Environment Minister quizzed on re-introducing extinct species
The sometimes controversial subject of re-introducing extinct animal and plant species is raised with the Minister for Natural Environment and Land Use, Trudy Harrison MP, at a public session of the cross-party government scrutiny committee, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
Meeting details
Re-introducing species could assist the government in its biodiversity aims – the 2019 ‘State of Nature’ report said that since the 1970s, 41% of all Britain’s species have declined. The re-introduction process can also help in other areas such as improving the environment (such as when beavers create natural dams which filter water) and in delivering socio-economic benefits such as tourism.
However, re-introducing species can also have a downside. A scheme to repopulate part of Norfolk with white-tailed eagles in 2021, for example, was cancelled because of fears that farm livestock or rare wild birds could be attacked.
The Committee is expected to ask the Minister about these issues, but also whether its policies in this area are fit for purpose. Some wildlife groups say government rules for re-introducing species are over-bureaucratic or that regulations describe animals as dangerous when they may not be. On the other hand, some farmers think species re-introductions, particularly of predatory animals, should be carried out with even greater care than the authorities currently use so that farm animals are not threatened.
The Minister may also be asked about the recently created Species Re-introduction Taskforce, a group set up to advise Defra on considering re-introductions in England. The Defra Secretary of State recently stated very clearly that she would not support a mooted re-introduction of lynx and wolves. MPs may ask what role the Taskforce may play if decisions such as these have already been taken.