[{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"44120","proposer":"13864","edm":"3012","session":"2010-12","title":"Illegal Sale And Use Of Ivory","text":"That this House expresses concern over the illegal sale and use of ivory across the world and especially in China; and calls on the Government to work with other nations to ensure that all countries understand and adhere to the international guidance agreed and that all nations are encouraged by diplomatic measures to enforce this guidance in relation to ivory.","date":"2012-04-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"44040","proposer":"11923","edm":"2933","session":"2010-12","title":"Wetland Restoration","text":"That this House is concerned by the overwhelmingly unfavourable condition of Cumbrian wetlands revealed by Cumbria Wildlife Trust; acknowledges the importance of wetlands in providing economic, cultural and social benefits, which include carbon storage, hydrological regulation and increased biodiversity; applaudsCumbria Wildlife Trust and its volunteers for their commitment to safeguarding biodiversity; welcomes the launch of a three-year Upland Wetlands Restoration project to generate real gains in ecological capital; urges stakeholders to engage constructively to achieve positive environmental outcomes; and calls on the Government to support similar research, action and awareness raising in wetlands UK-wide.","date":"2012-03-27","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"42499","proposer":"10074","edm":"1468","session":"2010-12","title":"Trade Of Illegal Ivory","text":"That this House is concerned that despite the world wide ban on the sale of ivory, there is recent evidence of an increase in demand for illegal ivory; recognises the commendable progress China has made in recent years to improve illegal wildlife trade enforcement; notes with concern however recent reports which claim ivory demand in China is fuelling the rise of illegal poaching of elephants; is further concerned by reports that in one Chinese government-approved workshop, illegal tusks were being carved; and calls on the Government to urge China to investigate these claims.","date":"2011-02-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"42222","proposer":"11963","edm":"1209","session":"2010-12","title":"Scallop Dredging","text":"That this House notes with concern the impact which scallop dredging is having on the marine environment; further notes that this practice has only started in recent decades and effectively scrapes the seabed to retrieve scallops but in the process damages other species and marine life; further notes the charted decline of the number of marine species living in the seas and is troubled that excessive scallop dredging is contributing further to this worrying trend; and calls on the Government and devolved administrations to take steps to regulate scallop dredging as a matter of urgency to protect the marine eco system and ensure that the United Kingdom can continue to support a diverse range of marine wildlife off its coasts.","date":"2010-12-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"41966","proposer":"24715","edm":"977","session":"2010-12","title":"UK Landscape Award 2010 For East Durham Heritage Coast","text":"That this House congratulates East Durham Heritage Coast on its extraordinary achievement in winning the UK Landscape Award 2010; recognises the amazing work of transforming a previous industrial wasteland into a beautiful landscape of great natural, historical and geological interest; and wishes everyone involved every success representing the UK at the European Landscape Awards in Strasbourg in March 2011.","date":"2010-11-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"41729","proposer":"10834","edm":"769","session":"2010-12","title":"Japanese Whale And Dolphin Hunting","text":"That this House is deeply concerned that the Japanese Government issues quotas for the slaughter of over 18,000 dolphins, porpoises and other whales in coastal waters each year despite the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling; is appalled that around a half million whales, dolphins and porpoises have been cruelly slaughtered in Japanese waters during the whaling ban alone; is alarmed that dolphin and porpoise meat is sold for public consumption and included in school lunches despite being contaminated with mercury and other toxins at levels exceeding public health safety limits; is further concerned that the cruel dolphin hunts are driving some populations to extinction and are partly motivated by the commercial sale of some animals to aquaria outside of Japan; and calls on the Prime Minister to make the strongest possible representations to the Japanese Government and Prime Minister calling on them to ban the sale of contaminated whale and dolphin products, abide by the international ban on commercial whaling and stop all dolphin, porpoise and other small cetacean hunts immediately.","date":"2010-09-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"41693","proposer":"11093","edm":"735","session":"2010-12","title":"BBC","text":"That this House believes that the BBC is the world's best and most impartial broadcaster; and opposes any attempt to remove or reduce the licence fee.","date":"2010-09-14","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"41576","proposer":"10521","edm":"619","session":"2010-12","title":"Decline In Number Of Turtle Doves","text":"That this House is alarmed at the huge reduction in the number of turtle doves, down by 88 per cent. since 1970 and fears that the bird faces extinction in the British Isles; notes that the reduction has been caused by the disappearance of wildflowers brought about by intensive farming; welcomes a researchproject by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Natural England which involves the sowing of plots of seed-rich corn crops in 16 farms across East Anglia; and calls on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to promote policies to reverse the decline in turtle doves.","date":"2010-07-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"41360","proposer":"10521","edm":"419","session":"2010-12","title":"Plight Of Dolphins In Turkish Holiday Centres","text":"That this House commends the Turkish holiday town of Fethiye for combating its stray animal problem, notably the neuter and return policy which has decreased the number of stray dogs and cats; recognises in contrast the plight of dolphins in captivity at the tourist centre of Kas where they are kept in a pool too small for their needs and where shows aimed specifically at tourists are held; and calls on the Government to urge the Turkish Department for the Environment to stop this cruelty.","date":"2010-07-06","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"41096","proposer":"11798","edm":"173","session":"2010-12","title":"International Whaling Commission's 62nd Annual Meeting","text":"That this House recognises the global moratorium on commercial whaling as a conservation success; condemns continued whaling by Iceland, Japan and Norway; is deeply concerned that the Chairman's compromise proposal to be discussed at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Morocco in June could effectively see the end of the moratorium and legitimise commercial whaling for the first time in over 20 years; is further concerned that the proposal will also legitimise the killing of endangered species in the IWC-designated Southern Ocean whale sanctuary; is disturbed that the proposal sidelines the role of science by allowing catch limits to be decided on an arbitrary basis by political negotiation; believes that the proposal may encourage other nations to seek to recommence commercial whaling in the future; recommends that the IWC instead focuses its attention on becoming a modern, conservation-driven convention; and urges the Government to work with members of the IWC, both in the EU and elsewhere, to ensure that the proposal does not succeed at the IWC meeting in June.","date":"2010-06-08","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"41075","proposer":"11963","edm":"156","session":"2010-12","title":"Whaling In The Faroe Islands","text":"That this House expresses concern at the continuing practice of pilot whaling which takes place in the Faroe Islands; notes that hundreds of pilot whales are killed each year as a result of these activities; expresses deep concern at the suffering faced by the animals during these hunts; further notes that whilst in the past whale hunting may have been necessary for sustenance this is no longer the case; further notes that in November 2008 the chief medical officers of the Faroe Islands recommended that pilot whales should no longer be considered fit for human consumption because of the levels of toxins in the whales and therefore sees no justification in continuing this unnecessary practice; and calls on the Government to make representations to the Faroe Islands government requesting that they bring about an end to whaling in the area.","date":"2010-06-07","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40967","proposer":"10521","edm":"53","session":"2010-12","title":"Natural England's Lost Life Report","text":"That this House notes with grave concern the report entitled Lost Life published by Natural England which details the huge loss of plants and animals native to England, with the scale of extinction most marked in the past 200 years when most of the recorded loss of nearly 500 species has occurred including 24 per cent. of all butterflies, 22 per cent. of amphibians, 15 per cent. of dolphins and whales and 12 per cent. of land mammals; is alarmed that the report shows that 943 English species are under threat, with