With the current focus of Brexit falling on the economic and social impact, it's perhaps easy sometimes to lose sight of the environmental threats that were previously the centre of attention and have not gone away. The threats posed by Brexit should not be underestimated, but alongside this we should also not forget the scale of the risks that stem from a continued decline in biodiversity or continued rise in global emissions. 

Farmers farm the environment, and without soil biodiversity and without pollinators, there is no long-term future for farming. And if we don’t play our part in the global action needed, we risk gambling away our own prosperity along with that of future generations. The environment is not an 'either/or'; it is fundamental to our economic prosperity and our health and well-being.

As a Government, we are absolutely committed to full implementation of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. The evidence from Wales’s first 'The State of Natural Resources' report is clear that the environmental challenges we face require transformational action. Evidence locally and globally shows that taking small, incremental steps will no longer do. The continued decline in terrestrial biodiversity brings this home in abundance. In Wales’s first natural resources policy, we set out that reversing the decline in biodiversity and improving ecosystem resilience is a challenge on a par with climate change. This is why reversing this decline will be central to my approach.

Our highest quality natural environments must rightly be at the heart of our approach to nature recovery and they represent key habitats from which we must grow our biodiversity. The evidence shows that maintaining the status quo is not an option. We must ensure action on green infrastructure, and that green engineering is mainstreamed across everything we do. We must also look at action like the reintroduction of native species, where it is sensible to do so.

We all recognise that we have world-class parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, and my second priority is to work with the national parks and AONBs to enhance the value of nature for people across Wales. Our national parks and AONBs are central to enhancing the understanding of the value of our natural landscapes. They have a key educational role to play, which is also about helping people to explore and use those resources sustainably to ensure environmental, social and economic benefit. 

I am therefore calling on our national parks and AONBs to be exemplars on the sustainable management of natural resources, particularly on biodiversity, trees and woodlands, but also in contributing to the delivery of appropriate solutions of the right scale to improve resource efficiency and decarbonisation in those areas. The projects under our sustainable management scheme now show what is possible. I do recognise that the national parks and AONBs face a funding challenge, and that's why I've already allocated £3.4 million in additional funding.

My third priority is fundamental to the progress we must make: increasing the number of trees and woodlands in Wales. Forestry is already an important industry in Wales, both in its own right and as part of our world-class outdoor recreation offer, but our woodland resources are not sufficient or resilient enough to be sustainable, and this is a barrier to making progress environmentally and economically. To unlock commercial opportunities, particularly in a rapidly decarbonising economy, having diverse forestry and timber as a resource is crucial if we are to retain as much as possible of the supply chain benefits here in Wales. My aim is for high-quality, biodiverse woodland that delivers both economic and environmental benefit. I recognise, however, that to achieve this there will need to be a transition. For the creation of new woodland, there must be a transparent, proportionate and predictable process, and I will bring to this place a refreshed woodland strategy before the summer recess.

Expanding our woodlands is only one of the ways in which we will increase the number of our trees. Hedgerows, riparian corridors, and urban trees all have a vital role to play. Glastir has played a key role in the positive results to date, but after Brexit our new land management policy will centre on public goods, and woodlands have great potential in this space.

Let’s be clear, this is not solely a priority for rural Wales; it is a priority for our urban areas too. The Llynfi project is an example of how woodland can support a wide range of benefits for communities. There is growing evidence that demonstrates how important green space is to our physical and mental health and how putting the right trees in the right locations contributes to tackling flooding and poor air quality.  

This brings me to my fourth priority: accelerating our action on poor air quality. I'll be making a separate, detailed statement setting out our approach on 24 April. This Government is committed to taking action on one of the biggest preventable public health issues of our time, and this commitment reinforces how action on the environment has the potential to deliver win-win benefits. 

My final priority goes to the heart of our natural resources policy’s commitment to resource efficiency. Building on our already first-class record on recycling, I want to guide us to being the best in the world. We absolutely want to continue to reduce our waste and tackle key issues like the scourge of single-use plastic, but unlocking the opportunities that becoming more resource-efficient can bring is also central to our economic action plan. I will not only be bringing forward the regulations to implement Part 4 of the environment Act, but also developing a route-map for a more resource-efficient economy.

The five priorities that I have set out today are all as equally important as one another, and in many ways inter-linked: reversing the decline in biodiversity; working with the national parks and AONBs; increasing the number of trees and woodlands; accelerating our action on air quality; and becoming the best in the world on recycling illustrate the practical action being taken on the direction set by Wales’s first natural resources policy. This is the action needed to realise the high-level aspirations and ambitions set out in previous legislative reform.

As set out by the First Minister in 'Prosperity for All', our approach is cross-Government, whether that be by me working with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services on the use of green spaces to improve mental and physical health; with the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport on air quality and the economic contract and opportunities for green growth in areas like timber in construction; or with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance on the move away from a system where profit is privatised whilst the public purse picks up the cost of environmental and social impacts—all work that we have already initiated—and, of course, working with the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs on the reforms to planning policy, and using public money to deliver public goods by rewarding land managers for restoring and maintaining a healthy environment, and on a sustainable marine management policy that recognises both the importance of restoring resilient ecosystems and then securing the many benefits we gain from the marine environment. 

But action by Welsh Government alone will not be enough to address the challenges we face. The onus is on all of us to take responsibility and take action, and I want to pay tribute to the communities, organisations and individuals across the country already taking action. I welcome the initiatives in areas from Anglesey to Aberporth, who are already taking innovative action to tackle plastic pollution, and I will be undertaking a series of visits and engagements across Wales in the summer to see and discuss the work being undertaken. I want to ensure that we're working in partnership with others to empower people and remove barriers to positive action, to address our challenges and deliver on our priorities.

Empowering the public sector to take a leadership role, as we have already done in partnership with local government on recycling, is key. I intend to build on this partnership for biodiversity and will meet each local authority to discuss how they intend to implement their new legal duties in the environment Act.

The current focus on plastic shows the importance of action we can all take as individuals and organisations. There's a key role for our iconic events to play. I will be working with the organisers of major Welsh events, such as the Royal Welsh Show and the Eisteddfod, to see how we can use our world-renowned events as a platform for action.

Lastly, I set out up front that the environment is a value that runs through our collective approach. This is a value that we have in common with the EU’s environmental principles that recognise the importance of the environment, not just as a home to nature, but a key determinant of our health as individuals, of the resilience of our communities, and the long-term viability of our economy. I understand the worry that's been expressed at losing the EU standards and environment principles currently in place. 

We are committed to non-regression on environmental principles and standards, and are fully committed to not only maintaining current EU standards, but to continuing to improve upon them. And as we made clear in the debate on our continuity Bill, we will work to close the environmental governance gap caused by leaving the EU at the first proper legislative opportunity. But this must be done in a way that works with, and builds upon, rather than cuts across the internationally recognised primary legislation that we have put in place in Wales, which is unique within the UK.

I am proud of the fact that we are internationally recognised as a values based, environmentally conscious nation. In the twenty-first century, those values are increasingly at the heart of the most successful brands and will be fundamental to our ability to compete internationally. As a nation, we have the natural resources, the track record, and the ability to realise the opportunities of the transition we face. In setting out the priorities for environmental action today, we recognise that it's not a nice to have, but an investment in our nation’s future.