.

At a local level, Defra has supported Somerset Council in preparing its Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which also covers the Yeovil constituency. Publication is expected shortly. The strategy will set out priorities for nature recovery and map specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will benefit many species including native wild birds.

Nationally, government action to restore and create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042, alongside projects funded through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme, will further support the conservation and recovery of a wide range of bird species. Within the farmland environment, Environmental Land Management schemes include actions that provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat for a range of bird species.

In addition, to support delivery of our statutory species targets, Defra is developing a detailed Threatened Bird Recovery Plan. This plan aims to improve coordination, and drive the effective delivery, of actions to recover our most threatened bird species.