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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether any department monitors loss of wild plant, insect and animal life, such as butterflies, and if so, who; and what steps they have taken to ensure maintenance of biodiversity.

Defra uses a number of indicators to track changes in the abundance and distribution of species. A summary of these indicators is available in the England Biodiversity Indicators publication available at GOV.UK. The indicators include data from a number of different species monitoring schemes, which are carried out by a range of organisations including Defra and its arm’s length bodies, research institutes, non-governmental organisations and private individuals (often as part of citizen science initiatives)

In England we have set four legally binding targets for biodiversity:

- By 2030: to half the decline in species abundance

- By 2042: to reverse declines; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat.

These targets will drive actions to support biodiversity in Hertfordshire and every other county across England. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published on 31 January 2023. The EIP23 revises the 25-Year Environment Plan as part of our obligations under the Environment Act. Included, we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature.

Progress towards the species abundance targets will be measured using an indicator that tracks changes in the relative abundance of widespread and priority species that are characteristic of different broad habitats in England. The indicator will include abundance data for 1,195 species, including mammals, birds, fish, plants, butterflies, moths, and other invertebrates.