This debate is a stark reminder of the challenges facing the natural environment, not only in Wales, but in the seas and oceans that border our country. The threats facing these fragile marine ecosystems, and the steps we can take to mitigate their effect, will be the focus of my contribution today. After all, we should never forget that Welsh territorial waters occupy an area equivalent to our country itself. As ‘State of Nature 2016 Wales’ reminds us, these seas are rich in a variety of marine life, occupying an important position at the boundary of three oceanic climate zones and possessing a large tidal range. Different species have undergone different experiences over the period the report explores. According to long-term data trends, 34 per cent of marine vertebrate and 38 per cent of marine plant species have declined. For marine invertebrates, the long-term decline is even more worrying, with three out of four species affected, although I am glad that this trend is lessened in the short-term data. Comparison with the ‘State of Nature 2016 UK’ report shows similar patterns, with steep declines for marine invertebrates, in particular, again being evidenced. Reading this report in connection with the Welsh document also suggests that the success of marine vertebrates is largely driven by increases in fish numbers.

Positive actions around conservation are having beneficial outcomes, as the report highlights, and monitoring and research in particular are important tools in understanding species behaviour and tackling issues arising from human interactions. It is good news that the globally important grey seal population on Ramsey island is experiencing the highest recorded levels of pup births, and that measures are already in hand to make sure no disruption is caused by tidal turbine technology. This is crucial, as we are still catching up in terms of tackling the impact of other human activities on the seas around Wales, and examples given in the report include unsustainable commercial fishing, development, the introduction of non-native species and inputs of contaminants and nutrients.

The UK report also mentions the impact of global warming, with changes in sea temperature leading to large numbers of species showing problematic northward drifts in their distribution. Cold-water species are decreasing in numbers, but warm-adapted species that move north frequently encounter food sources that are not sufficient for their need.

Brexit will also pose significant challenges to our approach to marine policy. The EU marine strategy framework directive, created to improve the health of our seas, set a target for Governments to take action to manage the human pressures on our waters to achieve good environmental status, creating seas that are healthy, productive, and—crucial in terms of this debate—biologically diverse. I would support the call from Wales Environment Link and other stakeholders for the Welsh Government to maintain its ambition for meeting the strategy framework by 2020, and hope this could be integrated into the Wales national marine plan when the Cabinet Secretary brings her proposals forward. Similarly, the work around marine protected areas must take account of our secession from Europe, and fisheries policy will be a third policy area affected by our leaving the European Union, where it is important we strike a sustainable balance.

We have a duty to protect the diversity of our marine environment, but if we do not do so, we could also lose out on opportunities that could prove useful for the Welsh economy. ‘Future Trends in the Celtic Seas’, an important new report published today by the WWF, suggests that, combined, the seas are worth £15 billion a year to the UK, Irish and French economies and support around 400,000 jobs. I have spoken previously about the sheer challenge of overcoming our nature deficit disorder, where children and young people in Wales consider themselves to have a weaker connection to the natural world than their peers in Northern Ireland, Scotland, or even London, and I would ask us again to consider how we could link these to a serious understanding of the importance of our marine environment.

This report is a warning of our need to do more, but, as David Attenborough reflects in the foreword to the UK state of nature report, this should give us hope too. Action was taken following the publication of the 2013 report, and I hope that clear measures will follow, in turn, from this.