The following amendments have been selected: amendments 1 and 2 in the name of Darren Millar.

The next item is item 7, the Plaid Cymru debate on climate and biodiversity, and I call on Delyth Jewell to move the motion. 

Motion NDM7725 Siân Gwenllian

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the Senedd’s declaration of a climate emergency in 2019.

2. Notes that the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will meet this autumn to agree to a global biodiversity framework.

3. Believes there should be parity between actions taken by the Welsh Government to tackle climate change and those taken to tackle biodiversity loss.

4. Recognises the need to close the environmental governance gap created by our departure from the EU.

5. Declares a nature emergency.

6. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) introduce legally binding requirement to reverse biodiversity loss through statutory targets;

b) legislate to establish an independent environmental governance body for Wales.

Motion moved.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. When we think of the natural world, we think about abundance, don't we—lush forests, epic mountainsides, roaring rivers. But the natural world is made up of co-dependent ecosystems, food chains and habitats that interweave and interconnect, and once you start to chip away at any part of it, it has an indelible impact on the whole.

Plaid Cymru has brought forward today's debate because we believe there is a nature emergency that co-exists alongside the climate emergency, and that unless we tackle these crises together, we will not overcome either. But, Dirprwy Lywydd, whilst we have targets for carbon emissions, there is no corresponding mechanism for nature, no targets to track how we will limit and reverse biodiversity loss. And just on that point, I'd like to take a step out for a moment of talking just about figures, targets, acronyms or technical words that can make some people switch off. What we're talking about is plant life, animal life, the beauty that makes our nation and our world magnificent, the stuff that makes poets compose poems, that makes musicians sing and soar, the land we have inherited and which we hope to pass on to future generations. It's something worth fighting for. It's something worth preserving, nurturing, ensuring we retain and celebrate it.

But, to go back to those targets, because they play an important role—targets set the tone and track—how does that landscape look internationally? The Convention on Biological Diversity targets lapsed in 2020; they were global targets to reverse wildlife loss and decline in the natural environment, and the UN confirmed that we had all failed miserably to achieve them. And when you miss a target like that, it doesn't stand still—that loss, that decline, continues apace. The situation gets worse. We now have an obligation to reset biodiversity targets and to back those up with investment, with plans for nature-based solutions, projects to centre on species recovery and changes that will prioritise healthy green and blue habitats across Wales.

Today, I am proud to have with me my species champion badge: I am the species champion for the shrill carder bee, one of many species in Wales that have seen their numbers dwindle over the past few decades. Because of a loss of habitat, wildflower meadows being built on or cut back, the numbers of this bee found in Wales and England have declined by 90 per cent since the 1970s. The Gwent levels in my region has now one of the only populations found in these islands, which is why it's so important that the Gwent levels and other sites of special scientific interest aren't used for solar farms or, indeed, roads. It's why the work that the Friends of the Gwent Levels is doing is so important.

Now, the shrill carder bee is sadly far from being alone in being a species at risk. The 2019 state of nature report found that one in six species in Wales is at risk of extinction. That's 10 per cent of our plants, 36 per cent of mammals and 5 per cent of invertebrates like butterflies, snails and bees. And, again, I know we can all sometimes get lost or overwhelmed in the figures, the percentages, and listening to these lists—what this means is that entire ecosystems are put at risk. Species of butterfly have declined by 52 per cent in Wales since 1976, and mammals like the red squirrel and water voles are at risk of disappearing. Hedgehog populations have declined by 60 per cent since 1995, within my lifetime, and there's been a 71 per cent decline in the stunning greenfinch. Now, since the 1970s, 73 species have been lost in Wales; they have gone, and the rate of that extinction is accelerating.

Now, these catastrophes, these desolations—they're down to us. Nature loss is driven by human activity like agricultural management, the urbanisation of our landscapes, river pollution, air pollution, woodland management. Yes, there are other factors: climate change—which, again, we contribute to—as well as invasive non-native species. But, just as we contribute towards the decline, so too do we suffer as a result. Nature provides us with our sustenance and our food, our energy and our medicines. The 'Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services', which, again, is a long title, but it recognises that nature loss contributes to poverty, to public health and conflict. And I would add to that list intergenerational unfairness. We are robbing future generations of species they might never get to share a world with. We're taking away a sense of wonder, of joy, from this planet, not to mention the question of morality that we have no right to destroy the natural world.

