Fantastic news to share with you today as the National Assembly for Wales passed a landmark piece of legislation yesterday (Tuesday 17 March) for the people and wildlife of Wales. The Well-being of Future Generations (WFG) Bill will create a legal basis for defining and delivering sustainable development in Wales, and create a better quality of life for future generations.
We are especially pleased that the Bill recognises the importance of wildlife and nature to human well-being. What will be critical now is how the Bill is put into practice and the commitment Welsh Government shows in order to make the change needed with the support of a new Future Generations Commissioner. The recent State of Nature Report showed us that over 3,000 UK assessed species had declined by more than 60% over the last 50 years. The WFG Bill places a duty of sustainable development on public sector bodies in Wales, including on the Welsh Government itself and local authorities. From now on, public bodies will be required by law to ensure that they contribute through their ways of working, to meeting the commitment to halt the biodiversity decline by 2020, and to aid the recovery of biodiversity.
To read more about the WFG Bill please go to http://gov.wales/newsroom/environmentandcountryside/2015/bill-to-shape-wales-future-for-next-generation-set-to-become-law/?lang=en