Biodiversity

(asked on 27th January 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 steps her Department is taking to protect biodiversity in (a) Surrey and (b) the UK.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 3rd February 2020

This is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only.

The Government has strong protections in place for biodiversity on land and at sea. In England, over 1.09 million hectares of land is designated and strictly protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). There are 62 SSSIs in Surrey such as Chobham Common, one of the largest heathlands in the Thames Basin area.

We are expanding our protected areas at sea. An ambitious third tranche of 41 Marine Conservation Zones were designated in May 2019.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulation 2017 apply across England. These laws make it an offence to intentionally kill, injure or capture listed species, as well as damage or destroy breeding sites.

This Government is also investing in improving habitats and recovering species. We are spending £2.9 billion on agri-environment schemes in England through our 7 year Rural Development Programme. We are additionally investing in woodland expansion and peatland restoration, to help mitigate climate change and halt biodiversity loss.

Our statutory nature conservation advisers, Natural England, work with a range of conservation organisations and landowners on species recovery projects, for example through the Back from the Brink programme. This is funded primarily by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and aims to put over 100 species on the road to recovery by 2020. In Surrey, at Farnham Heath, this work includes re-introduction and recovery of the rare Field Cricket – a specialist of heathland habitats which are a particular feature of Surrey’s biodiversity.

This Government is determined to continue to work to protect and enhance biodiversity. We are developing a new Environmental Land Management scheme, which will reward farmers and land managers for delivering environment outcomes such as protection of habitats which will support our biodiversity goals. We will be introducing the first Environment Bill in over 20 years. This will seek to mandate biodiversity net gain in development and will include ambitious legislative measures to address the biggest environmental priorities of our age including nature recovery.

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