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Biodiversity

Volume 461: debated on Thursday 14 June 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of (a) priority habitats and (b) priority species under the Biodiversity Action Plan are decreasing; and which habitats and species are involved. (137856)

There are 373 single species action plans and 45 habitat action plans under the UK biodiversity action plan. These are referred to as the priority species and habitats. Reporting on the status and trends of these priorities is done every three years. The latest available figures are for 2005. The next and final figures before the 2010 biodiversity target will be made available in February 2009. In 2005, the information below was reported:

175 species (47 per cent.) are either increasing or are stable, which is an improvement on the 2002 figures. Similarly, the number of species assessed as ‘declining or lost’ fell between 2002 and 2005. For habitats, 35 per cent. are now increasing or stable.

102 species (27 per cent.) are thought to be declining, but the decline is slowing for 36 species (10 per cent.). Although 17 habitats (39 per cent.) are thought to be declining, this decline is slowing for 11 habitats (25 per cent.).

Declining habitats

Chalk rivers;

Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh;

Littoral and sublittoral chalk;

Sheltered muddy gravels;

Modiolus modiolus beds;

Coastal saltmarsh.

Declining habitats but slowing

Fens;

Lowland dry acid grassland;

Purple moor grass and rush pastures;

Eutrophic standing waters;

Blanket bog;

Lowland wood-pasture and parkland;

Upland hay meadows;

Upland calcareous grassland;

Lowland calcareous grassland;

Lowland meadows;

Limestone pavements;

Declining species

Thlaspi perfoliatum

Cotswold Pennycress

Silene gallica

Small-flowered Catchfly

Ranunculus tripartitus

Three-lobed Water-crowfoot

Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Bullfinch

Pallavicinia lyellii

Veilwort

Orthotnchum pallens

Pale Bristle-moss

Mentha pulegium

Pennyroyal

Luronium natans

Floating Water Plantain

Liparis loeselii

Fen Orchid

Limoniscus violaceus

Violet Click Beetle

Juncus pygmaeus

Pygmy Rush

Idaea ochrata cantiata

Bright Wave

Harpalus froelichi

a Ground Beetle

Gentianella uliginosa

Dune Gentian

Galium tricornutum

Corn Cleavers

Galeopsis angustifolia

Red Hemp-nettle

Formica candida

Black bog ant

Ditrichum plumbicola

Lead-moss

Cicindela sylvatica

Heath Tiger Beetle

Cerastium nigrescens

Shetland Mouse-ear

Bidessus unistriatus

a Diving Beetle

Anostirus castaneus

Chestnut coloured click beetle

Eunicella verrucosa

Pink Sea-fan

Zygodon gracilis

Nowell’s Limestone Moss

Weissia multicapsularis

Moss

Tetrao tetrix

Black Grouse

Streptopelia turtur

Turtle Dove

Squamarina lentigera

Scaly Breck-Lichen

Sium latifolium

Greater Water Parsnip

Sciurus vulgaris

Red Squirrel

Schismatomma graphidioides

a Lichen

Rheumaptera hastate

Argent and sable

Raja batis

Common Skate

Potamogeton compressus

Grass-wrack Pondweed

Oria musculosa

Brighton Wainscot

Muscicapa striata

Spotted Flycatcher

Miliaria calandra

Corn Bunting

Melanitta nigra

Common Scoter

Margaritifera margaritifera

Freshwater Pearl Mussel

Lycopodiella inundata

Marsh Clubmoss

Lycia zonaria britannica

Belted Beauty

Linnaea borealis

Twinflower

Leptopsammia pruvoti

Sunset Cup Coral

Leptodontium gemmascens

Thatch Moss

Juniperus communis

Juniper

Jodia croceago

Orange Upperwing

Hydroporus rufifrons

a Diving Beetle

Heliophobus reticulata

Bordered Gothic

Formica rufibarbis

Red Barbed Ant

Donacia bicolora

a Reed Beetle

Damasonium alisma

Starfruit

Cotoneaster integerrimus

Wild Cotoneaster

Chrysotoxum octomaculatum

a Hoverfly

Chaenotheca phaeocephala

a Lichen

Carduelis cannabina

Linnet

Caloplaca luteoalba

Orange-Fruited Elm-lichen

Calicium corynellum

a Lichen

Bryoria smithii

a Lichen

Boloria euphrosyne

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Bidessus minutissimus

a Diving Beetle

Austropotamobius pajlipes

Freshwater White-clawed Crayfish

Aspitates gilvaria gilvaria

Straw Belle

Anisus vorticulus

Ramshorn snail

Alauda arvensis

Skylark

Acrocephalus palustris

Marsh Warbler

Declining species but slowing

Zygaena loti scotica

Slender Scotch Burnet

Woodsia ilvensis

Oblong Woodsia

Triturus cristatus

Great Crested newt

Tolypella intricata

Tassel Stonewort

Segmenting nitida

Shining ram's-horn snail

Potamogeton rutilus

Shetland Pondweed

Polia bombycina

Pale Shining Brown

Plebejus argus

Silver-studded Blue

Perdix perdix

Grey Partridge

Pechipogo strigilata

Common Fan-foot

Ostrea edulis

Native Oyster

Osmia xanthomelana

a Mason Bee

Odontomyia hydroleon

a Soldierfly

Muscardinus avellanarius

Dormouse

Mejiicta athaila

Heath Fritillary

Lejeunea mandonii

Atlantic lejeunea

Jynx torquilla

Wryneck

Hemaris tityus

Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth

Hammerschmidtia ferruginea

a Hoverfly

Graphoderus zonatus

Spangled Water Beetle

Formica exsecta

Narrow-headed Ant

Eurodryas aurinia

Marsh Fritillary

Eristalis cryptarum

Bog hoverfly

Enterographa elaborate

New Forest beech-lichen

Dicycla oo

Heart Moth

Coiietes floralis

The Northern Colletes

Coenagrion mercuriale

Southern Damselfly

Cephaloziella nicholsonii

Greater Copperwort

Carterocephalus palaemon

Chequered Skipper

Bufo calamita

Natterjack Toad

Athetis paijustris

Marsh Moth

Asparagus officinalis ssp. prostratus

Wild Asparagus

Asilus crabroniformis

Hornet robberfly

Arvicola terrestris

Water Vole

Argynnis adippe

High Brown Fritillary

Agabus brunneus

a Diving Beetle