Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2024 to Question 18175 on Nature Conservation: Finance, if he will publish a detailed breakdown of how the budget for climate change interventions that protect and restore nature and biodiversity was spent in the (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 financial years.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Later this year we will publish a detailed breakdown of all International Climate Programme spend, including those that protect and restore nature and biodiversity, through the UK's first Biennial Transparency Report under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This will cover calendar years 2021 and 2022. Future years spending will be published in future Biennial Transparency Reports.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the peregrine falcon population in England of the theft of peregrine falcon eggs for sale of chicks to the Middle East.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra has not made any assessment of the impact of peregrine falcon egg theft on the peregrine population.
The Government does, however, take all wildlife crime seriously, including the theft of wild bird eggs, which is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
In 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three-year period of 2022-25 to target wildlife crime priorities, in particular crimes against birds of prey, which is a national wildlife crime priority.
Defra supports the work of the Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group, and that of the CITES Priority Delivery Groups, which bring together police, government and stakeholders from conservation organisations to tackle this type of persecution. In addition, we are providing funding to Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) to develop DNA forensic analysis for the police and other organisations investigating crimes against peregrine falcons.
Additionally, the UK is an active member of the Intergovernmental Task Force on the Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT). The MIKT facilitates international cooperation to tackle bird crime, including the illegal persecution and taking of raptors.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that the visitor economy supports the maintenance and upkeep of heritage assets.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The visitor economy has a significant and positive impact on the support and maintenance of our heritage assets. In 2021, despite COVID-19 restrictions, there were over 119 million domestic day visits to heritage sites, 15 million domestic overnight heritage trips, and 2.74 million international visits to heritage sites, demonstrating that heritage is a major driver for both international and domestic tourism, and a key source of income for local people. Twenty-eight per cent of international visits include a castle or historic house, according to VisitBritain research.
The Tourism Recovery Plan, published in 2021, set out the Government's commitment to the enhancement and conservation of the country’s cultural heritage. Our investment in supporting the conservation of tourism assets included the £67 million in capital funding for maintenance and restoration projects for historic sites and destinations through the Heritage Stimulus Fund and National Lottery Heritage Fund Kickstarter funds. We have also established the Tourism Industry Council Working Group on Sustainability with the British Tourism Authority to drive forward this objective.
Following the Review into Destination Management Organisations, the new Local Visitor Economy Partnership accreditation programme will ensure that organisations work in collaboration locally, regionally, and nationally on shared priorities and targets. This includes marketing and promotion of local cultural heritage sites and destinations. There are now 30 newly accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnerships across England.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the (1) actual, and (2) projected, aid contributions to individual countries in South Asia, broken down by category of project.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not have a breakdown by project category of future spend. Programme allocations are continually reviewed to respond to changing global needs, including humanitarian crises, fluctuations in GNI and other ODA allocation decisions.
We do have information on project category spend for previous calendar years which is published in the statistics on international development. This data is based on calendar year not financial year and covers the whole of HMG. Please see below data based on 2022, the last available calendar year.
