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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to establish a network of wildflower paths to help reverse the decline in the UK bee population.

The National Pollinator Strategy already includes commitments to improve, extend and connect pollinator habitats. For example, in 2015 we introduced a Pollinator and Wildlife Package to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme to provide a suite of habitats on farmland. Since 2011, management has been established on approximately 130,000 hectares of land to create new wildlife-rich habitat, principally through agri-environment schemes.

The 25 Year Environment Plan reaffirms the Government’s commitment to expanding and connecting wildlife habitats through a Nature Recovery Network, which will drive how we deliver action for bees and other wildlife in the future.

Mapping and high quality spatial information on the location and quality of existing habitats will be key to this. On 25 October, the Secretary of State announced new funding to develop and test pollinator habitat mapping and to help voluntary bodies and land managers to create pollinator-friendly landscapes.