Can Hedgehogs survive ‘species champion’ Chris Grayling?
Following a public petition there was a debate in Westminster Hall on Monday on hedgehogs and the threat to their survival.
A summary of what the Government is doing and a link to the transcript of the debate is below.
Hedgehogs are in serious decline thanks to agricultural changes, housing schemes and new roads all of which destroy the natural habitats of the hedgehog.
In short hedgehogs are threatened by a drive for profits.
There is unfortunately another serious threat. Serial failed Tory Minister Chris Grayling is currently the ‘species champion’ for hedgehogs. If I were them I’d be organising a protest march at the very least- using hedgehog highways obviously
Rebecca Pow
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
We have a portfolio—a toolbox—of measures that will combine to improve our nature and put back our declining species. The local nature recovery strategies are key to that and will be used on the ground by local authorities. That will give them the opportunity to determine—it is like a mapping system—what they want where, where there is good nature, where it could be better or where they would rather just focus on industry. All of those things will build together, and local authorities will be able to make hedgehogs a priority if they so wish. I am confident that we have a very good framework in the Environment Bill.
We also have our new Agriculture Act 2020, and we have left the common agricultural policy. We now have schemes to ensure that our land use will deliver environmental benefits—through the sustainable farming incentive, the local nature recovery scheme and our much bigger landscape recovery scheme, which will link whole areas and potentially have the corridors that our wildlife needs to move about. Those schemes—sustainable farming, in particular—will be able to create and preserve woodlands, heathlands, species-rich grassland and a range of habitats that will benefit hedgehogs, in particular.Toggle showing location ofColumn 189WH
Serious points were made about planning. DEFRA is in close consultation with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, particularly on the issue of sustainable development. Hedgehog highways, swift boxes, ponds and all of the things that we are flagging really need to go into our future developments, together with sustainable urban drainage and all of the things that affect our water quality and flooding. It should all knit together.
Full transcript of debate:
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