§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many animal species which are native to the United Kingdom were considered to be at risk in(a) 1985, (b) 1990 and (c) 1995; and if he will make a statement. [24604]
§ Mr. ClappisonStatistics for native animals at risk have been drawn from the digest of environmental statistics, published annually by the Department of the Environment, which lists the number of native animals and categorises them as endangered, vulnerable or rare according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature red data criteria, or as being nationally scarce. These are termed at risk in that publication.
It should be noted that comparisons between years may not be valid because of changes in the methods of assessing risk.
Native species at risk Number endangered Number vulnerable Number rare Number nationally scarce 1985 532 407 857 n/a 1990 280 168 389 n/a 19951 577 407 726 2,572 1Comparable figures for mammals and birds are not included because their threat status is now considered in the international rather than the national context.