2022 | 2022 Total | ||||||||
Row Labels | Afghanistan | Bangladesh | Bhutan | India | Maldives | Nepal | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | |
Administrative costs (non-sector allocable) | £273,832 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £150,105 | £0 | £423,938 |
Advanced technical and managerial training | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£54,390 | £0 | -£2,535 | £0 | £0 | -£56,924 |
Agricultural development | £1,292,411 | £0 | £0 | £47,020 | £0 | £0 | -£1,361,746 | £0 | -£22,316 |
Agricultural policy and administrative management | £0 | £2,809 | £0 | -£152 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£253,566 | -£250,909 |
Agricultural research | £0 | £0 | £0 | £240,948 | £0 | £0 | £7,715 | £0 | £248,663 |
Agricultural services | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£2,274,286 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£2,274,286 |
Anti-corruption organisations and institutions | £2,518,313 | £576,402 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £175,805 | £144,143 | £0 | £3,414,663 |
Basic drinking water supply | £0 | £350,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £219,574 | £0 | £0 | £569,574 |
Basic drinking water supply and basic sanitation | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £639,497 | -£1,361,746 | £0 | -£722,250 |
Basic health care | £707,157 | £250,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £2,994,645 | £387,457 | £0 | £4,339,258 |
Basic life skills for adults | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £258,611 | £0 | £0 | £258,611 |
Basic nutrition | £0 | £712,997 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £14,770 | £0 | £0 | £727,767 |
Basic sanitation | £0 | £350,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £37,522 | -£2,723,493 | £0 | -£2,335,971 |
Biodiversity | £0 | £22,328 | £0 | £165,389 | £74,068 | £961,707 | £37,573 | £67,842 | £1,328,907 |
Business development services | £0 | £0 | £0 | £96,736 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £96,736 |
Business policy and administration | £0 | £0 | £0 | £565,783 | £0 | £0 | £437,513 | £0 | £1,003,296 |
Civilian peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution | £4,130,547 | £1,981,030 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £4,399 | £2,225,242 | £1,355,856 | £9,697,073 |
Communications policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £127,531 | £0 | £44,422 | £0 | £171,953 |
COVID-19 control | £0 | £23,407 | £0 | £802,602 | £0 | £0 | £5,949 | £0 | £831,958 |
Culture | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £61,341 | £0 | £61,341 |
Culture and recreation | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£22,408 | £0 | £0 | £85,158 | £0 | £62,750 |
Decentralisation and support to subnational government | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £138,288 | £2,475,959 | £0 | £0 | £2,614,248 |
Democratic participation and civil society | £250,000 | £1,394,795 | £0 | £0 | £57,419 | £973,571 | £443,327 | £0 | £3,119,111 |
Domestic revenue mobilisation | £0 | -£728,536 | £0 | £193,016 | £0 | £117,203 | £1,059,571 | £0 | £641,254 |
Education and training in water supply and sanitation | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £12,737 | £0 | £0 | £12,737 |
Education facilities and training | £0 | £115,830 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,464,741 | £0 | £1,580,571 |
Education policy and administrative management | £0 | £577,278 | £0 | £97,983 | £0 | £0 | £3,077,249 | £0 | £3,752,510 |
Educational research | £0 | £361,000 | £0 | -£266,036 | £0 | £188,423 | £594,639 | £0 | £878,026 |
Elections | £0 | £12,027 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £900 | £0 | £12,927 |
Electric mobility infrastructures | £0 | £0 | £0 | £70,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £70,000 |
Electric power transmission and distribution (centralised grids) | £0 | £0 | £0 | £68,700 | £0 | £173,312 | £0 | £0 | £242,012 |
Emergency food assistance | £128,041,086 | £8,635,594 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £136,676,679 |
Employment creation | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£255,005 | £0 | £0 | -£255,005 |
Ending violence against women and girls | £21,461,697 | £1,009,135 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £728,846 | £3,068,578 | £0 | £26,268,255 |
Energy generation, renewable sources - multiple technologies | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£889,376 | £0 | £1,200,806 | £0 | £0 | £311,430 |
Energy policy and administrative management | £0 | £50,553 | £0 | £158,146 | £0 | £368,287 | £0 | £0 | £576,985 |
Energy research | £0 | £0 | £0 | £23,688 | £0 | £147,098 | £0 | £0 | £170,786 |
Energy sector policy, planning and administration | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,479,122 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,479,122 |
Environmental education/training | £0 | £0 | £48,668 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £48,668 |
Environmental policy and administrative management | £635,676 | £6,904,699 | £0 | £24,064,426 | £0 | £4,380,855 | £5,812,804 | £0 | £41,798,459 |
Environmental research | £0 | £120,723 | £0 | £3,082,518 | £0 | £863,732 | £0 | £0 | £4,066,974 |
