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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has identified any endangered animals in the London Borough of Havering; and what steps his Department is taking to protect endangered species in (a) that borough and (b) other urban areas.

The Government has not carried out an assessment of biodiversity specific to the London Borough of Havering.

Natural England (NE) is working with partners and private landowners across Greater London to promote nature recovery. This includes, for example, work with the London Borough of Havering and RSPB, to ensure there is positive management of biodiversity across the Borough including the six main Nature Reserves: Cranham Brickfields; Cranham Marsh; Ingrebourne Valley; Rainham Marsh Nature Reserve; The Chase; and The Manor nature reserve. NE also continues to work with partners across Havering to recover biodiversity through five agri-environment schemes which will support the protection and management of woodland, fen, wetlands, ditch networks and grassland in the Borough, as well as the management of the three Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

This Government is committed to halting the decline in species abundance by 2030, through a world-leading legally binding target under the Environment Act. We will shortly be publishing a Green Paper to look at how we can drive the delivery of that target, including through our sites and species protections. Other actions under the Environment Act are likely to support species recovery, such as biodiversity net gain for development including Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and the development of Local Nature Recovery Strategies, which will help to identify and drive local actions to protect and recover species.