most of those disappearing being the victims of intensive farming, pollution and pesticides, coupled with the loss over the past six decades of most of England's wildflower meadows as well as a huge reduction in ponds, chalklands and peatlands, with changes in agriculture practices resulting in birds and insects being deprived of food; is further alarmed that the loss of woodlands and the neglect of forests and woods has also hit many species, as has the introduction of alien wildlife; congratulates Natural England on producing the first ever audit of native wildlife; acknowledges that urbanisation has also been a major contributory factor in the decline in England's wildlife habitat; and calls on the Government to lead a national campaign, based on Natural England's dire warnings, as set out in the Lost Life report, to halt the decline of wildlife, to protect environmental sites from planners and to introduce policies to restore the health of ecosystems across the entire landscape.","date":"2010-05-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40968","proposer":"10521","edm":"54","session":"2010-12","title":"Great British Elm Experiment Campaign","text":"That this House congratulates the Conservation Foundation on launching the Great British Elm Experiment which is an inspirational project aimed at restoring elm trees to the British landscape which from the late 1960s onwards witnessed the loss of an estimated 25 million elm trees destroyed by Dutch elm disease, leaving little more than 200 survivors according to research undertaken by the Natural History Museum; welcomes the involvement of 250 schools across Britain which have planted cuttings taken from some of the few mature trees that survived, from Hampshire, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire; further welcomes the announcement by the Conservation Foundation that in the coming years it intends to provide thousands more saplings which it will propagate; notes that this process will take decades but hopes that future generations will be able to enjoy the British landscape immortalised by the paintings of John Constable and the evocative lines of John Betjeman;calls on the Government, across departments, to encourage the planting of elm trees, of which there are 40 different varieties, on land which it owns; and also calls on other public bodies and land-owners to do the same.","date":"2010-05-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40978","proposer":"10521","edm":"64","session":"2010-12","title":"Endangered British Mammals","text":"That this House is dismayed that 18 species of Britain's mammals, almost a third of the total, are now listed as endangered; congratulates the People's Trust for Endangered Species for its report the State of Britain's Mammals; and urges the Government to take heed of the warnings contained in the report by promoting policies which protect the nation's indigenous mammals.","date":"2010-05-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40981","proposer":"10521","edm":"67","session":"2010-12","title":"Dragonflies","text":"That this House registers its deep concern at the serious threat to dragonflies as a result of changes in farming techniques and climate change, with some species facing extinction; notes that a third of Great Britain's 39 species of dragonfly and the closely related damselfly are declining; welcomes the launch by the British Dragonfly Society of a five-year campaign to protect the creatures and track their movements, including the establishment of a dragonfly atlas; and calls on the Government to promote cross-departmental policies to assist the British Dragonfly Society in its objectives of safeguarding the nation's dragonflies.","date":"2010-05-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40982","proposer":"10521","edm":"68","session":"2010-12","title":"Butterflies","text":"That this House registers its deep concern at the decline in the butterfly population, with numbers reported by the charity Butterfly Conservation to be at their lowest for 25 years, with the small tortoiseshell showing the biggest decline of 81 per cent.; congratulates the thousands of volunteers who each year provide information for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme operated by Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; welcomes the comments of Sir David Attenborough, President of Butterfly Conservation, who is promoting an appeal to raise funds for the charity's Stop Extinction Appeal; and calls on the Government to promote cross-departmental policies to assist in safeguarding Britain's butterflies.","date":"2010-05-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40736","proposer":"10521","edm":"1101","session":"2009-10","title":"Natural England's Lost Life Report","text":"That this House notes with grave concern the report entitled Lost Life published by Natural England which details the huge loss of plants and animals native to England, with the scale of extinction most marked in the past 200 years when most of the recorded loss of nearly 500 species has occurred including 24 per cent. of all butterflies, 22 per cent. of amphibians, 15 per cent. of dolphins and whales, and 12 per cent. of land mammals; is alarmed that the report shows that 943 English species are under threat, with most of those disappearing being the victims of intensive farming, pollution and pesticides, coupled with the loss over the past six decades of most of England's wildflower meadows as well as a huge reduction in ponds, chalklands and peatlands, with changes in agriculture practices resulting in birds and insects being deprived of food; is further alarmed that the loss of woodlands and the neglect of forests and woods has also hit many species, as has the introduction of alien wildlife; congratulates Natural England on producing the first ever audit of native wildlife; acknowledges that urbanisation has also been a major contributory factor in the decline in England's wildlife habitat; and calls on the Government to lead a national campaign, based on Natural England's dire warnings, as set out in the Lost Life report, to halt the decline of wildlife, to protect environmental sites from planners, and to introduce policies to restore the health of ecosystems across the entire landscape.","date":"2010-03-16","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40699","proposer":"10383","edm":"1067","session":"2009-10","title":"Harmondsworth Barn","text":"That this House wishes to place on record its appreciation of the work undertaken by English Heritage in co-operation with the Friends of Harmondsworth Barn in securing the immediate security and fabric of Harmondsworth Barn, one of the finest medieval barns in Europe, and in seeking to secure its long-term future.","date":"2010-03-10","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40676","proposer":"10521","edm":"1048","session":"2009-10","title":"Great British Elm Experiment Campaign","text":"That this House congratulates the Conservation Foundation on launching the Great British Elm Experiment which is an inspirational project aimed at restoring elm trees to the British landscape which from the late 1960s onwards witnessed the loss of an estimated 25 million elm trees destroyed by Dutch elm disease, leaving little more than 200 survivors according to research undertaken by the Natural History Museum; welcomes the involvement of 250 schools across Britain who have planted cuttings taken from some of the few mature trees that survived, from Hampshire, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire; further welcomes the announcement by the Conservation Foundation that in the coming years it intends to provide thousands more saplings which it will propagate; notes that this process will take decades but hopes that future generations will be able to enjoy the British landscape immortalised by the paintings of John Constable and the evocative lines of John Betjeman; and calls on the Government, across departments, to encourage the planting of elm trees, of which there are 40 different varieties, on land which it owns and also for other public bodies and land-owners to do the same.","date":"2010-03-09","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40318","proposer":"11377","edm":"722","session":"2009-10","title":"Fisheries (S.i., 2009, No. 3344)","text":"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Eels (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 3344), dated 14 December 2009, a copy of which was laid before this House on 21 December, be annulled.","date":"2010-01-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40285","proposer":"10006","edm":"695","session":"2009-10","title":"Ivory Trade","text":"That this House notes with concern the increase in trade in illegal ivory and ivory products and the severe consequences for the elephant population in parts of Africa; believes that there is a direct link between the growth in this illegal trade and the decision to permit the sale of stockpiled ivory; further believes that existing stockpiles of ivory should be destroyed, not sold; and urges the Government to state its unequivocal opposition to any further sales of stockpiled ivory and to exert its influence at the next Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species conference to ensure a total ban on the sale of ivory and ivory products for the next 20 years.","date":"2010-01-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40286","proposer":"10295","edm":"696","session":"2009-10","title":"Ivory Trade (No. 2)","text":"That this House strongly opposes demands from Tanzania and Zambia temporarily to lift the worldwide ban on ivory trading for a one-off sale; notes that