Facilitation of orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility | £0 | £102,902 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £234,377 | £0 | £0 | £337,279 |
Family planning | £265,080 | £565,862 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £102,500 | £3,660,244 | £0 | £4,593,686 |
Financial policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £507,690 | £0 | £0 | £301,387 | £0 | £809,077 |
Formal sector financial intermediaries | £0 | £0 | £0 | £49,665 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £49,665 |
Health education | £338,898 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £219,770 | £0 | £0 | £558,668 |
Health personnel development | £0 | £273,503 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £273,503 |
Health policy and administrative management | £0 | £1,760,392 | £0 | £3,122,660 | £0 | £2,298,530 | £343,452 | £0 | £7,525,034 |
Higher education | £911,301 | £649,203 | £172,288 | £2,693,479 | £214,955 | £434,329 | £1,992,063 | £395,690 | £7,463,308 |
Human rights | £0 | £1,775,384 | £0 | £0 | £183,646 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,959,030 |
Immediate post-emergency reconstruction and rehabilitation | £4,081,072 | £2,602,056 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,382,031 | £12 | £0 | £8,065,171 |
Industrial development | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £317,516 | £0 | £0 | £317,516 |
Industrial policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,102,394 | £0 | £0 | £1,102,394 |
Infectious disease control | £0 | £344,911 | £0 | £106,589 | £0 | £721,591 | £3,657 | £0 | £1,176,748 |
Informal/semi-formal financial intermediaries | £1,133,493 | £0 | £0 | £65,012 | £0 | £129,305 | £0 | £0 | £1,327,810 |
Information and communication technology (ICT) | £0 | £277,978 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £277,978 |
Legal and judicial development | £0 | £562,328 | £0 | £0 | £207,433 | £219,762 | £1,059,545 | £23,435 | £2,072,502 |
Legislatures and political parties | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £86,128 | £28,936 | £0 | £0 | £115,064 |
Livestock | £1,133,493 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,133,493 |
Low-cost housing | £0 | £0 | £0 | £7,590 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £7,590 |
Material relief assistance and services | £133,863,525 | £7,210,063 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £367,000 | £13,753,266 | £1,840,000 | £157,033,854 |
Media and free flow of information | £0 | £27,380 | £0 | £0 | £85,021 | £201,771 | £0 | £0 | £314,172 |
Medical research | £0 | £349,577 | £0 | £3,227,794 | £0 | £153,028 | £1,625,422 | £0 | £5,355,821 |
Medical services | £0 | £0 | £0 | £19,694 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £19,694 |
Monetary institutions | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£4,122,509 | £0 | £367,746 | £0 | £0 | -£3,754,763 |
Multi-hazard response preparedness | £0 | £3,119,353 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £2,296,059 | -£346,074 | £0 | £5,069,339 |
Multisector aid | £10,000,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £10,000,000 |
Multisector education/training | £179,070 | £2,964,257 | £0 | £10,757,244 | £0 | £1,082,590 | £5,089,541 | £1,148,813 | £21,221,516 |
Participation in international peacekeeping operations | -£26,486,939 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£26,486,939 |
Personnel development for population and reproductive health | £0 | £628,071 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £628,071 |
Population policy and administrative management | £0 | £63,206 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £49,325 | £159,552 | £0 | £272,083 |
Primary education | £677,795 | £1,749,487 | £0 | £96,754 | £0 | £0 | £1,368,615 | £0 | £3,892,652 |
Privatisation | £4,424 | £0 | £0 | £62,081 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £66,505 |
Public finance management (PFM) | £0 | -£4,128,373 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £820,701 | £1,854,023 | £0 | -£1,453,650 |
Public sector policy and administrative management | £34,999 | £576,042 | £0 | £859,780 | £0 | £789,046 | £91,270 | £0 | £2,351,137 |
Relief co-ordination and support services | £59,853,084 | £2,072,828 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £6,022,939 | £0 | £67,948,851 |
Removal of land mines and explosive remnants of war | £5,000,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £5,000,000 |
Reproductive health care | £1,369,857 | £1,435,386 | £0 | £52,362 | £0 | £490,359 | £1,851,776 | £0 | £5,199,740 |
Research/scientific institutions | £378,625 | £1,287,873 | -£72,577 | £740,328 | £0 | £1,049,080 | £908,916 | £2,760 | £4,295,005 |
Road transport | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£1,137,143 | £0 | £2,256,726 | £1,800 | £0 | £1,121,383 |
Rural development | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £202,165 | £0 | £0 | £202,165 |
Security system management and reform | £0 | £43,536 | £0 | £0 | £458,799 | £69,946 | £0 | £0 | £572,281 |
Site preservation | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development | £5,530 | £0 | £0 | £1,245,753 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,251,283 |
Social Protection | £0 | £1,351,346 | £0 | £39,879 | £0 | -£345,949 | £226,615 | £0 | £1,271,891 |
