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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the International Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Evidence FY19-21 Grant.

This grant contributed towards the Gough Island Restoration Programme that aimed to eradicate mice and save critically endangered seabirds from extinction. Unfortunately, mice have since been found present on the island despite efforts to eradicate the species. Although the eradication attempt was not successful, in the short-term the programme did lead to significantly higher levels of seabird breeding success: the Critically Endangered MacGillivray’s Prions had a breeding success of 82% in 2021/22 and 62.9% in 2022/23 compared to an average of 6% from 2014-2020.

An independent review commissioned in October 2022 by the RSPB, as project leads, has concluded that multiple factors led to the continuing survival of mice on Gough Island. Factors included competition from invertebrates for bait, and the hypothesis that some mice are now accustomed to a more protein rich diet and thus did not eat sufficient bait. The review process is ongoing.