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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what incentives are available to support rewilding projects that aim to (a) reduce flood risk, (b) mitigate extreme weather impacts, and (c) address soil erosion and agricultural runoff into rivers.

The Government supports rewilding principles that prioritise natural processes and reduce intervention, leading to larger, better-connected habitats, with benefits for flood mitigation and water quality.

These principles are reflected in nature-based solutions such as natural flood management. We have committed to invest £300 million in natural flood management by 2036.

Defra has also set out a new approach to beavers, including a licensing scheme for wild release, recognising their role in slowing and storing water.

We are supporting farmers to address soil erosion and agricultural run‑off, including through Environmental Land Management schemes which support farmers to work with natural processes.