New law to better protect nature passed in Wales

The Welsh Government has passed a new law which aims to better protect nature and reverse the loss of wildlife in the country.

The bill will see a new organisation created that will hold the government and officials to account on their efforts to protect the environment.

It also hopes to stop biodiversity decline by increasing the number of native species and strengthening ecosystems.

Conservation charities have welcomed the news, calling it a "huge win for Wales' nature."

The new law, called the Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) Wales bill, aims to help the environment in a few different ways.

A new organisation will be set up that will investigate complaints from the public in future.

Called the Office of Environmental Governance Wales (OEGW), it will look into the performance of Welsh government as well as public authorities and some private firms such as water companies that operate in Wales.

OEGW will also providing guidance and support on improving environmental performance.

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

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

"With one in five species at risk of extinction and communities across Wales already feeling the effects of more frequent floods, heatwaves and wildfires, this legislation gives us the tools we need to act decisively," Mr Irranca-Davies added.

Conservation and nature charities have welcomed the new law.

Alexander Phillips, from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Cymru, said seeing the legislation get passed was "a significant milestone."

After "almost a decade of effort", the new law would "align Wales with international biodiversity commitments," he said.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Cymru's Annie Smith added that 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 explained.