4. What steps will the Welsh Government take to halt and reverse biodiversity loss? OAQ53864

10. Will the Minister outline what actions the Welsh Government is taking to promote biodiversity? OAQ53839

Thank you. Presiding Officer, I understand that you've given your permission for questions 4 and 10 to be grouped.

Halting and reversing biodiversity in Wales requires transformational change, and this Welsh Government is determined to be the catalyst. Our focus now must be on building on the actions already under way. We will build on the action we are doing through major new policies, including our Wales marine plan, a refreshed nature recovery action plan, a national forest for Wales, and a new system of support for farming post Brexit.

I welcome that response. As many others, I'm a species champion. I'm the species champion for lapwing here in the Assembly, and we know that we've gone from 7,500 breeding pairs within Wales since the 1980s to now fewer than 700, despite good work by people such as the Wildlife Trusts and others. The IPBES report shows the scale of the challenge, and we do face—. Whichever way you want to frame it, it is a crisis, it is an emergency, and it's not a new one. It's one that we've faced repeatedly through successive Governments as well, at a UK and a Wales level.

One appeal that I would make to the Minister in seeking to galvanise her and seeking to help her in terms of discussions with Cabinet colleagues is that we should try and address climate change and biodiversity together. Whilst they will have separate strands, there is a great deal of overlap in this, and too often within Government we've done one or the other and focused from time to time. Both need to be done together.

Secondly, and recognising the good work that the Government is doing already, about how we're going to need to step this up, and recognising that we have a progressive Minister here in front of us, could I suggest—just make some suggestions? And the First Minister, I hope, will be listening, so I'm adding to her strength here around the Cabinet table. We will need to look at the resources going forward and increasing the resources towards funding of halting and reversing biodiversity loss and the loss of nature. We will need to commit, carte blanche, to say that we will restore, enhance, connect all our important habitats, and actively invest in the recovery of species. We may need to consider legal targets for nature's recovery. We will need to look at ramping up step change in sustainable biodiversity-based food systems within Wales, and all that brings with it, and using nature-based solutions in a real, meaningful way, as highlighted in the IPBES report. 

You do now need to ask a question.

Indeed. Could I then ask, after those helpful suggestions—? Diolch, Llywydd. I'm sorry. I've tested your patience. Could I then ask: would she explore with Cabinet colleagues radical action that could include using our tax-varying powers in Wales to look at banning, taxing or even putting environmental levies on environmental bads to fund environmental goods? 

Thank you, Huw Irranca-Davies, for your helpful comments and, certainly, your help with my ministerial colleagues. Certainly, I don't think that I need any help with the First Minister. As I said in my answer to Leanne Wood, the First Minister, from the day that he came into post, has made it very clear that climate change and biodiversity—and I think you're quite right, it is a twin-track approach—is one of his top priorities. Certainly, as we go through the budget process, biodiversity is a theme that will be looked at very closely, alongside all colleagues who are making budget agreements and policies, going forward.

You will have heard me say that the report was deeply concerning, but, as I say, there was a positive element to it, in the fact that it's not too late to do that. You do make two very helpful suggestions. The one about legal targets: I remember when the environment Act was going through this place about four or five years ago, it was looked at whether an introduction of biodiversity targets into that Bill would be an effective method of improving biodiversity in Wales. But, I think that it was decided that it would not—that, in fact, it could have a perverse outcome. So, that wasn't the way forward.

In relation to using our new tax-raising powers, again, I can give full consideration to that, along with my colleague the Minister for Finance, as to whether that would give us an opportunity. We've already got the landfill disposals tax scheme, which the Member will be aware of, and we've seen some significant funding going into those schemes to help in that way. 

Thank you, Minister. I, too, wanted to ask a question on the IPBES report, and note your earlier answers. I think the fact that so many of us have asked questions around biodiversity today shows just how important the topic is to all of us. So, I would like to ask you about how you intend to retain and enhance environmental protections derived from the EU. I know that the RSPB has mentioned creating a strong, independent watchdog to receive and act on citizens' complaints, and the need to guarantee that our laws are as strong, or are stronger than, as a member of the EU. So, what are your thoughts on this?

Thank you for that question. Certainly, I've made it very clear that we don't want to see any diminishment of our environmental protections that we've had in the EU. If anything, we want to enhance them. The Member will be aware that we are out to consultation on governance and principles at the current time. That consultation closes on 9 June. I would encourage everybody to put forward their responses. Certainly, I am working with stakeholders and seeking their views and advice in relation to post Brexit.

You will be aware of the ministerial round-table that I have, and the RSPB are a member of my round-table. They've certainly mentioned that we could look at a strong, independent watchdog. Clearly, there are organisations in place at the current time that could look at that, but we want to ensure that there's no gap from leaving the EU. So, when we have the consultation responses, and we've had a chance to consider those, then we will be able to come forward with whether we think that that is actually the way forward. But, certainly, there has to be somewhere where citizens can go, post Brexit, if they can't go to the European court like they can at the current time.

Minister, the red squirrel is the species that I'm the species champion of, and I'm very fortunate to have a good red squirrel population in the Clocaenog forest in my own constituency and, indeed, a breeding centre in the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay. But the red squirrel population has fallen to about 1,500 red squirrels across Wales at the moment. Most of them are on the isle of Anglesey. I've been fortunate enough to have visited the projects both in Anglesey and in Clocaenog, and I know that one of the challenges that the projects face is the continuity of funding from one project to the next. So I wonder what action the Welsh Government can take in order that there can be a more sustainable approach to funding for the core activities of organisations like the Clocaenog Red Squirrel Trust and the Red Squirrels Trust Wales, which has undertaken some very important work in protecting this iconic species here in Wales.

Thank you. I'm very pleased, Llywydd, that I brought my list of species champions for Assembly Members this afternoon. I'm obviously very aware of the red squirrel population in the forest that the Member refers to. NRW are working very closely with the Red Squirrels Trust Wales through their Red Squirrels United project, and that's really engaged a significant number of volunteers to establish the Clocaenog Red Squirrel Trust. Obviously funding is an issue that I have to look at on a case-by-case basis. I want to make as many projects like this as I can sustainable, so we will be looking at that in the next round of sustainable management grants.