(Heywood and Middleton)
(Lab): What recent steps he has taken to tackle species
decline.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dr Thérèse Coffey):
We have undertaken activities to improve biodiversity through
nature conservation sites, where we are looking to restore and
create wildlife-rich habitats and support species recovery.
Internationally, we have various programmes to tackle species
decline in our overseas territories, particularly supported by
the Darwin Initiative, and last year we introduced what is
effectively one of the toughest bans in the world on the sale of
ivory, which we believe will do a lot to preserve species such as
elephants and rhinoceroses.
: I thank the Minister
for that answer, and I am sure she is as concerned as I am about
the recent report on the decline in insect species. What action
is being taken to address the increasing fragmentation of our
landscape, which means that pollinator species are left isolated
and unable to move between areas?
Dr Coffey: I think it fair to say that the
wildlife corridors we are seeking to extend—some projects, future
environmental management pilots, are already under way—give us
cause for hope. We have taken effective action —for example, with
the restrictions on the neonicotinoids. We need to follow the
science and the evidence, and do what it takes to keep
pollinators alive and buzzing.