at present the illegal ivory trade is already devastating elephant populations and in some central and west African countries is pushing them close to extinction; further notes that the resumption of any such trading creates a market into which illegally-poached ivory can be laundered, therefore boosting demand and increasing the risk to elephants; is dismayed that the issue is being debated despite agreements that when the last ivory auction was sanctioned in 2007 there would be no more such one-off sales for at least nine years; calls on the Government to take a clear lead in opposing all moves to weaken the ban; and urges UK representatives in Europe to make their voice heard at the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Qatar in March 2010.","date":"2010-01-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40270","proposer":"10597","edm":"682","session":"2009-10","title":"Protection For Polar Bears","text":"That this House notes that the survival of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is threatened by climate change as well as the commercial trade in polar bear products, such as fur skins; further notes that the United States has submitted a proposal to list the polar bear on Appendix I of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES); further notes that the polar bear satisfies the biological and trade criteria for inclusion in Appendix I; further notes that this listing is essential to ensure that commercial trade does not compound the threats posed to this species by loss of habitat; and urgently calls on the Government to support the US proposal to transfer the polar bear to CITES Appendix I.","date":"2010-01-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40239","proposer":"11814","edm":"654","session":"2009-10","title":"Protection Of Birds Of Prey","text":"That this House congratulates the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on acquiring over 200,000 signatories to its campaign to end the illegal killing of birds of prey; recognises the depth of public support this shows for more action to be taken to protect birds of prey; further recognises the socio-economic benefits healthy bird of prey populations can bring to rural communities; notes that the shooting, poisoning and other destruction of magnificent species including Hen Harriers, Golden Eagles and Peregrine Falcons remains unacceptably common; acknowledges that such persecution represents a major impediment towards the recovery of such species to their historic levels; and calls on the Government to make ending the illegal killing of these iconic birds a greater priority.","date":"2010-01-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"40146","proposer":"10295","edm":"567","session":"2009-10","title":"Illegal Songbird Market In Cyprus","text":"That this House is concerned by the growing illegal practice of trapping and eating songbirds in Cyprus; notes that thousands of birds migrating in search of warmer climates face being lured, killed and sold to restaurants as part of an illegal multi-million pound industry; believes it to be unacceptable that poachers are prolific on the British military base of Dhekelia; further notes the recent launch of Operation Freedom by the British authorities to tackle the matter and commends their limited success; and calls for further immediate and urgent action to be taken in collaboration with the Cypriot authorities to put an end to this illegal and cruel practice.","date":"2010-01-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"39796","proposer":"10410","edm":"253","session":"2009-10","title":"Labelling Of Products Made From Animal Fur","text":"That this House notes that recent advances in the quality and look of fake fur make it difficult for many consumers to tell the difference between items made with fake fur and those made with real fur; further notes that there is now evidence that consumers are confused and some may be purchasing items made or trimmed with real fur believing the fur to be fake; further notes that some people are allergic to real fur; further notes that a law has been introduced in the states of New York, Delaware and New Jersey requiring all real fur and fur-trimmed clothing to carry a label; and calls on the Government to introduce, as soon as possible and as a measure to protect consumers, legislative proposals for a labelling order requiring all other real fur on sale to carry a label that clearly states that the item is made using real animal fur, whether or not it has been dyed and the country of origin of the fur.","date":"2009-11-25","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"39661","proposer":"10295","edm":"124","session":"2009-10","title":"Dolphin Slaughter In Japan","text":"That this House condemns the annual Japanese dolphin hunt that takes place between September and March; questions the Japanese government's claim that the slaughtering of dolphins is necessary pest control; finds no reason to slaughter on average thousands of dolphins in Japanese waters; is concerned that the majority of Japanese people are not aware of the practice and are buying chemically enhanced dolphin meat disguised as whale meat; notes the work of the British group Campaign Whale and their work in collaboration with the international Save Japan Dolphins coalition; and calls on the Government to support these groups in raising awareness of the issue.","date":"2009-11-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"39552","proposer":"10521","edm":"15","session":"2009-10","title":"Butterflies","text":"That this House registers its deep concern at the decline in the butterfly population, with numbers reported by the charity Butterfly Conservation to be at their lowest for 25 years, with the small tortoiseshell showing the biggest decline of 81 per cent.; congratulates the thousands of volunteers who each year provide information for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme operated by Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; welcomes the comments of Sir David Attenborough, President of Butterfly Conservation, who is promoting an appeal to raise funds for the charity's Stop Extinction Appeal; and calls on the Government to promote cross-departmental policies to assist in safeguarding Britain's butterflies.","date":"2009-11-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"39553","proposer":"10521","edm":"16","session":"2009-10","title":"Dragonflies","text":"That this House registers its deep concern at the serious threat to dragonflies as a result of changes in farming techniques and climate change, with some species facing extinction; notes that a third of Great Britain's 39 species of dragonfly and the closely related damselfly are declining; welcomes the launch by the British Dragonfly Society of a five-year campaign to protect the creatures and track their movements, including the establishment of a dragonfly atlas; and calls on the Government to promote cross-departmental policies to assist the British Dragonfly Society in its objectives of safeguarding the nation's dragonflies.","date":"2009-11-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"39554","proposer":"10521","edm":"17","session":"2009-10","title":"Endangered British Mammals","text":"That this House is dismayed that 18 species of Britain's mammals, almost a third of the total, are now listed as endangered; congratulates the People's Trust for Endangered Species for its report the State of Britain's Mammals; and urges the Government to take heed of the warnings contained in the report by promoting policies which protect the nation's indigenous mammals.","date":"2009-11-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"39318","proposer":"10421","edm":"2087","session":"2008-09","title":"Dolphin Hunting","text":"That this House notes with concern that the Japanese government continues to issue quotas for the slaughter of around 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and whales in its coastal waters each year despite the International Whaling Commission's ban on commercial whaling; is appalled that almost half a million dolphins, porpoises and whales have been cruelly slaughtered in Japanese waters since implementation of the international whaling ban in 1986; is further concerned that the dolphin hunts are driving some populations to extinction; is alarmed at the considerable health concerns arising from high levels of mercury and other toxins found in whale, dolphin and porpoise products that are sold for public consumption, and even included in school lunches in Japan; and urges the Prime Minister to make the strongest possible representations to the new Japanese government calling on it to stop all whale, dolphin and porpoise hunts immediately.","date":"2009-10-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"39254","proposer":"10295","edm":"2025","session":"2008-09","title":"Dolphin Slaughter In Japan","text":"That this House condemns the annual Japanese dolphin hunt that takes place between September and March; questions the Japanese government's claim that the slaughtering of dolphins is necessary pest control; finds no reason to slaughter on average thousands of dolphins in Japanese waters; is concerned that the majority of Japanese people are not aware of the practice and are buying chemically enhanced dolphin meat disguised as whale meat; notes the work of the British group Campaign Whale and its work in collaboration with the international Save Japan Dolphins coalition; and calls on the Government to support these groups in raising awareness of the issue.","date":"2009-10-13","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"39199","proposer":"11199","edm":"1972","session":"2008-09","title":"Giraffe