Fersiwn Gymraeg ar gael yma
We’ve been working hard throughout 2024 to get better decision-making for nature in the development of policy and legislation. This year we will continue to speak up for nature both in our work with the Senedd and Welsh Government and involve our campaigners to ensure that nature’s voice is heard loud and clear. Here we’ll outline some of the areas we’ll be working on in 2025.
In recent years we’ve been campaigning for the Welsh Government to bring forward a “Nature Positive Bill” and we were delighted when the Environmental Principles, Governance & Biodiversity Bill was finally included in the Government’s legislative programme last summer. The Bill will create a new environmental watchdog for Wales, bring core environmental principles into Welsh law, and introduce legally binding targets for nature’s recovery. We are continuing to discuss the development of this legislation with Welsh Government officials and Senedd Members to ensure the Bill embeds high ambition for biodiversity. We’re looking forward to it being introduced in the Senedd in late Spring.
One key biodiversity target the Welsh Government has already committed to is the target to effectively protect and manage 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 – also known as the 30 by 30 target. Over recent years the Welsh Government has led a deep dive into what this means for Wales, which RSPB Cymru has been part of. The Welsh Government committed to implement a number of recommendations, and while some important progress has been made, many key actions to improve our suites of protected areas (land and sea) have yet to be delivered and we will continue to engage and push for progress in the coming year. At the time of writing this blog we are looking forward to seeing the recommendations of the Senedd Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee following their inquiry on how Wales is set to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, which we participated in last year.
Another area to look out for again this year is farming policy. Wales is nearly there with the development of the Sustainable Farming Scheme, and we’re broadly supportive of the direction the scheme is going in but want to ensure it really is the best it can be in supporting Welsh farmers to implement the right actions in the right places to save nature. The final details of the scheme are still to be ironed out in the coming months, including which actions and advice will be available and crucially how the budget will be allocated between Scheme layers to ensure that it will be an effective means of helping farmers meet Wales’ biodiversity targets as well as tackling climate change and producing food sustainably.
A growing need to accelerate efforts to meet our climate targets means increasing the development of renewable energy sources on land and at sea. Nature itself has some of the solutions. Habitats like woodlands and peatlands are vital to help us not only mitigate but adapt to the impacts of climate change. But nature can also be a victim of inappropriately sited developments, so it’s important that the planning system protects our most important places for nature. There has been welcome progress with the added Planning Policy Wales protections for protected sites, along with the introduction of Net Benefit for Biodiversity requirements which mean all developments must deliver biodiversity enhancements. We look forward to working with Welsh Government to develop supporting guidance for these policies to ensure we get the best deal for nature.
Another area where we would like to see Welsh Government develop a more strategic approach to planning is in the marine environment. At present we are lacking the spatial approach which applies on land, so we are actively working with Welsh Government on its independent review of marine planning in Wales, with a focus on improving this.
This year, we are hoping to be able to celebrate the launch of the first Wales Seabird Conservation Strategy, which the Welsh Government has been working to develop in recent years. To ensure protection and recovery of our internationally important populations of seabirds, it is essential that the strategy is adequately funded to deliver the actions it identifies. It is vital that the limited places in which these birds breed are protected, and establishing a long-term solution for the biosecurity of our seabird islands around the Welsh coastline is an essential part of this.
In the coming months, we look forward to the swift brick petition being considered for debate by the Senedd, and the opportunity that may bring to help one of our most rapidly declining birds. The petition calls on the Welsh Government to mandate developers to install swift bricks in new builds in Wales. Thanks to fantastic support from our nature campaigners, the Petition closed at the end of last year with nearly 11,000 signatures.
We’re also hoping that the next few months will bring into force, the long-awaited restrictions on the use of lead ammunition. Over 7,000 tonnes of it is scattered into the environment every year in the UK, killing up to 100,000 waterbirds, so we’re supporting the call for the UK Government to work with Welsh Government and other devolved administrations to ban its use.
2025 is going to be a busy year in the world of nature policy and campaigns in Wales and we look forward to keeping you informed, involved and enthused about the ways in which we can work together to improve our country for people and nature.