Solar energy for centralised grids | £0 | £0 | £0 | £117,792 | £0 | £648,694 | £0 | £0 | £766,486 |
Statistical capacity building | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £353,100 | £0 | £0 | £353,100 |
Teacher training | £0 | £508,061 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £663,698 | £0 | £1,171,759 |
Trade facilitation | £5,530 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £133,722 | £0 | £139,252 |
Trade policy and administrative management | £6,637 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £203,275 | £0 | £209,912 |
Transport policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £69,054 | £0 | £128,892 | £1,200 | £0 | £199,146 |
Tuberculosis control | £0 | £29,991 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £29,991 |
Upper Secondary Education (modified and includes data from 11322) | £338,898 | £897,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £985,293 | £0 | £2,221,190 |
Urban development | £0 | £0 | £0 | £542,146 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £542,146 |
Urban development and management | £0 | £1,050,000 | £0 | £78,000 | £0 | £695,269 | £781,523 | £0 | £2,604,792 |
Vocational training | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £646,527 | £0 | £0 | £646,527 |
Waste management/disposal | £0 | £0 | £0 | £14,424 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £14,424 |
Water resources conservation (including data collection) | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £219,574 | £0 | £0 | £219,574 |
Water sector policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £31,842 | £0 | £0 | £31,842 |
Water supply - large systems | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £737,655 | £0 | £0 | £737,655 |
Water supply and sanitation - large systems | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£1,137,143 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£1,137,143 |
Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions | £0 | £1,800,998 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £59,406 | £1,444,631 | £0 | £3,305,036 |
Grand Total | £352,405,092 | £54,672,670 | £148,379 | £45,728,404 | £1,633,288 | £37,241,408 | £57,842,803 | £4,580,830 | £554,252,874 |
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of risk to bird life in the British Antarctic Territory following the discovery of Avian Influenza on the continent; and whether the Government plans to take steps to mitigate that risk.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We receive regular reports from the British Antarctic Territory on the status of suspected avian influenza cases.
We provide support to the region and other British Overseas Territories proactively, to rapidly test for, track and monitor progression of disease spread and impact in Southern Oceans/Antarctica. This includes working with others to define risk.
National Antarctic programmes have protocols in place to manage and mitigate the spread of outbreaks and best practice on reporting and biosecurity standards is also shared through International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Commission for the Conservation Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that fishing rights and conservation efforts comply with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK and EU are required under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) to cooperate with a view to ensuring that fishing activities for shared stocks are environmentally sustainable in the long term and contribute to achieving economic and social benefits. The UK complies with the requirements of the TCA and ensures that all of the actions taken are in accordance with those requirements. This includes meeting on an annual basis to set the total allowable catch for shared stocks, based on the best available scientific advice, including advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas on maximum sustainable yield. The UK derives its annual quota based on shares agreed within the TCA. Since 2021, four sets of these annual consultations have been held with the EU under the TCA.
It is for the UK to decide which fisheries management measures are applicable in UK waters, and this is done in line with UK domestic obligations including those under the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement, having regard to the objectives and principles outlined in the TCA Article 494. The Specialised Committee on Fisheries, established under the TCA, has met seven times, and provides a joint forum for cooperation between the UK and EU on fisheries issues, helping ensure that conservation efforts comply with, and support the shared objectives of, the TCA.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ratify the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions; when they expect to be able to ratify the Agreement; and what discussions they have had with international partners to encourage other countries to ratify it.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Work is in hand on the legislation and other measures needed to translate the detailed and complex provisions of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement) into UK law before we can ratify the Agreement. Legislation will be taken forward when parliamentary time allows.