Centre Nairobi","text":"That this House commends the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi's Lang'ata suburb for its tireless and magnificent efforts in educating Kenyan school children about the country's wildlife and environment; recognises the centre as the creation of the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife; pays tribute to its founder, the late Jack Leslie-Melville, for realising his extraordinary vision for education in conjunction with rescuing the endangered Rothschild giraffe; fully supports its efforts to continue to expand the sanctuary; and is encouraged by its drive to further diversify activities in educating children and adults alike in the practical benefits to both people and wildlife of taking an active interest in the environment and the welfare of this magnificent wild animal.","date":"2009-07-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"39200","proposer":"11199","edm":"1973","session":"2008-09","title":"Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary Uganda","text":"That this House commends the Ngamba Island Sanctuary in Uganda, part of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, for its dedicated work over the past 11 years in caring for orphaned and confiscated chimpanzees; celebrates its reputable approach in affectionately caring for the animals, whilst respecting their requirements for a natural environment; acknowledges the invaluable effort undertaken in offering a high-quality educational experience for visitors of all ages; and fully supports its mission to promote the understanding, appreciation and conservation of chimpanzees and their habitats in particular and African wildlife in general.","date":"2009-07-21","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"38316","proposer":"11494","edm":"1195","session":"2008-09","title":"Shark Finning","text":"That this House notes that over 70 per cent. of UK sharks, skates and rays are categorised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as threatened or near threatened with extinction; further notes the recent publication of the European Community Plan of Action for Sharks, and the context of EU legislation EC No. 1185\/2003, prohibiting the removal of shark fins at sea; believes the UK Government should build on the foundation of previous shark conservation actions and lead the way in Europe as a champion of shark conservation, promptly implementing effective shark conservation and management measures; further believes that, on no occasion should the UK Government approve any derogation from the shark finning legislation in order to allow UK-registered vessels to remove shark fins at sea; and urges the Government to lead the way in Europe by ceasing provision of special permits to remove shark fins at sea, thus enforcing the original intention of the shark finning legislation, and supporting improved shark fisheries monitoring, management and conservation measures.","date":"2009-03-26","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"38191","proposer":"10177","edm":"1083","session":"2008-09","title":"Life And Legacy Of Sir Peter Scott","text":"That this House takes the opportunity of his centenary year to commend the outstanding contribution to international conservation made by Sir Peter Scott, recognising his pioneering work to save endangered species and habitats and the access he gave people to the natural world; notes his groundbreaking wildlife broadcasts and his establishment of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) in Slimbridge, the first of what would become a UK network of wetland visitor centres; and commends the work of the WWT, a wonderful legacy of Sir Peter's activities, and its ongoing work to protect wetland species and habitats at risk, bringing people and wildlife closer together in order to help meet conservation challenges for the 21st century.","date":"2009-03-12","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"37841","proposer":"10394","edm":"781","session":"2008-09","title":"National Nest Box Week","text":"That this House congratulates the British Trust for Ornithology for promoting the National Nest Box week which runs from 14 to 21 February; notes with regret the large decline in garden bird species, but notes that St Valentine's Day is usually the start of birds pairing up for the new breeding season; believes it is vital that more people realise the importance of nest boxes to the survival of bird species; and urges everyone with a garden, no matter how small, and whether in town or country, to participate in Nest Box Week and save more of the UK's declining bird species.","date":"2009-02-11","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"37729","proposer":"10597","edm":"678","session":"2008-09","title":"Protection For Seals","text":"That this House recognises the UK's international obligations to maintain its globally important seal populations at a favourable conservation status; notes that seal populations remain depleted and are threatened by further outbreaks of the phocine distemper virus and remain under increasing threat from climate change, depletion of prey species pollution and deliberate killing; notes with extreme concern scientific reports of a frightening decline in the population of common seals in UK waters; further notes that an estimated 5,000 seals are shot in Scottish waters by the salmon industry; believes that the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 is outdated and in urgent need of review or replacement; and calls on the Government to implement an immediate and comprehensive ban on the deliberate killing of all seals, to replace the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 with legislation for the comprehensive protection of seals in the forthcoming Marine Bill and to liaise with the Scottish Executive to this end.","date":"2009-02-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"37454","proposer":"10521","edm":"434","session":"2008-09","title":"Endangered British Mammals","text":"That this House is dismayed that 18 species of Britain's mammals, almost a third of the total, are now listed as endangered; congratulates The People's Trust for Endangered Species for its report The State of Britain's Mammals; and urges the Government to take heed of the warnings contained in the report by promoting policies which protect the nation's indigenous mammals.","date":"2009-01-13","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"37000","proposer":"10521","edm":"8","session":"2008-09","title":"Butterflies","text":"That this House registers its deep concern at the decline in the butterfly population, with numbers reported by the charity Butterfly Conservation to be at their lowest for 25 years, with the small tortoiseshell showing the biggest decline of 81 per cent.; congratulates the thousands of volunteers who each year provide information for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme operated by Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; welcomes the comments of Sir David Attenborough, President of Butterfly Conservation, who is promoting an appeal to raise funds for the charity's Stop Extinction Appeal; and calls on the Government to promote cross-departmental policies to assist in safeguarding Britain's butterflies.","date":"2008-12-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"37001","proposer":"10521","edm":"9","session":"2008-09","title":"Dragonflies","text":"That this House registers its deep concern at the serious threat to dragonflies as a result of changes in farming techniques and climate change, with some species facing extinction; notes that a third of Great Britain's 39 species of dragonfly and the closely related damselfly are declining; welcomes the launch by the British Dragonfly Society of a five-year campaign to protect the creatures and track their movements, including the establishment of a dragonfly atlas; and calls on the Government to promote cross-departmental policies to assist the British Dragonfly Society in its objectives of safeguarding the nation's dragonflies.","date":"2008-12-03","status":"o"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"36373","proposer":"11245","edm":"2032","session":"2007-08","title":"Palm Oil And Acacia Plantations","text":"That this House notes that the expansion of palm oil production threatens rainforests around the tropics; further notes that some 3,200,000 hectares of oil palms in Indonesia and Malaysia are grown on peatland; further notes that such cultivation on deep peat releases many more times greenhouse emissions than the palm oil can save when used in biodiesel, yet such biodiesel can be labelled as making a carbon saving according to the Department for Transport's carbon and sustainability reporting requirements published in January 2008; further notes that EU palm oil imports are being used to replace vegetable oils in for-bioenergy generation; further notes also that the expanding cultivation of acacias for woodpulp on peatlands erodes the peat even faster; further notes the WWF report which indicates that these industries are causing an alarming decline in Sumatran elephants and tigers, and that most future forest clearances in Sumatra will be on deep peatland; therefore urges the Government and the international community to press the Indonesian government to rescind all concessions for new plantations on peatland; further urges the Government to end the labelling of biofuels as saving emissions where this is a false statement; and further urges the Government and the EU to take action to stop the destruction of forests and to be honest about the overall impact of their biofuel policy for reducing carbon emissions.","date":"2008-07-14","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"36374","proposer":"11656","edm":"1939A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Monkey Puzzle Tree In Swansea","text":"at end add `and calls on Liberal Democrat-led Islington Council, which passed a motion on 26th June 2008, claiming that `we all love the Borough's trees', to appeal to their colleagues in Swansea to see sense and to save the monkey puzzle.'