HC Deb 13 May 1991 vol 191 cc5-6W
Mr. Hardy

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the proportion of heather moorland which has been lost in the last 30 years.

Mr. Trippier

My Department's estimate of heather cover in England and Wales indicates that between 1947 and 1980 heather cover decreased by 20 per cent. We shall have information on losses over the past decade when the results of the "Countryside Survey 1990" have been analysed.

Forward to