The UK continues to be proactive in supporting other, particularly developing, countries to implement and ratify the BBNJ Agreement. This includes contributing to the BBNJ Voluntary Trust Fund to enable participation by developing countries in UN discussions on preparatory work, and supporting the BBNJ Informal Dialogues, discussions that bring together participants from a wide range of countries online to discuss implementation. The UK also co-funded and organised a workshop for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to share best practice and support the implementation and ratification of the BBNJ Agreement in the Philippines in November 2023. The UK is supporting a Commonwealth Secretariat project to provide technical assistance on implementation and ratification to smaller Commonwealth countries.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Official Development Assistance has been spent on ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration and tree planting internationally in the last five years, and what proportion of Official Development Assistance is forecast to be spent in these areas in the next budget period.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Over the last five years (2018/19 - 2022/23) the UK spent £1,397 million of Official Development Assistance (ODA) on programmes that protected and restored nature, including £865 million specifically targeting forests. Between 2021/22 and 2025/26 the UK has pledged to spend at least £3 billion of our International Climate Finance (ICF) on restoring and protecting nature, including £1.5 billion on forests. Our latest results [UK International Climate Finance results 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)]show that between 2011 and 2023 UK ICF has avoided 413,000 hectares of ecosystem loss, and generated or protected ecosystem services valued at £5,302,000.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the amount of rosewood timber that is exported from West African countries such as Mali, The Gambia and Senegal; what steps they have taken to ban or control within UK markets the sale of products made from West African rosewood; and what steps they have taken to protect endangered wild species, including rosewood in West Africa.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is currently contributing funding towards a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) study on the conservation and trade in rosewood tree species but does yet not have an assessment of rosewood timber exports. We have robust mechanisms in place through the UK Timber Regulations (UKTR), which prohibit the placing of illegally harvested timber and timber products on the GB market and require operators - those first placing timber products on the market - to exercise due diligence. Those who trade in timber and timber products after they have been placed on the market are required to keep records of who they buy timber products from and any traders they sell them to. This enables timber and timber products to be traced.
The primary objective of the UKTR is to tackle illegal logging and to create a demand for legally harvested timber. Implementing the Regulations enables the protection of forests around the world, supporting the Government’s ambition to lead the world in environmental protection, end extreme poverty, and be at the forefront of action against global climate change.
The requirement to exercise due diligence under UKTR does not apply where a valid CITES permit accompanies the timber.
Rosewood species (Dalbergia and Guibourtia spp.) are listed on the CITES Appendices and so most rosewood timber imports into the UK will need a valid permit. Permit applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis by the UK CITES Management Authority, which will only issue permits if it has been possible to determine that the specimens to be imported were legally acquired and sustainably harvested.
The Government provides grants to a wide range of stakeholders to contribute to the protection of endangered wild species, including tackling illegal wildlife trade in West Africa, through the Biodiversity Challenge Funds. While these do not address rosewood in West Africa specifically, this has included empowering communities to protect their forests by the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia, and supporting Royal Botanic Gardens Kew to monitor and halt illegal timber trade through DNA barcoding in Gabon and Congo (Brazzaville).
Further information on these examples and other projects supported by the Biodiversity Challenge Funds can be found at the websites of the Darwin Initiative and the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.
Asked by: Chris Grayling (Conservative - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 5477 on Darwin Initiative: Finance, how much grant funding has been provided to organisations with representatives on the Darwin Extra panel in the last three years; and what proportion of total grant funding this figure represents.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Darwin Extra applications are assessed by the Darwin Expert Committee which then makes recommendations to Defra on which grants to fund. The Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 5477 noted that Darwin Expert Committee members have declared an interest in 13 of the 107 organisations awarded Darwin Initiative grants in the past 3 years. These 13 organisations were awarded Darwin Initiative grants with a combined value of £37.9m, which represents 49% of the £77m awarded under Rounds 27-29; these 13 organisations also unsuccessfully bid for a further £76.3m of grant funding in Rounds 27-29.
The Darwin Initiative requires an Expert Committee with up-to-date, practical knowledge of how to implement successful international development and conservation projects. Under its last three funding rounds, the Darwin Initiative received applications from 915 organisations. To not permit anyone with links to these organisations to serve on the Darwin Initiative’s Expert Committee could limit Defra’s ability to determine which proposed investments are most likely to succeed.
To ensure the independence of any advice provided by the Committee, Defra has in place a robust conflicts of interest policy, where members are required to declare their interests and recuse themselves from the assessment of any application in which they have an interest. Decisions on which Darwin Initiative grants to award are taken by Defra.