§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has for the creation of conservation areas and nature reserves in Britain; and what proposals he has to encourage local authorities towards the creation and management of such sites. [12498]
§ Angela EagleUnder the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 the conservation agencies have powers to declare national nature reserves. There are now 188 NNRs in England. English Nature, the Government's scientific adviser, has been actively seeking to involve local authorities and other approved bodies in the management of NNRs. It has also assisted local authorities in increasing the number of local nature reserves from 288 in 1991 to 566 in 1997.