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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much (a) has already been allocated from the UK Biodiverse Landscapes Fund 2021-26 and (b) he plans to allocate from that fund in each year; and what his timetable is for opening applications for that funding.

Defra’s £100m Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, announced by the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly in September 2019, is an ambitious programme that will deliver poverty reduction, conservation and climate outcomes across six biologically diverse, transboundary landscapes worldwide. This financial year the level of spend is small as this is a preparatory stage with work continuing on the design and mobilisation of the Fund, including through a programme scoping exercise and the procurement of key contractors to support the management of the Fund. Allocation in the following financial years will be largely determined by the programme scoping exercise and the selection process for funding applications. Bids will be invited from prospective delivery partners through an open, competitive process, which will commence early in 2022.