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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, how many activities have been started under the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund as at 14 of October 2021.

The Biodiverse Landscapes Fund is still in development and so there have been no funded activities as of 14^th October 2021. Procurement of a Fund Manager, whose duties will include administration of the Fund globally, is underway. For the single-country landscape, Madagascar, a grant competition has been conducted and funded activities are expected to start before the end of the year. For the five transboundary landscapes, programming is being finalised with open grant competitions due to be launched in early 2022 and funded activities expected to start by late Summer 2022. Recruitment of a member of in-country staff to work in each transboundary landscape has been undertaken.