Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 7:21 pm on 5 June 2019.
I was very pleased today to sponsor the World Environment Day event here at the Senedd, raising the importance of taking urgent action to address the ecological crisis we face, in order to restore nature in Wales. As we've heard, Welsh nature is in a fragile state. Half of Welsh wildlife is in decline, and hundreds of species are threatened with extinction. To address those biodiversity declines in Wales, we must ensure that our land and seas are managed to support nature's recovery and that nature is put at the very heart and core of Government here. Dirprwy Lywydd, providing the right policies to address this must involve rewilding, and it should be viewed as one of the conservation management tools we use to address this ecological crisis. For example, restoring peat bogs or allowing the natural regeneration of woodlands. But we must also recognise that some habitats and species, such as curlew—a ground nesting bird—favour open habitat, and so require active management through grazing. That is the balance that we must strike.