I also welcome this report on the state of nature, a report that has been brought together by over 50 nature groups, and the second important report to provide an evidence base on the state of our natural world and also provide a basis for doing something about it and for making decisions in Wales. As Simon said, it is not comfortable reading in parts, but there is a need for the Government to take action on the outcomes that are noted in this report.

Some of these are very serious. Even though Wales is home to over 50,000 species, the diversity of those species and the breadth of natural and semi-natural habitats have declined substantially, with a number of species that are important culturally and ecologically having disappeared completely. I do agree with Simon that one of the most significant statistics in the report is that one out of every 14 species in Wales is facing extinction. How are we going to explain to the next generation that they will never see the nightingale, the corn bunting or the turtle dove in Wales?

Nature has an innate value itself and is also vital for our well-being. Maintaining a healthy ecosystem is vital to sustain our way of life, and a strong natural environment provides a basis for our society and our economy. But, as well as showing where the problems are, this report also gives an idea of how to take action. In Wales, as everywhere else, climate change has led to habitat loss, soil exhaustion, and more flooding and more drought. Agriculture and the agricultural sector are vital to Wales and there is a need to ensure a sustainable future for the sector following the decision to leave the European Union.

The authors of this report call on governments here and in the UK to consider the findings of this report when drawing up farming schemes in the future. The environment Act provides a framework for cutting carbon emissions and a statutory target of cutting emissions 80 per cent by 2050, but Plaid Cymru acknowledges that climate change is the greatest threat to humanity, and we have to continue to hold the Welsh Government to account so that their policies contribute towards this target. There is a need, as Simon said, to implement the environment Act and the well-being of future generations Act, and that needs to be a main priority for the Government if we’re going to reverse this decline in our natural world.

So, there is a need for solutions from the Welsh Government to two important questions. What difference will these Acts make in the way that the Government takes action, including departments across Government? What difference will we see at a grass-roots level through the policies that the Government will bring forward as a result of these Acts? The legislative framework is in place to protect and develop our wildlife—we now need to see action at a grass-roots level.