§ Miss Quennellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Government will publish an ecological map of the United Kingdom, based upon the Ordnance Survey maps, giving information on geology, soil, vegetable, animal and reptile distribution.
§ Mr. Graham PageA single, composite map which attempted to show even a limited range of ecological features such as my hon. Friend mentions would be so crowded with information that it would290W hardly be comprehensible. The Ordnance Survey have however published a series of maps giving information about geology, soil, vegetation, types of farming and land classification, whilst other maps. showing ecological information, have been published by several learned societies. More recently, the Biological Record Centre of the Nature Conservancy has begun to prepare for publication a provisional atlas of plants, animals, insects and reptiles which will eventually cover about 60 subjects. I shall continue to encourage the search for all information relevant to environmental planning, and to have it mapped whenever it is suitable for this form of presentation.