Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, in accordance with the commitment of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference Canada in 2022, before COP 16 starts in Colombia on 21 October.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The four nations of the UK and the relevant UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies worked together to submit our “National Targets” on the 1st of August, committing us to meeting all 23 of the Global Biodiversity Framework targets at home. This means that our ambitious commitments to nature will be fully reflected in the global review being conducted at COP16. The UK National Targets are underpinned by a robust set of specific commitments and policies at UK and national level to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. These will be updated as new and revised policies are introduced. But it is clear there remains much more to be done for nature’s recovery. We will publish the full UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in due course, detailing further delivery plans and future ambitions.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to meet international obligations for nature conservation, including the Ramsar Convention, the Bern Convention and the EU Birds and Habitats Directives.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK meets its obligations under the Bern Convention as well as the EU Birds and Habitats Directives through the implementation of the Conservation of Species and Habitats Regulations (2017) and the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). The UK is also an active member of the Ramsar Convention on wetlands and protects 176 Ramsar sites, more than any other country. We are playing a proactive role in preparations for the Ramsar COP15, taking place in Zimbabwe next July. The UK Government also meets our international obligations through proactive participation in other multilateral environmental agreements, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the Convention on Migratory Species.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the theme of the forthcoming Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) being designated “Peace with Nature” by the government of Colombia, and in particular of the link between environmental breakdown and conflict internationally; and what are their objectives for COP16 regarding the relationship between humanity and nature to ensure greater global peace.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is a clear link between climate change, nature loss, peace and security. Environmental degradation in all its forms presents an unprecedented challenge for the security of people, states and the international community. It exacerbates resource competition, food and water insecurity, displacement of people, the risk of conflict, and humanitarian and economic crises, while eroding resilience and reducing capacity to respond.
The Government is working closely with Colombia and international partners to build global ambition on nature and to ensure a successful Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP16 under the official theme of ‘Peace with Nature’. We are committed to promoting coordinated global action to tackle the climate and nature crises and support peace and security, including through raising international awareness of the linkages and the critical importance of halting and reversing nature loss.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their priorities are for the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in Colombia in October.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government remains committed to halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. COP16, in Cali, Colombia, will be the first opportunity to review our collective global progress against the goals and targets of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity framework agreed at COP15. Our priorities include operationalising the mechanism for sharing benefits derived from Digital genetic Sequence Information (DSI), championing an integrated approach to nature and climate as we head from COP16 to COP30 in Brazil, generating more finance for nature, and ensuring increased action is taken globally to achieve the targets agreed under the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial assistance they are providing to support projects undertaken by faith groups and others to support ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration internationally.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
His Majesty's Government provides grants to a wide range of stakeholders, including those motivated by faith, to conserve and restore ecosystems internationally. For example, Defra has provided funding to faith-based organisations in Madagascar to enable rural Malagasy to raise their incomes, restore tree cover and conserve ecosystems through agroforestry.