§ Lord Skelmersdaleasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made on the recommendation from the former Nature Conservancy Council that a number of non-native species should be added to Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Baroness Blatch)Following recommendations made by the former Nature Conservancy Council and consultation with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and other bodies, we have decided that we should add the following species to Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981:
Animals
- Noble crayfish
- Signal crayfish
- Turkish crayfish
- Sila deer
- New Zealand flatworm
- Italian crested newt
- Aesculapian snake
Plants
- Three species of Giant kelp (macrocystis angustifolia, macrocystis integrifolia, macrocystis laevis)
WA 7 - Japanese kelp
- Green seafingers
- Californian red seaweed
- Hooked asparagus seaweed
- All non-native laver seaweeds
- Wakame
We have placed an order before Parliament today which will bring these additions into effect on 16th March.