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

To ask His Majesty's Government how the modelling of species distributions and the impact of changes to habitats and conditions will be validated in the development of environmental delivery plans; and how long they expect the validation of those models for each species to take.

Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), developed under the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), will be based on the best available scientific evidence to ensure that the overall improvement test is met.

Natural England must also undertake sufficient monitoring once an EDP is in place to assure the effectiveness of conservation measures. Amendments tabled in the name of my Rt Hon friend Baroness Taylor of Stevenage OBE will require that each EDP must include the anticipated sequencing of conservation actions in relation to development, and back-up measures must be deployed if monitoring shows the plan is underperforming.

The Government recognises that EDPs will not be appropriate or necessary for every protected species, and EDPs will be introduced over time as the evidence permits. We expect it to be faster to develop EDPs in areas with well-established and tested strategic solutions, such as District Level Licensing for Great Crested Newts.