.","date":"2008-07-14","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"36356","proposer":"10295","edm":"2019","session":"2007-08","title":"Japanese Whaling","text":"That this House condemns the whale-meat embezzlement ring shown by Greenpeace to be at the heart of the Japanese government's so-called scientific whaling programme; calls upon the Japanese authorities to carry out an immediate public investigation into this practice which has further undermined Japan's international obligations; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to demonstrate to the Japanese government that their detaining of Greenpeace activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki without charge only brings their alleged corruption to the attention of the international community.","date":"2008-07-10","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"36262","proposer":"10096","edm":"1939","session":"2007-08","title":"Monkey Puzzle Tree In Swansea","text":"That this House is appalled that Liberal Democrat-led Swansea Council plans felling a beautiful, healthy and vigorous 150 year old monkey puzzle tree in the grounds of Llwynderw Primary School, in West Cross, Swansea; notes that this proposal, in a landscaping scheme for the school, comes weeks after both the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Education gave unequivocal assurances to local residents that the tree would be retained; is astonished that the recommendation to destroy the tree, on health and safety grounds, is based, in part, on the advice of a so-called expert who equated the danger to children posed by a monkey puzzle leaf to that of a discarded hypodermic syringe; and hopes that common sense will prevail and this marvellous landscape feature will be saved for the enjoyment of the children of the school and the people of that part of Swansea.","date":"2008-07-02","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"36169","proposer":"10295","edm":"1859","session":"2007-08","title":"Japanese Whaling Policy","text":"That this House condemns the controversial Japanese policy of hunting whales under the bogus banner of scientific research; supports the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and Greenpeace objectives to expose the practice as commercial whaling under the guise of science; calls on the Government to give full backing to the IWC in its objective to forbid Japan from using a scientific research programme to kill an increasing annual quota of whales; and fully supports the IWC's proposal to assign a region of the Atlantic Ocean for a permanent whale sanctuary where all hunting will be banned.","date":"2008-06-23","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"36124","proposer":"10245","edm":"1820","session":"2007-08","title":"International Court For The Environment","text":"That this House welcomes the proposal from Stephen Hockman QC, Chris Osborne and LECG to establish an International Court for the Environment, as the supreme legal authority for settling issues regarding harm to the environment, and for specifying the ecological conditions which must be met if the biosphere is to operate effectively without a major disruption to human communities and other life; notes that a symposium on this is being held in the British Library on 28th November; and calls on the Government and business to combine to support such a measure for the sake of a sustainable future.","date":"2008-06-17","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"36062","proposer":"10716","edm":"1762","session":"2007-08","title":"Puffin Population","text":"That this House notes with alarm that puffin numbers in the North Sea are in sharp decline with colonies on the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth falling by nearly a third this year after decades of continual population increases; believes that puffins represent a vital element of UK marine life; recognises that due to puffins' broad spread across the North Sea and their varied diet, any decline in puffin numbers is indicative of broader ecological concerns across the North Sea; further notes that scientists have highlighted warming seas, changes and shifts in puffin food supplies, and intensive fishing across the North Sea as all contributing to the current declining numbers; and calls on the Government to work with local and national ecological groups to safeguard the future of the puffin and to bring forward a Marine Bill to urgently protect the UK's coastline.","date":"2008-06-11","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"36016","proposer":"10229","edm":"1730","session":"2007-08","title":"World Oceans Day","text":"That this House notes that World Oceans Day took place on 8th June 2008; supports this year's theme of helping the climate by helping oceans; recognises the supreme importance of the oceans to wildlife, weather, business, travel, science, medicine, recreation, pleasure and culture; further recognises that Britain is an island nation which depends on the sea for trade; values the work undertaken by marine scientists in highlighting the link between the health of the oceans and climate change; welcomes the progress of the Climate Change Bill and Draft Marine Bill; and congratulates Conrad Humphreys' Blue Project website, which seeks to raise awareness of the importance of the oceans and climate change through marine sportsmen and women acting as champions and ambassadors for action.","date":"2008-06-09","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35931","proposer":"10295","edm":"1649","session":"2007-08","title":"NATIONAL FARMERS' UNION CENTENARY","text":"That this House both recognises and congratulates the National Farmers' Union's (NFU) centenary celebration; notes the NFU's continuous hard work in providing effective and efficient representation on behalf of the UK's farming community; considers that it is thanks to the NFU's sustained efforts to promote successful and socially responsible agriculture and horticulture that the UK is still a farming force in Europe; and looks forward to the Government continuing to have a beneficial relationship with the NFU.","date":"2008-06-02","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35932","proposer":"10190","edm":"1650","session":"2007-08","title":"Stop The Drop Campaign","text":"That this House notes that across the UK an estimated 30 million tonnes of litter is collected and that it costs in excess of half a billion pounds per annum to clear the streets of the UK; recognises that the amount of litter dropped yearly in the UK has increased by 500 per cent. since the 1960s and that 1.3 million pieces of rubbish are dropped on Highways Agency roads alone every weekend; further notes that litter makes an area look dirty and uncared for and attracts more litter; understands that over 69,000 animals were killed or injured by litter last year in the UK; and calls on the Government to back publicly the Campaign to Protect Rural England's Stop the Drop campaign which aims to solve the litter and fly-tipping problems blighting the UK's countryside, cities and villages.","date":"2008-06-02","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35889","proposer":"10394","edm":"1611","session":"2007-08","title":"Biodiversity And Sustaining Life Campaign","text":"That this House is alarmed at the research contained in the newly published report Sustaining Life compiled by 100 experts which claims that a potential new generation of drugs made from natural resources will be lost forever unless the world acts to stop biodiversity loss; notes that this book points out seven groups that could be particularly valuable to medicine: amphibians, bears, cone snails, sharks, primates, horseshoe crabs and gymnosperms; and is concerned that frog glue, which could repair cartilage and other tissue tears in humans, is at risk due to climatic changes which have led to habitat loss and mutations in frogs.","date":"2008-05-19","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35859","proposer":"10295","edm":"1582","session":"2007-08","title":"Polar Bears","text":"That this House notes the decision by the United States to list the polar bear as an endangered species; expresses alarm at predictions that two-thirds of the polar bear population of 25,000 could disappear by 2050; recognises that this threat is a direct result of the Arctic sea ice habitat melting due to climate change; and urges the United States administration to introduce real environmental reforms which will help reduce carbon emissions and limit the damage caused by climate change.","date":"2008-05-15","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35865","proposer":"10258","edm":"1588","session":"2007-08","title":"Pandas From China","text":"That this House expresses its concern at the proposal by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) to lease two giant pandas from a research centre in China for exhibition and captive breeding at Edinburgh Zoo; considers that there are serious animal welfare problems attached to the keeping of giant pandas in zoos; notes that captive breeding of giant pandas has resulted in no successful reintroduction to the wild; believes that the best way to conserve the giant panda population is to support in situ projects such as panda reserves and