Environment Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered at on 11 August 2011.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the conclusions of the United Kingdom Butterfly Monitoring Scheme's report entitled, Final Project Report 2011; and if she will make a statement.
The collection and analysis of butterfly data through the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme is a partnership project involving the Natural Environment Research Council's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Butterfly Conservation, DEFRA and the conservation agencies across the UK. DEFRA recently published the final report from the latest phase of funding. The report concludes that while the numbers of most widespread butterfly species are comparatively stable, almost half of the more specialised butterflies (those species associated with more natural habitats) are declining. Despite this, agri-environment schemes are having a positive effect and there are some notable signs of recovery for some of these more specialist species, such as the Marsh Fritillary and the reintroduced Large Blue.
We will continue to build on these successful cases, drawing on their example of successful partnership working with Butterfly Conservation and others in the voluntary sector, to design or deliver targeted conservation action.
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