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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on implementing the agreed action from the London Summit on International Wildlife.

Defra is working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, the Home Office and other parts of Government to ensure the UK is playing a major role in helping to tackle the scourge of the illegal wildlife trade and in implementing the commitments made at the London Conference. Actions are taking place in four main areas: eradicating the market for illegal wildlife products; ensuring effective legal frameworks and deterrents; strengthening law enforcement; and supporting sustainable livelihoods and economic development. In particular, Defra is:

• continuing to work with our international partners in governments and international organisations to ensure that the illegal wildlife trade has the high level political attention it deserves in all relevant international fora, including at the United Nations Environment Assembly in June and during the UN General Assembly taking place in New York;

• delivering £10 million of funding (over this and next three financial years) to support implementation of London Declaration commitments. Support for five Illegal Wildlife Trade projects submitted under the Darwin Initiative was announced in March with a total value of £1.3 million. Further projects will be supported through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, on which we expect to announce successful projects later in the autumn;

• supporting the Elephant Protection Initiative (launched at the London Conference by five African states) with a commitment to match the first tranche of private funding amounting to around £1 million;

• playing a leading role in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Following the July meeting of the CITES Standing Committee in Geneva, the UK has remained in the chair of the Rhino Working Group, which develops recommendations to hold the international community to account for delivery on its commitments;

• planning to commission new research into the international impacts of the illegal wildlife trade and on reducing consumer demand in Asia. We will co-ordinate closely with the key international organisations actively involved in the issue; and

• providing logistical and organisational support to the Government of Botswana. This includes providing the Secretariat for a Senior Officials Group, comprising representatives from countries and international organisations, to help ensure the success of the follow-on conference. The UK will also be making a financial contribution to the costs of the Conference.