§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the clearance of bracken on local biodiversity. [36055]
§ Angela EagleThe impacts of bracken control have been studied by my Department, as well as by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the statutory conservation agencies and voluntary sector organisations such as Butterfly Conservation. Although bracken can form important habitat for some flora and fauna such as rare butterflies—notably Fritillaries—it is an invasive weed and needs to be considered in terms of the vegetation and faunal communities which it is replacing. It may also displace livestock on to adjacent heather moorland contributing to overgrazing of this habitat. The studies point to a targeted rather than a blanket approach to bracken control, with judicious decisions on a site by site basis taking into account the value of the area for biodiversity and locally agreed management objectives.
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