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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of stewardship payments in delivering measurable biodiversity outcomes on upland commons.

Stewardship payments through Environmental and Countryside Stewardship help support restoration of nature and ensure habitats are resilient including on upland commons. Through the recently published Environmental Improvement Plan, the Government is committed to improving these sites with a target that by December 2030 50% of Sites of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) features have actions on track to achieve favourable condition.

Defra’s Agri-Environment Evidence Programme conducts research that improves our schemes with targeted projects to explore Agri-environment scheme (AES) impacts over an ecologically meaningful timescale. One recent study of AES impact on SSSI upland dwarf heath sites identified that two primary factors affecting condition are burning frequency and stock management. AES are crucial to supporting farmers and land managers in taking action to improve the condition of SSSIs, such as addressing water pollution, changing grazing regimes and tackling invasive species.