Fifth Report - Species Reintroduction

Without interim species abundance targets it is unclear how this and future governments will be able to monitor progress against the Environment Act targets. We support species reintroduction as part of the effort to deliver current species abundance targets, but also believe that interim targets should be introduced to track progress against those.

The Government should introduce clear interim species abundance targets and reporting mechanisms to record progress every two years towards species abundance goals outlined in the Environment Act. It should inform us of those targets by December

It is unclear which plant and animal reintroductions the Government supports and there is no current long-term vision for how reintroductions fit into the Government’s species abundance targets. This has caused confusion and concern between stakeholders seeking to reintroduce certain species, and amongst those against the reintroduction of such species, for example beavers.

Despite assurances by the Minister that we would be provided a list of priority species for reintroduction in June, in a letter to the Committee on 14 June the Minister said that the Department does not prioritise species but that she would discuss the information that could be provided with the Chair of the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce. We were disappointed not to receive this list, which we consider essential as a starting point for a broader species reintroduction strategy. Without this, the current passive and piecemeal approach will hinder meeting the Government’s species abundance targets and risk further damaging biodiversity.

The Government should produce a list of priority species for reintroduction as part of a long-term strategy on species reintroduction in tandem with the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce. This will allow stakeholders to plan applications ahead of time and have a more strategic, coordinated approach to projects to benefit nature recovery. This strategy should be published by January 2024.

Using evidence from the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce and its Stakeholder Forum, the Government should agree on the plant and animal species it is willing and able to support the reintroduction of in England and bring this information together in a register. This register should be included in the Strategy and should be reviewed by the Taskforce every 12 months. This register should also contain details of the species the Government does not support the reintroduction of in England. The Strategy should include a long-term vision for each species the Government supports, and justification for the reasoning behind those it explicitly does not. (Paragraph 20) Species Reintroduction 21 Strategic vision

We welcome the formation of the Defra England Species Reintroductions Taskforce. However, we regret that the positive impact it has the potential to create has been undermined by its slow establishment and resultant lack of stakeholder engagement. The Defra proposed species reintroduction Stakeholder Forum, created to support the work of the Taskforce, has an important role to play in engaging positively with stakeholders, broadening the Taskforce’s reach and buy-in. However, we are concerned that there is little information publicly available about that forum.

Urgent stakeholder engagement is required to build relationships with key individuals; these stakeholders should have an open invitation to join the Stakeholder Forum and be able to feed into Taskforce decisions through it. The Government should be clear when the Taskforce is expected to provide advice and the influence of that evidence. In cases where the Taskforce’s recommendations are not followed, there should a clear explanation and rationale published by the Government so as to not undermine the Taskforce’s credibility and scientific authority. The Government should publish a protocol with clear guidelines stating when the Taskforce will, and will not, be consulted on reintroduction decisions.

A sign-up opportunity and terms of reference for the Stakeholder Forum should be publicised by October 2023 with the first meeting taking place before 2024. The Stakeholder Forum should inform the risk-based categorisation of species and be consulted before changes are made to classifications.

The current system for reintroducing species is overly bureaucratic, hindering nature recovery. There are many species—particularly amongst plants, fungi, and insects—that pose little or no risk. Identifying and supporting those low-risk species would give confidence to stakeholders seeking to reintroduce them and reduce the burden on the Department, allowing it to focus on more complex and high-risk cases. Rather than attempting to include all species in the register, the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce should identify commonly requested species for inclusion in it.

We recommend that the register contained within the new Strategy should include species categorised according to the risks related to their reintroduction. Of those that it has not ruled out, the Government should categorise regularly requested species into low, medium and high risk and create differentiated channels and processes for the proportionate management of cases in each risk stream.

We recommend that the Government should be clear how the classification of species determines the requirements for stakeholder consultation and involvement of the Department. We recommend that all species categorised as high-risk reintroductions should be subject to a national, independent impact assessment assessing their potential benefits and risks, including to food production, infrastructure and disease implications. Local communities and land managers should be consulted in which species are translocated, and how and where this happens. (Paragraph 33) 22 Species Reintroduction

Creating a central species reintroduction hub designed to be a one-stop shop for interested parties would be a positive step forward to improve collaboration and coordination in this policy area. The value of any hub lies in its ability to bring good practice guidance, licensing information, and sign-up opportunities together, as well as bringing people together for the benefit of species recovery. This seems an appropriate task for the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce.

The Government should create an online species reintroduction hub by June 2024, supported by the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce and Stakeholder Forum, for parties interested in the reintroduction of species. The hub should be a one-stop shop for good practice and collaboration and its advice should be aligned with a national reintroduction strategy. The hub should display the Government’s species reintroduction register and clearly outline the licensing conditions and classification relating to each species. It should also directly connect landowners and managers interested in introducing species with groups able to support them in doing so. (Paragraph 37) Legislative framework and good practice

There is little support for the current conservation translocation licensing regime: on the one hand some stakeholders said that it is too bureaucratic, and, on the other we heard that the existing system is not stringent enough. As a priority, the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce should seek to clarify and resolve this situation. The Government should clarify its position on reintroduction licensing.

The Government’s 2021 code and guidance for species reintroductions form a valuable tool, but it must be revised and updated to maintain high project standards, for example in relation to assisted colonisation, disease risks, exit strategies, impact assessments, large predators and herbivores, and more effective stakeholder consultation. The England Species Reintroductions Taskforce, and its Stakeholder Forum, should feed into this process.

The Government should revise the species reintroduction code and guidance by January 2024 and reissue it alongside the new Strategy. The revised code and guidance should be available via the species reintroduction hub when it is launched. (Paragraph 46) Management plans and rapid responses

We have seen first-hand in Bavaria that crop damage compensation and mitigating works, such as substantial structural changes to the drainage system, were major calls on the public purse, requiring bold decisions and significant funding. The annual budget for compensating farmers for damage to crops such as maize and sugar beet amounted to €450,000 alone. We also saw the benefits of rapid response consultants. We believe that this approach, in combination with a government funded compensation scheme, is the best way to mitigate concerns and provide reassurance to land managers potentially impacted by high-risk reintroduction Species Reintroduction 23 projects. Where populations are already established, the case for establishing a management process should be urgently considered, with priority given to species with protected status.

The Government should implement localised control and management systems by forming and funding a network of rapid response consultants by 2026. The rapid response consultants should be members of the local community and be empowered to make prompt decisions on the remedial action to be taken where problems caused by reintroduced species are identified. The framework for creating these networks should be included in the strategy called for above.

Those affected by the reintroduction of species, including farmers and land managers, must have access to sufficient support and funding to prevent and deal with potential negative impacts. Budgetary provision should be made for this as part of the Government’s reintroduction strategy. The framework for this provision should be included in the strategy outlined above.

If a reintroduced species is to be given protected status (as in the case of beavers), a risk assessment and management plan should be in place in advance of the protected status being granted. The protected status of beavers should be reviewed by the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce in consultation with the Stakeholder Forum. (Paragraph 56) 24 Species Reintroduction