Straying into the realms of petitions…….

Members may be interested in this petition which is being organised by Rob Parry
of Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru, and it’s to urge the Welsh Goverment to include Biodiversity in the remit of NRW.  It’s not specifically included at present. Link below:

https://www.assembly.wales/en/gethome/e-petitions/Pages/petitiondetail.aspx?PetitionID=1621

The text of the petition is:

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.

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. 

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