So, Dirprwy Lywydd, what needs to happen? It is high time we declared a nature emergency in Wales, and, as our motion sets out, in that declaration's wake, the Welsh Government as a result must introduce legally binding targets to reverse biodiversity loss and to begin to plan how to recover what has been lost. We are also calling on the Welsh Government to introduce legislation to establish an independent governance body for Wales. Now, I note that the Conservative amendment calls for co-operation and, of course, co-operation is vital on this issue, but this crisis cannot be tackled on a UK basis. The UK Environment Bill talks of an office of environmental protection for England and Northern Ireland only. Scotland has its own environmental standards body. We in Wales need to introduce our own primary legislation, our own governance structure, so the Welsh Government must introduce a nature Bill, an environmental governance Bill—whatever you choose to call it, make it work, make it cover nature targets, make it establish a robust governance body to replace the protections we lost with our departure from the EU, make sure that this crisis is tackled through all ministerial portfolios, particularly agriculture, as well as climate change, and please ensure that public bodies can be held to account if they act in ways that aren't in keeping with reversing biodiversity loss.

Visit Wales makes much of our spectacular scenery in its advertising, and it uses the slogan 'Find Your Epic'. Unless we today declare a nature emergency in Wales, unless we treat the climate and nature crises facing us with the same sense of urgency, and unless we take the steps set out in our motion to reverse the decline, there will shortly be no 'epic' to be found on our hillsides. All that beauty, all that life, all that variety will be lost. Jules Renard said:

'On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it.'

Let's make it our role to ensure that the puzzle book of nature retains its richness, that the pieces that make up this majestic jigsaw of the natural world don't get lost because we couldn't be bothered to save them.

I have selected the two amendments to the motion, and I call on Janet Finch-Saunders to move amendments 1 and 2, tabled in the name of Darren Millar.

Amendment 1—Darren Millar

Delete point 4 and replace with:

Recognises the opportunity for Wales to be a world leader on environmental governance following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union.

Amendment 2—Darren Millar

Add as new sub-point at end of point 6:

'work more closely with the UK Government on the response to the climate emergency and nature recovery.'

Amendments 1 and 2 moved.

Yes, I move the amendments, thank you, tabled in the name of Darren Millar MS.

When the Welsh Government declared a climate emergency some two years ago, we all hoped as Members that this would trigger a wave of action at home in Wales, the UK and internationally. We didn't, however, expect a series of failures to action such progress. We didn't expect a nature recovery and emergency to be overlooked. Some of those inactions include that Welsh solar photovoltaic capacity has only increased by less than 1 per cent from 2019, there were only five new hydro projects commissioned in 2019, and small private hydropower schemes are on a cliff edge now due to a Welsh Government decision to withdraw business rate relief. Despite poor air quality contributing to a reduced life expectancy and death, tallying up to the equivalent of up to 1,400 mortalities in Wales each year, we all know that the First Minister and his Government failed to deliver the manifesto-promised clean air Act. In fact, the new Minister will know that emission reductions have been dominated by the power sector, and, in particular, the closure of the Aberthaw power station. So, there is a desperate need for action across Wales. Even the report on the climate change Wales regs 2021 stated that

'rhetoric must now be met with bold and decisive action.'

We were reminded of this recently, with CCRA3 disclosing that

'26 risks from climate change in Wales have increased in urgency score.'

These include the risks to terrestrial species and habitats from pests, pathogens and invasive species, with gaps in policy such as a lack of enhanced monitoring, any surveillance and early response measures; the risk to agriculture and forestry from pests and pathogens and invasive species; the failure of the Wales animal health and welfare framework to make explicit reference to specific climate change risks or adaptation actions to manage increased risks related to pests and pathogens for kept-animal health; and the risk to marine species, habitats and fisheries from changing climactic conditions, with current policy lacking detailed actions that include specific outcomes for the marine sector, plans for progress, and reporting that recognises the scale of the climate change risks facing us.

These very recent examples should leave us in no doubt that we must now declare also a nature emergency. We must do this, when considering that the latest 'The State of Natural Resources Report' found that the overall trend is one of serious decline. As Wales Environment Link have highlighted, with such a broad range of drivers, we simply cannot address the nature emergency solely as a subsidiary of the climate emergency. In fact, climate change measures have potential to harm nature, such as the planting of trees in inappropriate places and poorly-located renewable energy infrastructure.

So, I am pleased to call for specific action on biodiversity loss. Plaid Cymru are correct; we should follow the UK Government's decision and introduce legally-binding requirements to reverse biodiversity loss through statutory targets. Similarly, Members will know from the last Senedd that I fully supported the establishment of an independent environmental governance body for Wales. Llyr Gruffydd, Mike Hedges, Jenny Rathbone and Joyce Watson will remember and understand from our past committee work that point 4 could be deemed mischievous, and that the gap was caused by long-term arrangements being placed on the back burner by the Welsh Government. So, I implore you to support amendment 1. 

Similarly, it would be mature for us all to back amendment 2 and work more closely with the UK Government on the response to the climate emergency and nature recovery. Nature knows no border on the British isles. In fact, I have great optimism that such domestic and even, potentially, international co-operation can be achieved this year, thanks to the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15. 

