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 support wildlife conservation sites in the West Midlands.

Defra published its updated protected sites Environment Act target delivery plan on the 16 July here to support the improvement of protected sites across the country, including the West Midlands.

Natural England (NE) monitors protected sites to ensure these are managed appropriately and advises land managers on suitable funding schemes to improve site condition.

NE maintains mapping systems and datasets such SSSI Impact Risk Zones to help local authorities and developers avoid harm to sites and target conservation efforts.

Biodiversity Net Gain supports wildlife sites by ensuring that new developments leave biodiversity in a better state than before.