Wales faces ‘extraordinary challenge’ to meet 2030 nature targets

Wales is facing an “extraordinary challenge” in meeting global targets to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2030, according to a new Senedd report set to be debated this week.

The Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure (CCEI) Committee has published a critical assessment of the Welsh Government’s progress in tackling nature loss. While praising strong policy ambitions, it warns that insufficient implementation and lack of resources are undermining delivery.

The report follows the Welsh Government’s 2021 declaration of a ‘nature emergency’, made in response to widespread biodiversity declines attributed to human activity. Scientists warn that the planet is entering a sixth mass extinction event, with Wales performing among the worst globally on biodiversity indicators.

Wales is currently ranked 224th out of 240 countries on the Natural History Museum’s Biodiversity Intactness Index. Species at risk of extinction include the Fen Orchid, Water Vole and Sand Lizard.

Pressures on biodiversity in Wales stem from a wide range of sources, including pollution, climate change, some agricultural and woodland management practices, over-exploitation, and invasive non-native species.

Despite the severity of the crisis, the committee has found that many of the Welsh Government’s existing plans and programmes are not being adequately delivered. It states that achieving the international commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 “will be an extraordinary challenge.”

The UK, including Wales as a devolved government, is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed at COP15. The framework sets targets for 2030 and 2050, including the ambition to protect 30% of land, water and sea for nature by 2030 — commonly known as “30 by 30”.

In Wales, the policy landscape includes a number of statutory duties and environmental designations, such as those under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. However, the CCEI Committee has stressed that a real step-change in action and investment is now required.

Looking ahead, a new Environment Bill is expected to be introduced in June. It is anticipated to include legally binding biodiversity targets, a nature recovery framework, environmental principles, and the creation of a new governance body to oversee environmental performance by public authorities.

The Committee’s report adds to growing pressure on ministers to deliver the Bill and to ensure the necessary structures and funding are in place to respond to the nature emergency.