I'll finish by referring to the work of Jason Singh, who believes that we would pay more attention to plants if we could hear them. At Kew Gardens, he has created soundscapes based on the electrical signals generated within plants as they respond to their environment, and converted them into otherworldly soundscapes for us to hear. 'Extinction Songs' give us a voice to nature that needs positive action by us. So, I do hope that the declaration of a nature crisis today is the start of a crescendo of action to tackle these emergencies, and not a duff note, like the Welsh Government's handling of the climate crisis to date. Thank you. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.   

Can I say to Delyth Jewell, who introduced this debate in the name of Siân Gwenllian, how much I welcome this? And it feels to me as if there is now a growing not just cross-party consensus, but a real momentum behind not just the climate change crisis, but the nature crisis and the biodiversity crisis as well. And that should be encouraging to the Minister, who spoke earlier on today at an event that Llyr and others attended on how we actually protect the very best in our marine environment, as well as sustainably exploit the marine environment as well. The Minister did speak very eloquently in her remarks at that debate, but I'm really, really pleased this early in the sixth Senedd that we have this gathering momentum around doing the right thing, following the evidence, sometimes making the hard and difficult decisions, and I see the Minister here, Lee Waters, has just joined us and he'll be very familiar with that from the announcements only a week ago on the roads review as well: following the evidence, following the data for climate change, for biodiversity. 

It also, of course, falls on the back of a motion that was laid on 15 June here in this place that was co-signed by Llyr and Janet and Jane Dodds as well, which in drawing reference to COP15 coming up—the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Conference—also called then on

'Welsh Government to support a successful outcome from COP15 by making clear its support for a global target to halt and begin to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and secure substantive recovery by 2050, and to commit to reflecting this in domestic law, incorporating targets for species and habitats.'

And of course that is reflected very much in the motion in front of us today.

But the scale of what we have to do has been known for quite some time and, in fact, Welsh Government has acknowledged it too. In the refresh that they did of the nature recovery action plan, in prefatory remarks there, it acknowledged that in the post 2020 framework for the CBD's strategic plan to 2050

'very few of the 2020 Aichi targets have been achieved and that biodiversity is still in decline.'

It acknowledged that:

'The 2019 report on biodiversity and ecosystems from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services...described the loss of biodiversity as a threat of equal size to the climate emergency', which is enshrined within this motion here today. And, of course, it also flagged up the need to address the post-EU exit governance gap. And away from the political aspects of this, we know that there is that clear and pending risk of a governance gap here, as we have left the EU. This is not a political point; it's just a pragmatic reality point that we need to address, and it refers to the need to actually change the way in which we approach landscape management here, through sustainable farming as well, and we'll come to that during this Senedd.

But it also pointed to some of the urgent short-term actions. It says we need to align the responses to the climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis. That's within this motion today. I absolutely support this. It says that we need to address the post-EU exit funding gap for agri-environment measures—the Government is getting on with that; we need to support that—and that we need to provide spatial direction for action on biodiversity. It's not enough anymore to do small piecemeal fixes or pilots and so on; we need to do this at scale at large spatial dimensions, to improve the condition of the protected sites network, terrestrially and marine as well, and explore new and sustainable funding mechanisms as well, and so on.

So, we know we have to get on with this. I really welcome the wording within this about closing the environmental governance gap, about focusing on the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in the autumn, about targets, because targets are important. There are always the dangers with targets that you pick the wrong targets and you have the negative consequences, but I think we are clever enough to get through that. I really do think that. There is a commitment from the Government to do it, and that legally binding requirement to reverse biodiversity loss through those targets is important.

So, Minister, I think this debate is helpful—it genuinely is—and I look forward to the response that you bring forward, but I feel that there is a cross-party momentum now behind these sorts of changes, which is good to see. It shouldn't be seen as a threat to Government; it should be seen as a support to Government to do the right thing, follow the evidence, and sometimes take some really tough decisions as well.

I am the species champion for the twite—a small, beautiful bird, and a rare bird. But, thanks to the restoration work by agriculturists and others of the twite's habitat in Snowdonia, it appears that the species is on the rise again. So, there is hope. By planning, by doing that restorative work, and working in partnership, rare species can be revived. The situation facing nature in Wales and the world is clear to everyone, and the statistics are very sobering. Every sector, every community, and every corner of Wales will be affected very seriously by nature decline. And those who will feel the greatest impact will be our children and young people—the next generation.

Many young people are concerned about the future, and it's a duty on the Government of any nation to provide solutions, to demonstrate that the nature crisis is being taken seriously and, more importantly than anything, to set out clear steps that can be taken to overcome the situation. Through nature restoration and providing more opportunities for children to access nature, we can provide a wide range of benefits to our children and young people, in terms of their education, their health, their well-being and, most importantly, we can offer hope for the future. But we have to prevent the decline by setting statutory targets to overcome the decline of biodiversity, and then follow up on that by creating a genuine increase in biodiversity.

