The global target, to halt the loss of nature by 2030, looms ever closer. With one in six species in Wales threatened with extinction, and only five years to get nature recovery on track to meet the target, this article explores efforts to protect biodiversity.
This is ahead of a Senedd debate on the Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure (CCEI) Committee’s critical report on Welsh Government progress in tackling nature loss.
Nature continues to decline
The Senedd declared a ‘nature emergency’ in 2021 - in recognition of human induced declines in biodiversity.
Scientists say we are entering the sixth mass extinction event in the Earth’s history, and the first linked to human activity. Wales is ranked 224 out of 240 countries on the Natural History Museum's Biodiversity Intactness Index, putting it in the bottom 10%. Species at risk of extinction in Wales include the Fen Orchid, Water Vole and Sand Lizard.
Figure 1. Species in Wales threatened with extinction - Fen Orchid, Water Vole and Sand Lizard
Pressures on biodiversity come from many sources including pollution, climate change, certain agricultural and woodland management techniques, over-exploitation and invasive non-native species.
In recent years there has been growing recognition of the critical value of nature, including its role in tackling climate change, and its benefits to people’s health and wellbeing.
Global targets are fast approaching
A couple of years ago, the UK signed up to the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity international commitment (COP15) to halt and reverse the loss of nature by 2030 and achieve recovery by 2050 (Figure 2). This means that by 2030 biodiversity should have increased from a 2020 baseline (net positive) and by 2050 “biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people”.
As a devolved area, the Welsh Government and other public bodies have a role to play.
Figure 2. The Global Biodiversity Framework target to halt and reverse the loss of nature by 2030 and achieve recovery by 2050
Source: adapted from naturepositive.org
Multiple targets contribute to the 2030 ambition, for example on species and ecosystem protection, pollution, integration of biodiversity across policy areas, and funding. The ecosystem target - to protect 30% of land, water and sea for nature by 2030 (known as ‘30 by 30’) – is a high profile ambition of the framework.
More work needed in Wales to meet biodiversity commitments
Wales is not lacking in policies to restore biodiversity. It is a complex policy landscape with many action plans, statutory duties, designations and programmes.
However, the CCEI Committee’s report highlighted a real lack of implementation of these ambitions and a need for more resource to deliver for nature. It concluded that meeting the global commitment “will be an extraordinary challenge”.
Understanding progress towards protecting 30% of land, water and sea in Wales in the face of the 2030 target is difficult.
There are a plethora of designations in Wales, including the National Site Network, nature reserves and National Parks (among others).
The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs estimates currently just under 70% of the marine area and 10.5% of the terrestrial and inland water area are considered ‘protected areas’. However, he added that in order to count towards the target, these areas need to be “meaningfully managed”.
NGOs stress the poor condition of protected areas. According to NRW’s 2020 condition assessments of features within protected sites, an estimated 20% were considered to be in favourable condition; around 30% were in unfavourable condition; and around 50% were not in a desired state.
Evidently designation is not enough.
The CCEI Committee scrutinised the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 (the ‘Act’) and its implementation as part of the inquiry. WWF Cymru referred to the legislation as “a collection of fuzzy ambitions and reporting structures that haven't really delivered much change”.
A key duty in the Act aimed at restoring nature is for public authorities to make a plan to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem resilience, and periodically report on what they have done (section 6). In September 2021, the Welsh Government commissioned research to evaluate the implementation of the section 6 duty, however it was never published. The Welsh Government promised CCEI Committee it will do so.
Audit Wales recently published research showing that almost half of public authorities included in its study have not complied with the section 6 duty to both prepare and publish a biodiversity plan. It found about a quarter of public authorities have never produced a biodiversity report. There are no consequences for public authorities that do not comply with the duty.
The Act also requires the Welsh Government to publish a Natural Resource Policy that sets out the key priorities, risks, and opportunities for managing natural resources sustainably across government. The policy must be reviewed after each Senedd election. The first Natural Resources Policy was published in 2018 and has not been reviewed since. The CCEI Committee highted environmental NGOs’ belief that the policy “has had little material impact”.
Wales Environment Link’s (WEL’s) Pathways to 2030 (September 2024) report sets out a roadmap for financing priority actions for nature recovery. It estimates additional annual expenditure of £438 million is needed to deliver these actions.
Recognising this level of investment won’t be available from the state, the importance of private investment to help address the ‘nature funding gap’ has been highlighted by both the Welsh Government and environmentalists.
The Welsh Government has consulted on an approach to responsible investment. However the CCEI Committee heard the Welsh Government has been slow to take forward this area of work. WEL told the Committee, “There is currently no clear route or timetable to support and guide appropriate conservation investment from private sources into Wales”.
Next steps - the long awaited Bill
It is clear there is more work to be done. Despite the Welsh Government’s ambitions for nature, the CCEI Committee concluded that practical implementation and resource is lacking.
The environment sector eagerly awaits a landmark Bill, expected in June, to introduce new ambitions for nature. It is anticipated this will introduce a new nature recovery framework (including biodiversity targets), environmental principles, and establish an environmental governance body to hold public authorities to account on environmental performance.
With eyes on the 2030 targets, stakeholders are advocating swift action from government to bring forward and implement this legislation as a matter of urgency to address the nature emergency.
Article by Dr Katy Orford, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament
