Hedgehogs: Conservation

(asked on 11th January 2024) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to support the conservation of the hedgehog population in (a) general and (b) Romford constituency.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 22nd January 2024

The Government is committed to taking further action to recover threatened native species. In England, we have set four legally binding targets: 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 to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan.

The Environment Act 2021 introduced several policies, such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities, which will work together to support the creation and restoration of habitat to benefit native species such as hedgehogs.

Environmental land management schemes will also provide farmers, foresters and other land managers with financial support for a wide range of measures which will deliver positive benefits for native species. Sustainable Farming Incentives and the Countryside Stewardship grant provide financial support in return for delivering environmental benefits. This could include creating, restoring and maintaining hedgerows which are an important habitat for hedgehogs.

We have no records of any actions for this species specific to the Romford area.

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