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Report and Recommendations of the 7th Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (submitted 2022) 2025

Abstract

Every five years, the country nature conservation bodies of Great Britain (Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and NatureScot), working jointly through the JNCC, review Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA), concerning plant and animal species to be protected from persecution in the wild. This review provides recommendations to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and to Ministers for the Environment in the Scottish Government and Welsh Government for changes to these schedules. This process is known as the Quinquennial Review (QQR). As part of the QQR, stakeholders are provided with the opportunity to submit evidence and views.

The 7th Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (QQR 7) started in April 2021. The process included a JNCC-led stakeholder phase. All the comments and evidence submitted during the consultation were considered regarding the final statutory nature conservation bodies’ (SNCBs’) recommendations. This report contains the recommendations to Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government which were submitted on 19 April 2022 for their consideration.

The main document includes the report and appendices 1 to 7, and is accompanied by Appendix 8 (Evidence for each taxon in Schedules 5 and 8), which is provided in spreadsheet format.

For more information about the 7th Quinquennial Review, visit the QQR7 webpage.

These resources may not be fully accessible for all users. If you need copies in a different or more accessible format, please contact Communications@jncc.gov.uk.

Resource type Publication

Topic category Biota

Reference date 2025·12·18

Lineage
Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 are reviewed every 5 years.

Responsible organisation
Communications, JNCC distributor

Limitations on public access No limitations

Use constraints Available under the Open Government Licence 3.0

Metadata date 2025·12·18

Metadata point of contact
Communications, JNCC

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