Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 27 January 2026. It was answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour) on Thursday, 22 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Nature Conservation

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of (1) national nature reserves, (2) marine conservation zones, (3) special protection areas, and (4) Ramsar sites, are in a favourable condition in each county in England.

Answer

Data on National Nature Reserves, terrestrial Special Protection Areas (SPAs), and Ramsar sites is included in the spreadsheet attached. Due to terrestrial SPAs being considered at low-tide there is an overlap between these reported figures and the SPAs with marine components.

Data on SPAs with marine components and on Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) is collected at feature level rather than by county, as the majority of sites are at sea and therefore often fall outside county jurisdiction. Within English waters, there are 89 MCZs (excluding HPMAs) covering 625 features, and 49 marine SPAs covering 208 features. The latest data from Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee indicates that 64.8% of English MCZs features and 19.7% of English marine SPA features are considered to be in favourable condition.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL13530
Session
2024-26
Attachment
National Nature Reserves etc (data)
Subjects
Nature conservation Wetlands Marine conservation zones Special protection areas Ramsar Convention
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk