Targets and watchdog for nature as Senedd passes new law

A new law designed to reverse the loss of wildlife and better protect nature in Wales has been passed in the Senedd.

It will lead to legally-binding targets on boosting biodiversity, similar to those already in place for tackling climate change.

A new organisation is to be created too to hold the Welsh government and public bodies to account on their efforts to protect the environment.

The plans have been in development ever since the vote to leave the EU and environmental campaigners said seeing them get passed was a "significant milestone".

In recent years the Welsh government has faced criticism for the time it has taken to plug what has been seen as a gap in environmental protections after Brexit.

People used to be able to complain free of charge to the European Commission if they felt their government and its public bodies were not doing enough to abide by green laws and protect nature.

It could decide to investigate on their behalf and force member states to take action - notable examples involving Wales included addressing emissions of harmful pollutants from Aberthaw coal-fired power station in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The new Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) Wales bill creates an independent watchdog to investigate citizens' complaints in future.

Called the Office of Environmental Governance Wales (OEGW), it will look into the performance of Welsh government, public authorities and some private firms like water companies operating in Wales too.

While it would start by providing guidance and support on improving environmental performance or meeting targets, it would have the power to take court action if needed.

The UK government set up an independent Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) in 2021 to carry out a similar role for England and Northern Ireland, while the Scottish government established Environmental Standards Scotland in the same year.

A major review of the state of the Welsh environment recently warned of "polluted rivers, failing soils" and "collapsing wildlife" - with one in five species at risk of extinction.

The new bill will also pave the way for new targets on halting declines in nature, with the aim for there to be "clear recovery" by 2050.

WWF Cymru's Alexander Phillips said seeing the legislation get passed was "a significant milestone".

After "almost a decade of effort", the new law would "recover some of what has been missing since we left the EU and aligns Wales with international biodiversity commitments," he said.

"It will now be for the next Welsh government to pick up this baton and deliver a strong set of biodiversity targets no later than the spring of 2028 and ensure the strategies needed to deliver them are in place."

RSPB Cymru's Annie Smith said recent reports had "laid bare the scale of wildlife loss in Wales, along with serious underinvestment and failures in how our natural world is protected".

"This new framework must drive urgent action to reverse that decline and the deterioration of our environment – nature can't wait any longer," she said.

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said it was "a landmark step forward for Wales" with the climate and nature emergences "intensifying around us".

The Labour minster, with responsibility for climate change, told the Senedd the new law represented "a significant moment in our determination to protect and enhance Wales' environment for this and future generations".

Plaid Cymru's climate spokesperson Delyth Jewell said she looked forward "to seeing how the bill and further legislation will strengthen the voice of our communities and ensure a cleaner, healthier Wales for everyone".

But Reform MS James Evans said he would vote against the bill, which offered "arbitrary targets" and "a new, ill-defined, costly quango".

"This bill will cost £34m to deliver, money that would be far better spent on our frontline services," he said.