Sign in
☰
People MPsHouse of LordsGovernmentOppositionPartiesCommittees Votes Commons votesLords votesVotes by issueTopicsStats & rankingsParliament in numbers Legislation BillsEarly day motionsPetitions Elections Election resultsConstituenciesWho is my MP? Scotland OverviewMSPsScottish GovernmentVotesBillsMotionsCommitteesConstituencies & regionsElections Search Sign in

Petition · past parliament · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Do not remove special protection from vulnerable or near-threatened species

Closed 124 signatures

What the petition asks

The Government must not remove special protections from species including red squirrels, pine martens, water voles, mountain hares, adders and slow-worms under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 (WCA), following its current review of the Act, reported in the press in July 2021.
The Government reportedly plans to change the basis on which animals are protected under Schedules 5 and 8 of the WCA to exclude species which are vulnerable (at national or regional level) and near-threatened - see https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/qqr-7/. It may suit property developers and infrastructure projects to exclude species not in imminent danger of extinction, but this risks harm to species which may be under severe threat, but whose populations have improved slightly.

Timeline

8 Jul 2021 Petition opened for signatures
8 Jan 2022 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 124
Status Closed
Department Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Opened 8 Jul 2021
Closed 8 Jan 2022

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.