habitat conservation; urges the RZSS to reconsider this plan; and requests the Scottish and UK Governments not to become involved in using live animals as currency in the course of diplomatic exchange.","date":"2008-05-15","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35814","proposer":"10096","edm":"1544","session":"2007-08","title":"Undergrounding Overhead Lines In Protected Areas","text":"That this House recognises that overhead power and telecommunication cables in some of the otherwise most beautiful locations in Great Britain have a detrimental effect on landscape quality; applauds the decision by Ofgem to provide an allowance to electricity suppliers for undergrounding overhead lines in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks between 2005 and 2010; commends those energy companies that have engaged with local communities and stakeholders in protected landscapes markedly to improve the visual landscape; and urges Ofgem to continue the scheme beyond 2010 and to increase the allowance to enable undergrounding in more difficult geographical and geological conditions.","date":"2008-05-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35816","proposer":"10096","edm":"1546","session":"2007-08","title":"Western Power And Undergrounding Overhead Lines In Protected Landscapes","text":"That this House recognises the visual improvements achieved in many beautiful locations in Great Britain through Ofgem's scheme to provide allowances to energy companies for undergrounding overhead lines on the basis of local consultation; is deeply concerned that Western Power, which provides electricity to mid and south Wales and the south west of England, has chosen not to take advantage of these allowances, thus denying possible removal of overhead lines in areas like the Brecon Beacons, Gower, Exmoor, Wye Valley, Dartmoor, Tamar Valley, the Quantocks and the Cornwall, Devon and Pembrokeshire coasts; and urges Western Power to reconsider its position and engage with local stakeholders to help improve the environment over time in these very special places.","date":"2008-05-12","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35696","proposer":"10616","edm":"1435","session":"2007-08","title":"Human Displacement By Monocultures","text":"That this House notes with interest the Friends of the Earth report Losing Ground on the many adverse human rights and environmental effects of large-scale palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia; further notes the widespread reports from the global South of human rights abuses and harm to local environments amid the advance of monocultures associated with the present commodities shock and biofuel drive, including of palm oil elsewhere and of soya, cotton, sugarcane and jatropha; further notes that 11,000 villagers are being displaced in Tanzania by jatropha plantations cultivated for the UK firm Sun Biofuels; urges that British and European decision-makers consult more actively with Southern non-governmental organisations when devising trade and energy policies; and also recognises the need to reduce the UK's ecological footprint in its national choice of energy sources, and the value of individuals doing so within a balanced diet by reducing consumption of animals.","date":"2008-04-28","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35706","proposer":"10521","edm":"1445","session":"2007-08","title":"Dragonflies","text":"That this House registers its deep concern at the serious threat to dragonflies as a result of changes in farming techniques and climate change, with some species facing extinction; notes that a third of Great Britain's 39 species of dragonfly and the closely related damselfly are declining; welcomes the launch by the British Dragonfly Society of a five-year campaign to protect the creatures and track their movements, including the establishment of a dragonfly atlas; and calls on the Government to promote cross-departmental policies to assist the British Dragonfly Society in its objectives of safeguarding the nation's dragonflies.","date":"2008-04-28","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35707","proposer":"10521","edm":"1446","session":"2007-08","title":"Butterflies","text":"That this House registers its deep concern at the decline in the butterfly population, with numbers reported by the charity Butterfly Conservation to be at their lowest for 25 years, with the small tortoiseshell showing the biggest decline of 81 per cent; congratulates the thousands of volunteers who each year provide information for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme operated by Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; welcomes the comments of Sir David Attenborough, President of Butterfly Conservation, who is promoting an appeal to raise funds for the charity's Stop Extinction Appeal; and calls on the Government to promote cross-departmental policies to assist in safeguarding Britain's butterflies.","date":"2008-04-28","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35708","proposer":"11245","edm":"1401A1","session":"2007-08","title":"Ivory Trade","text":"leave out from `poaching;' to `any' in line 13 and insert `and calls upon the Government to use all possible means to oppose.'.","date":"2008-04-28","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35651","proposer":"10097","edm":"1401","session":"2007-08","title":"Ivory Trade","text":"That this House is dismayed that 20,000 elephants a year are still being slaughtered to supply the illegal ivory trade; notes with concern that China remains the major destination for illicit ivory; further notes that Chinese citizens have been convicted of illegally trading ivory in 22 of the 37 African elephant range states; is aware that China may request to buy ivory stockpiles at the forthcoming Standing Committee meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in July; recognises the commendable progress China has made in recent years to improve illegal wildlife trade enforcement; is concerned, however, that ivory market controls in China remain insufficient to prevent continued illegal trade in ivory; is further concerned that any sale of stockpiled ivory to China may provide a smokescreen for further illegal ivory to be laundered into the system creating an incentive for more elephant poaching; welcomes the Government's role as a European Union representative on the CITES Standing Committee; and calls upon the Government to use that position to bring together EU partners in opposition to any attempt by China to buy ivory stockpiles.","date":"2008-04-23","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35491","proposer":"11427","edm":"1257","session":"2007-08","title":"Reintroduction Of Red Kites To North East England","text":"That this House welcomes the introduction of Northern Kite Ale to the Strangers' Bar; notes that the ruby ale is brewed at the Wylam Brewery and that it has been produced to celebrate the welcome re-introduction of the red kite into the North East of England; recognises that the re-introduction of the kites is the first of its kind in that the birds were bred and freed very close to a large urban conurbation; is pleased to note that the project has gone from strength to strength and is a matter of great interest and pride in the local area; and sends both the Red Kites project and the Wylam Brewery the best wishes for their respective futures.","date":"2008-03-25","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35473","proposer":"11093","edm":"1239","session":"2007-08","title":"Tigers","text":"That this House notes the number of tigers has halved in the last quarter century to approximately 3,500; also notes that the South China tiger could be on the verge of extinction; does not accept this as a necessary decline and notes that the World Wildlife Fund does not accept it either; and calls for the Government to work with the Indian, Indonesian, Chinese and other governments to reverse the decline.","date":"2008-03-20","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35478","proposer":"10226","edm":"1244","session":"2007-08","title":"Bearskin Caps","text":"That this House recognises that the bearskin caps worn by British military personnel have no military significance and involve unnecessary cruelty; and invites the Government to end their use and to substitute hats made from fake fur.","date":"2008-03-20","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35361","proposer":"10586","edm":"1141","session":"2007-08","title":"Marine Bill (No. 3)","text":"That this House believes that technological advances and national commitments have led to an intensification of economic activity in the seas with the potential to cause irreparable damage to marine ecosystems; deplores the fact that at present less than 0.001 per cent. of the UK's sea area is fully protected by law for nature conservation; is mindful that the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's Turning the Tide report concluded in 2004 that at least 30 per cent. of UK waters should be no-take reserves in order to deliver the kind of recovery needed to restore ecosystems and thereby make fish populations sustainable; welcomes the proposal to introduce a Marine Bill; but calls on the Government to ensure that it places a duty on the Secretary of State to establish an ecologically coherent network of highly protected marine reserves covering at least 30 per cent. of UK seas out to 200 nautical miles.","date":"2008-03-10","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35241","proposer":"11148","edm":"1043","session":"2007-08","title":"Maltese Bird Hunt","text":"That this House condemns the Maltese bird hunt which results in the senseless slaughter