P-05-941 Biodiversity Remit for NRW

P-05-941 Biodiversity Remit for NRW

Completed

 

P-05-941 Biodiversity Remit for NRW

This petition was submitted by Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC) having collected 873 signatures online and 322 on paper, a total of 1,195 signatures.

 

Text of Petition                      

The Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC) is calling on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to explicitly include ‘Biodiversity’ when setting their strategic remit to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) for 2020 / 2021 and in future. Specifically the remit should include:

• NRW will ensure that biodiversity is central to its core purpose of pursuing sustainable management of natural resources by:

1. Working towards an overall improvement in the status of Welsh wildlife and preventing or at least minimising the risk of any further extinctions as a consequence of human activities.

2. Establishing sustainable, bigger and less fragmented areas for wildlife, this should initially focus on the consolidation and extensions to existing National Nature Reserves and other protected areas, followed by the establishment of new areas.

3. Prioritising the need to obtain favourable or recovering status for conservation features on all statutory nature conservation sites (SPAs, SACs, SSSIs and NNRs).

4. Developing and improving an effective network of Marine Protected Areas which are sufficient to ensure the adequate protection of marine life and sustainable fisheries around Wales.

5. Ensure that more people are actively engaged with biodiversity issues, and aware of the significance of biodiversity to their health and wellbeing.

 

Additional Information

Since the inauguration of NRW six years ago, there has been a steady and noticeable deterioration in Wales’ commitment toward biodiversity and nature conservation. Wales has been described as one of the most nature depleted areas of the world having already caused the extinction of many of its native plant and animal species. A great number of the species that do remain are now rare or threatened, surviving in fragments of their often isolated habitats.

 

INCC believes that the people of Wales and the wildlife they share their community with deserve better. Greater commitment from Welsh Government and NRW is required if Wales is to stand any chance of reversing the declines in biodiversity and preventing further wildlife extinctions from occurring.

 

An effective way of demonstrating this commitment toward reversing the decline in biodiversity would be to ensure that the Welsh Government explicitly includes ‘Biodiversity’ as part of the NRW strategic remit.

 

Given the continued losses to wildlife and the perceived lack of prioritisation toward nature conservation within NRW, it is clear that ‘Biodiversity’ cannot simply remain as an implied part of NRW’s functions. It has to be made explicit and given the appropriate prioritisation.

 

If there is no change, future wildlife extinctions in Wales are inevitable.

 

A petition handover

 

 

Status

This petition was considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 17/11/2020/

 

The Committee considered an update on the petition and agreed to write to the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee to draw attention to the petition and the evidence received to date in the context of their inquiry into Biodiversity and Rewilding in Wales and, in doing so, close the petition and thank the petitioner.

 

Full details of the consideration of this petitions by the committee and related documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.

It was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 25/02/2020.

 

 

Assembly Constituency and Region

  • Carmarthen East a Dinefwr
  • Mid and West Wales

 

Further information

 

Business type: Petition

Reason considered: Senedd Business;

Status: Complete

First published: 14/02/2020