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Flowers: Conservation

Volume 460: debated on Monday 21 May 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken by his Department since May 2005 (a) to protect wild flower meadows and (b) to encourage the planting of wild flowers. (137855)

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan helps to co-ordinate work at national and local levels by identifying priorities for action and setting biological targets for the recovery of habitats and species, including wildflowers.

Flower meadows are benefiting from at least 10 awards made under the Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund. This scheme is administered by Natural England, but the funding, £1.95 million in both 2006-07 and 2007-08, is provided by DEFRA.

We also encourage structured wild flower establishment through the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme, the support of education/information sources like Flora Locale, and highly targeted re-establishment programmes for particular endangered taxa. These include the ongoing restoration of Lady’s Slipper Orchid to 12 sites across northern England.