of spring migrant birds on the island of Malta; congratulates the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds along with Maltese conservationists on highlighting the mass destruction of birds; and urges action by Malta to stop this illegal activity and respect European Union bird protection laws.","date":"2008-02-26","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"35069","proposer":"10197","edm":"893","session":"2007-08","title":"Rainforests And Climate Change","text":"That this House notes the alarming rise in deforestation rates in the Amazon rainforest over recent months; further notes that deforestation already accounts for 20 per cent. of global carbon dioxide emissions each year and that curbing deforestation is one of the single most effective ways of halting catastrophic climate change; welcomes new EU targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent. by 2020, but recognises that any reductions could be entirely negated by increased rates of deforestation; and therefore calls on the Government to take up the offer from the President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, to place his country's entire 50 million acre rainforest estate under the protection of a British-led coalition, in return for development aid.","date":"2008-02-05","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34582","proposer":"11923","edm":"449","session":"2007-08","title":"Beech Trees","text":"That this House believes that beech trees are an integral part of the British landscape; is dismayed that beech trees are at risk of disappearing from parts of the British Isles due to a combination of felling in the north and climate change in the south; further believes that beeches should be reclassified in Cumbria as new native in order to prevent their felling as non-native; and wishes to ensure that these trees will be around for the benefit of biodiversity and future generations.","date":"2007-12-03","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34545","proposer":"11461","edm":"423","session":"2007-08","title":"Mass Extinction Of Amphibians","text":"That this House registers its concern at the continuing decline of the planet's amphibian species which include frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians; notes that after thriving for over 360 million years up to one half of all amphibians could disappear in our lifetime, an event that will be the largest mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs; and, given the need to avert this environmental disaster, urges the Government to take the lead in promoting the conservation and preservation of the globally important habitats which sustain these wonderful amphibians and the many other creatures that share them.","date":"2007-11-28","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34479","proposer":"10527","edm":"359","session":"2007-08","title":"Protection Of Reefs In Lyme Bay","text":"That this House welcomes the current Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs public consultation on measures to protect the marine biodiversity of reefs in Lyme Bay; recognises that these habitats are of national, if not international, conservation importance and can support a range of sustainable economic activities, including potting, sports diving and sea angling, providing a significant return to local businesses; further recognises that the needs of wildlife and of these local businesses are threatened by scallop dredging which slowly destroys the habitats on which they all depend, for less than half the return from the same area; believes that the protection of the Lyme Bay reefs is urgently required on environmental and economic grounds; and therefore calls on the Government to introduce statutory protection for the entire 60 square miles of the Lyme Bay reefs, which constitutes less than 10 per cent. of the whole of Lyme Bay.","date":"2007-11-22","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34443","proposer":"10597","edm":"325","session":"2007-08","title":"SHERWOOD'S LIVING LEGEND LOTTERY BID","text":"That this House welcomes the Big Lottery's The People's \u00c2\u00a350 million contest; encourages viewers to vote following the screening of the four selected bids to be shown on ITV during the week beginning 3rd December 2007; recognises the strength of the Sherwood: The Living Legend bid in enhancing the environment and lifting the quality of landscape surrounding this internationally renowned woodland; notes the forest's contribution to tackling climate change; values the creation of new paths and cycle ways across a wide area in the Midlands and north of England; is concerned that two of the other selected bids have already received millions of pounds of Lottery funding; continues to press the case for a fair distribution of Lottery funding; and wishes Sherwood, the strongest and most sustainable bid, every success.","date":"2007-11-20","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34446","proposer":"10394","edm":"328","session":"2007-08","title":"Release Of Grey Squirrels","text":"That this House commends the work of the European Squirrels Initiative in saving red squirrels; notes with concern that the number of grey squirrels re-released into the wild, under licences granted by Natural England, has reached 257 over the last 18 months; condemns Natural England for breaking section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 without regard for Britain's native red squirrel population; and calls on the Government to take urgent action to prevent further decline of the red squirrel population in the UK.","date":"2007-11-20","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34411","proposer":"10295","edm":"300","session":"2007-08","title":"Whaling (No. 2)","text":"That this House condemns the latest actions by Japanese whalers who are hunting minke and humpback whales; expresses grave concern at the relentless increase in numbers of whales killed by Japan, Iceland and Norway, and their pressure to overturn the moratorium on commercial whaling and the ban on international trade in whale products; welcomes the campaign by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society to stop commercial whaling; congratulates the Government for its recent commitment to regaining a conservation majority at the International Whaling Commission; and strongly believes that, for the UK to be the most effective advocate for whale conservation, the issue needs to be elevated to the Prime Minister's agenda and adequately resourced.","date":"2007-11-19","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34260","proposer":"10444","edm":"164","session":"2007-08","title":"JAPAN'S HUMPBACK WHALE HUNT","text":"That this House condemns the imminent slaughter under the guise of science of 50 endangered humpback whales, as well as 935 minke whales and 50 endangered fin whales, by Japanese whalers in the internationally designated Southern Ocean whale sanctuary; expresses deep concern that the humpbacks to be targeted by Japan form part of an endangered population of whales that is vitally important for whale watching industries in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, countries which treasure these whales alive, both culturally and economically; notes that a Resolution was adopted at this year's International Whaling Commission meeting in Anchorage which strongly criticised Japan's scientific whaling, exposing it as a sham designed to disguise commercial whaling; further notes that whaling in any form is inherently cruel and that there is no humane way to kill whales; further notes that these whales can be studied using non-lethal research methods; and calls on the Government to unequivocally condemn Japan's cruel, unnecessary and unlawful whaling activities and engage in increased diplomatic action at the highest levels to bring an end to commercial and scientific whaling.","date":"2007-11-08","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34235","proposer":"10526","edm":"145","session":"2007-08","title":"Environmental Coalition For A Marine Bill","text":"That this House welcomes the inclusion of a draft Marine Bill in the legislative programme; applauds the work of the Marine Conservation Society, the RSPB, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, The Wildlife Trusts and WWF who came together through the Wildlife and Countryside Link coalition to press for a Marine Bill for the 2007-08 legislative programme; notes their disappointment at the omission of a full Bill; notes the continued cross-party political support for a Marine Bill; welcomes the widespread public support for the Bill gathered by these organisations over the summer; believes that with the utmost urgency the United Kingdom needs a new approach to managing and protecting its marine resources, wildlife and cultural heritage; further believes that the Marine Bill must be based on a statutory system of spatial planning to reduce conflict between the many users of these seas as well as reform of inshore fisheries; further believes that, given the extraordinary richness of wildlife in UK seas, the Bill must put protection of wildlife at the heart of marine policy through measures including the designation of a network of marine conservation zones; and calls on the Government to introduce a Marine Bill at the earliest opportunity during the current Parliament.","date":"2007-11-07","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34101","proposer":"10470","edm":"11","session":"2007-08","title":"Access To Coast And Countryside","text":"That this House recognises the importance of public access to the coast and countryside for the health and wellbeing of the nation; supports the expansion of access alongside appropriate protection for sensitive habitats; and believes that this is best achieved through voluntary agreements with those who own and manage the land, rather than by the creation of more statutory powers.