12 Rejected

Subject high-risk reintroductions to independent impact assessments and consult local communities.

Recommendation
We recommend that the Government should be clear how the classification of species determines the requirements for stakeholder consultation and involvement of the Department. We recommend that all species categorised as high-risk reintroductions should be subject to a national, independent impact assessment assessing their potential benefits and risks, including to food production, infrastructure and disease implications. Local communities and land managers should be consulted in which species are translocated, and how and where this happens. (Paragraph 33) 22 Species Reintroduction
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation for clear classification-based consultation requirements and national independent impact assessments, stating that assessing release licence applications on a case-by-case basis allows for comprehensive and proportionate consideration of species, circumstances, and risks.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government Rejected
Assessing applications for release licences on a case-by-case basis allows for the nature of the species, along with the circumstances and risks of release, to be comprehensively considered in response to a specific proposal. Further, an assumption of a species being of low risk without sufficient evidence may undermine efforts to ensure best practice and result in unintended consequences or impacts being found at a later date. Individual assessment allows for the impacts of a specific proposal to be understood, and requirements for consultation and consideration of impacts to be applied proportionality.
Timeline
Recommendation age 2.9 yrs
Report published 11 Jul 2023