§ Mr. GroganTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the action being undertaken by his Department to combat the international trade in bushmeat. [163512]
Mr. Gareth ThomasDFID's primary concern is poverty reduction and helping to bring about sustainable development for more than one billion people who are trying to live on less than one dollar a day. While bushmeat is an important source of food and livelihoods for many poor people, particularly those living in or close to forests, the bulk of bushmeat harvesting is not traded across national boundaries and less than 1 per cent. oft he harvest is thought to comprise endangered species. DFID is concerned that the steady decline in the supply of bushmeat is having a negative impact on the livelihoods of poor people.
The Government has set up an Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on International Biodiversity to ensure that our response to biodiversity issues, including bushmeat, is as effective as possible.