Note: this page refers to activities specific to the implementation of the CBD in Wales. Information on activities relevant to the implementation of the CBD across the UK, including those of relevance to Wales, can be found here.
Relevant Government Bodies
Environmental issues, including biodiversity conservation issues, have broadly been devolved from the UK Government to the Welsh Government. Within the Welsh Government; the Economy, Skills and Natural Resources Group leads on the implementation of the CBD in Wales.
Natural Resources Wales is an arms-length public body of the Welsh Government whose purpose is to pursue the sustainable management of Wales’ natural resources. Within its wide remit it is responsible for advising and regulating on matters relating to biodiversity in Wales.
Relevant Government Policies
The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 aims to further the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of present and future generations of Wales. The act sets out a series of well-being goals which public bodies are required to work towards including ‘A nation which maintains and enhances a biodiverse natural environment with healthy functioning ecosystems that support social, economic and ecological resilience and the capacity to adapt to change (for example climate change)’. These wellbeing goals require public bodies to think longer-term to take a more joined-up approach to preventing societal problems.
The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 sets out how Wales will plan and manage natural resources (including biodiversity) in a sustainable way. It explicitly links sustainable management of natural resources with the achievement of the well-being goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. In doing so, it enshrines the principles of the CBD in Welsh law. This includes requiring Natural Resources Wales to pursue the ecosystem approach across all its functions.
The Welsh Government has published ‘The Nature Recovery Plan for Wales: Setting the Course for 2020 and beyond’. The plan aims to support Wales’ biodiversity and consists of three parts. Part 1 ‘Our Strategy for Nature’ sets out how Wales will implement the CBD through the commitments and provisions of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. The Welsh Government designates Part 1 as its national biodiversity strategy. Part 2 sets out the actions required to meet the objectives of Part 1 (i.e. an implementation plan), while Part 3 sets out the governance structures for the plan.
The Welsh Government has also produced an ‘Action Plan for Pollinators’ which further contributes to the implementation of the CBD.
Reporting
In 2016 the Welsh Government published the State of Natural Resources Report. This was a statutory requirement of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. The report assesses the extent to which Welsh natural resources are being sustainably managed and provides an assessment of the state of biodiversity in Wales. The report links the resilience of Welsh natural resources to the well-being of the people of Wales.
Section 10 of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires Welsh Ministers to set national indicators to measure progress towards the achievement of the national well-being goals (as stated in the act). The resulting 46 indicators include ones relevant to measuring the progress of CBD implementation within Wales.
Additional information about biodiversity in Wales is also available from the Wales Biodiversity Partnership website.