Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Paragraph: 80
Public expenditure on measures to promote biodiversity has been cut in real terms over recent...
Conclusion
Public expenditure on measures to promote biodiversity has been cut in real terms over recent years. As a result, levels of monitoring have been scaled back, and the capacity for assessing the state of protected areas and vulnerable species nationally has been reduced. Government bodies do not have enough skilled ecologists to provide comprehensive expert monitoring, and these bodies are over-reliant on the voluntary sector to fill the gaps which arise. Currently, local authorities do not have enough in-house ecologists to provide the monitoring which is expected to underpin the Government’s policy on biodiversity net gain.
Paragraph Reference:
80
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
There are a number of bodies responsible for monitoring biodiversity, and this includes an extensive range of species surveillance schemes and Earth Observation services operated as partnership programmes by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). We value the support and expertise provided by these bodies, whose performance is regularly reviewed by Ministers and senior officials. Natural England recently received a significant increase of 47% to their Grant in Aid budget, in order to support the delivery of their statutory duties. In addition, there has been increasing focus on Defra ALBs generating income through cost recovery and commercial activities as appropriate. In this case, Natural England have increased their external income by more than 90% since 2013. Grant in aid now represents 76% of their gross income, down from more than 90% in 2010.