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34107","proposer":"10470","edm":"17","session":"2007-08","title":"Bioenergy","text":"That this House recognises the important role bioenergy can play in tackling climate change while encouraging energy security and increasing opportunities for farmers and rural communities; regrets that bioenergy represents only 1.5 per cent. of the total UK energy supply; is nevertheless alarmed by the environmental threat posed by the production for bioenergy of palm oil, sugar cane and soya in South East Asia and South America, the expansion of which is leading to a destruction of tropical forests and other highly prized ecosystems, such as the Cerrado in Brazil; calls on the Government to introduce as a matter of urgency a carbon and sustainability assurance scheme that reflects the impact of bioenergy throughout its life-cycle; urges the European Union to follow suit in developing Europe-wide assurance schemes; and calls on the Government to encourage a sustainable bioenergy sector through an ethical Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34111","proposer":"11318","edm":"21","session":"2007-08","title":"Marine Environment","text":"That this House notes that the marine environment surrounding the United Kingdom supports around 44,000 species; further notes the importance of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas; is concerned about the ever-increasing pressure on the marine environment from coastal and offshore activities; believes that continued degradation threatens the long-term survival of internationally valuable habitats, wildlife and maritime archaeology; believes that such degradation of the marine environment is detrimental to the economic activities dependent on marine resources; notes that the United Kingdom does not have a strategic and co-ordinated approach for managing marine resources and for protecting the biological and cultural heritage; and calls upon the Government to introduce a system of integrated marine management, marine spatial plans and marine protected areas by enacting a Marine Bill in this Session.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34113","proposer":"11318","edm":"23","session":"2007-08","title":"Whaling","text":"That this House recognises the important role played by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in protecting whales and marine conservation; further recognises the importance of continuing with that protection and maintaining the international moratorium on commercial whaling; welcomes the anti-whaling majority vote at the IWC 59 meeting in May; urges members of the IWC to resist the sustained efforts of pro-whaling countries to undermine the international moratorium; and calls upon Government departments to work together and pro-actively lobby more countries to join the IWC to support the international moratorium.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34115","proposer":"11318","edm":"25","session":"2007-08","title":"Sustainable Fish Sourcing And Supermarkets","text":"That this House applauds the work that the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and Marine Stewardship Council undertake to assist consumers in making informed choices about the seafood they buy and whether it comes from sustainably managed sources; notes the importance of effective and honest labelling; congratulates the efforts that Waitrose and Marks and Spencer have undertaken to source sustainably and their subsequent position at the top of the MCS's Sustainable Supermarket League Table 2007; further notes that supermarkets account for between 80 per cent. and 90 per cent. of fresh fish and shellfish sales; and calls upon retailers to act responsibly and source seafood products from sustainable fisheries.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34116","proposer":"11318","edm":"26","session":"2007-08","title":"Sustainable Fisheries","text":"That this House expresses concern about the impact of over-fishing on the world's oceans; is further concerned about the destructive and wasteful fishing methods that affect the sustainability of fish stocks, including Atlantic cod, haddock, tropical prawns, swordfish and blue fin tuna, as noted in the Greenpeace report A Recipe for Disaster; recognises that unless action is taken on these most vulnerable and destructively fished species to ensure their sustainability, there is a fundamental threat not just to those populations, but to the future of the British fishing industry as well; and calls upon the Government to work with the fishing industry, the environmental lobby and other countries to ensure the long-term sustainability and profitability of the seas.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34117","proposer":"11318","edm":"27","session":"2007-08","title":"Illegal, Unreported And Unregulated Fisheries","text":"That this House notes the environmental impact caused by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and calls upon the Government to work with other countries to protect the seas from IUU fishing activities.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34124","proposer":"11318","edm":"34","session":"2007-08","title":"Orangutans And Palm Oil","text":"That this House expresses concern about the growth of oil palm plantations in Borneo; notes that many oil palm plantations have replaced the rainforest, which is the habitat for the orangutan; is further concerned that increasing habitat destruction could lead to the extinction of the orangutan within five years; welcomes the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil; and urges the palm oil industry to take responsible action to protect orangutan habitats and become sustainable.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34140","proposer":"10527","edm":"50","session":"2007-08","title":"Sourcing Of Sea Bass Supply From Hand-Line Fishermen","text":"That this House notes the continuing slaughter of dolphins and other cetaceans as a consequence of industrial pair trawling for sea bass; believes that all buyers should follow the example of restaurants in the South Hams, Teignbridge and Torbay and source their supply from hand-line fishermen rather than pair trawlers; and calls on the Government to encourage all outlets across all departments under its influence to do likewise.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34173","proposer":"10006","edm":"83","session":"2007-08","title":"Climate Change And Biodiversity","text":"That this House notes with concern the negative impact climate change will have on biodiversity and the challenges wildlife will face migrating through increasingly damaged and fragmented landscapes; acknowledges that a landscape scale approach is required to help the environment to better adapt to change, provide ecological services such as flood prevention and pollution reduction and accommodate wildlife movement; and therefore calls on the Government to facilitate this through promotion of a holistic approach incorporating a range of bodies at local, regional and central Government level as well as private organisations and individuals.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34179","proposer":"10389","edm":"89","session":"2007-08","title":"Biodiversity","text":"That this House welcomes the EU commitment to halt biodiversity loss by 2010, but notes with concern that the European Commissioner for the Environment believes the UK is still far from meeting this target; recognises the inextricable link between biodiversity and the health of the planet, and therefore the concern that climate change may alter distribution, abundance, behaviour, phenology and morphology to an extent which threatens species with previously healthy population levels; and urges the Government to recognise the importance of action to mitigate the threats to plant and animal life.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34181","proposer":"11318","edm":"91","session":"2007-08","title":"Marine Bill And UK Government Policy","text":"That this House notes that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs identified protecting the marine environment as one of its main objectives in 2001 in Working For The Essentials of Life; further notes that in Delivering The Essentials Of Life: Defra's Five Year Strategy in 2004 the Government promised to deliver a Marine Bill; is disappointed that the Government failed to deliver the draft Marine Bill promised in the 2005 Queen's Speech; is further disappointed that the promise made by the former marine environment minister, the hon. Member for Exeter, that there would be a Marine Bill in this Session (Environmental Audit Committee Eight Report of Session 2005-06) is likely to be broken; urges the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to take a greater leadership role in co-ordinating the devolved administrations and Government departments in the production of the Marine Bill; recognises the strong support in Parliament and among the general public for a Marine Bill; and calls upon the Government to introduce a Marine Bill in the present Session and to ensure that the provisions of the Bill are brought into force.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"},{"topic":"Nature conservation","id":"34186","proposer":"10006","edm":"96","session":"2007-08","title":"Marine Bill (No. 2)","text":"That this House calls on the Government to introduce a Marine Bill in this Parliamentary session.","date":"2007-11-06","status":"c"}]