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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect and conserve all forms of wild flora and fauna in the United Kingdom and the Overseas Territories, including rare and endangered species.

The UK is committed to protecting wildlife in accordance with the EU Habitats and Birds Directives through domestic legislation and the designation of Special Sites of Scientific Interest, Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation.

Biodiversity is a devolved matter. In England, we will take forward our manifesto commitment to produce a 25 year strategy for the environment, which will include biodiversity. Over the next five years we will be investing more than £3 billion in environmental outcomes as part of the Rural Development Programme for England (2014-2020). This funding will enhance England’s countryside, enabling us, among other things, to clean up our rivers and lakes, protect drystone walls and hedges, and help birds, bees and other species to thrive.

Biodiversity is one of the main objectives in the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme, to be funded under the Rural Development Programme. The Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package options within the scheme will be of particular benefit to wild pollinators, farmland birds and other species.

We will ensure that our public forests and woodland are kept in trust for the nation and plant another 11 million trees.

Since 2010, we have created over 67,000 hectares of priority habitats such as arable field margins, wetlands and woodlands. We have also maintained over 95% of our Sites of Special Scientific Interest – our most important sites for wildlife – in favourable or recovering condition and put in place Marine Conservation Zones to supplement the stretches of our sea that are already marine protected areas.

UK Overseas Territory (OT) Governments are constitutionally responsible for the protection and conservation of their natural environments. The UK Government cherishes the environmental assets of the OTs and we work in partnership with OT Governments to identify where our support can be most effective, including through access to expertise, technical advice and training and through the Overseas Territory Environment and Climate Fund (Darwin Plus).

Through Darwin Plus, the UK Government has committed approximately £5.2 million since 2012 to help protect the natural environment in the OTs. Projects currently being funded range from conserving four keystone tree species in St Helena, to an assessment of the conservation status of the endangered Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross on Tristan da Cunha.

Joint UK Government and South Atlantic OTs funding also supports a co-ordinating post based in the Falkland Islands to help meet obligations arising from the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels and to assist with the planning and implementation of albatross and petrel conservation work.