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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect the (a) populations and (b) habitats of (i) hedgehogs, (ii) red squirrels and (iii) rare species of wildlife in the UK.

The Government remains committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species, that is why we have set four legally binding targets to drive and measure improvements in nature recovery in England. These targets are: to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; then to reverse declines by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042; and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042. We have set out our plan and policies to deliver against our species biodiversity targets in the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published 31 January 2023. The EIP23 revises the 25-Year Environment Plan as part of our obligations under the Environment Act.

Measures introduced in the Environment Act such as biodiversity net gain and Local Nature Recovery Strategies will help deliver actions to recover species such as the hedgehog. Additionally, our new environmental land management schemes will pay for sustainable farming practices, creating and preserving habitat such as such as woodland, heathland and species-rich grassland, as well as making landscape-scale environmental changes, all of which could benefit species such as hedgehog.

Defra, Natural England and the Forestry Commission are signatories to the United Kingdom Squirrel Accord. This partnership, of over 40 organisations seeks, to secure and expand red squirrel populations through the delivery of actions set out in the England Red Squirrel Action Plan. Additionally, Defra has provided £300k, to support research and development of fertility control methods to reduce numbers of grey squirrels and impacts on red squirrels, tree health and forestry. Work to reduce grey squirrel impacts will be supported by Defra’s commitment in the EIP to update the 2014 Grey Squirrel Action Plan, detailing commitments to support landowners to manage the numbers of grey squirrels.