Zoos: Nature Conservation

(asked on 17th November 2020) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional support for zoos and aquaria to allow them to continue their involvement in conservation projects in the UK and abroad during the covid-19 pandemic.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 23rd November 2020

Following on from the success of the first round of the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, the Government has now confirmed that it will be doubling the size of the fund by making an additional £40 million available. This will bring the total to £80 million. This extra money will be used in a second round, to be launched in early 2021. The Green Recovery Challenge Fund will kick-start a pipeline of nature-based projects to restore nature, tackle climate change and connect people with the natural environment. In round 1 a number of eligible bids were received from zoos and aquaria for conservation projects outside their core business.

The Government has also provided a package to support businesses, including zoos, through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19. Zoos are eligible to apply for a range of support schemes including the Furlough Scheme, VAT deferral, Business Rates Relief, the Business Interruption Loan and the option to reclaim the costs of Statutory Sick Pay.

In addition to the full range of financial support available to all businesses and employers, we have established an extra £100 million support fund for zoos facing severe financial difficulty, and the deadline for applications from this fund has now been extended to 29 January. The fund provides support up until March 2021.

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