According to Estyn research, the majority of practitioners note that open-air education promotes engagement and enjoyment in learning. But even though there are clear advantages for children and young people emanating from their link with the natural environment, research has shown that the time that children spend on their experiences of the natural world is declining, without mentioning the fact that nature is itself declining, making it even more difficult for children and young people to enjoy the natural world. And even worse than that, the decline in nature and the lack of access to nature that emanates from that is having an impact on children living in poverty more than any other children, exacerbating social inequality and in terms of education and health.

Biodiversity is declining, there's no doubt about that, but we can do something about it. We have to safeguard the twite, we have to restore nature for the benefit of the people of Wales for the future and for the benefit of the future of Wales. So, we are calling on the Minister and the Government to do the right thing for the benefit of nature, for the benefit of education, for the benefit of the health of our children and young people and for the benefit of the next generation, and the way forward is to set out a robust framework, with a focus and a clear objective by introducing nature restoration targets. Thank you.

With the twenty-sixth UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, scheduled to be held in Glasgow under UK presidency in four months' time, this debate re-emphasises the need for parity between actions taken by the Welsh Government to tackle climate change and those taken to tackle biodiversity loss.

The Welsh Conservative amendment re-emphasises the need for Welsh Government to work more closely with the UK Government on the response to the climate emergency and nature recovery. After all, unlike football, nature knows no boundaries. Nature is in crisis across Wales. Despite Wales's stunning landscapes and beautiful scenery, wildlife in Wales is in serious decline. The 'State of Nature Report 2019' found that one in six species in Wales are threatened with extinction and the latest 'The State of Natural Resources Report' summary finds that ecosystem resilience in Wales is declining in line with global trends.

This decline is also reflected in curlew populations in Wales. As Wales's species champion for the curlew since 2016, I'm working with Gylfinir Cymru/Curlew Wales, a collaboration of Government agencies and non-governmental organisations, including the farming unions, formed to try and reverse the dire decline of curlew in Wales—an ecological umbrella or indicator species. The UK regularly hosts up to a quarter of the global curlew-breeding population and the curlew is now considered the most pressing bird conservation priority throughout Wales and the UK. Breeding numbers are in steep decline in Wales, down 44 per cent in the last decade. At current levels of decline, curlew will be extinct as a breeding population in Wales by 2033 without intervention. We've only years to save this iconic and culturally important species and its ethereal voice in the Welsh landscape.

In June 2019, I attended the first ever curlew summit at 10 Downing Street, alongside the senior ornithologist at Natural Resources Wales and Curlew Country's project manager. We heard that sufficient resource will be required to advise, encourage and assist groups of farmers to come together to deliver, monitor and champion curlew and biodiversity across landscapes, and that there is a need to understand the multiple and multispecies benefits from an ecosystem resilience, cultural and natural heritage perspective that can be delivered through curlew conservation action. We also heard that the widespread planting of conifers on uplands had led to massive habitat loss and it was not just the planted land that destroyed the birds, but the land in a large area around the forest ceased to be sustainable habitat for ground-nesting birds, as the forest provides ideal cover for predators, mostly foxes, carrion crows and badgers.

The commendable goal to increase forestry and woodland in Wales must therefore ensure that we have the right trees in the right place to genuinely protect biodiversity. The review of the wider biodiversity and ecosystem benefits of curlew recovery and applicability to Wales—a report commissioned by Natural Resources Wales—states that papers provided a diverse array of evidence showing that curlew recovery would benefit multiple species, both directly and indirectly, underpinning our understanding of curlew as an indicator species. For example, hares give birth on land surfaces, usually farmland, where the young remain motionless, not unlike the curlew, grey partridge, skylark or lapwing, which lay their eggs in a shallow scrape or nest in open farmland. Conservation actions that benefit ground-nesting birds, therefore, also appear to support, for example, hares.

Gylfinir Cymru have been working on a Wales action plan for curlew, which we hope the Welsh Government will endorse. It will identify the most important curlew areas in Wales and emphasise the importance of a well-designed, well-funded sustainable farming scheme, so that farmers can do the right thing for curlew in these places. NGOs have welcomed funding for curlew made available by Welsh Government and NRW this year, but have highlighted that NRW's procurement system and the lack of multi-year funding means that this money was not available for this breeding season, and won't be available for the next one either. It could also only be spent on capital projects, but it is people who will save curlew and nature. There's a real need to ensure good co-ordination and boots on the ground to achieve this. Nature has intrinsic value, but it also—

Can the Member conclude now, please?

—plays an important role. We need it for the food that we eat, the air that we breathe, and the water that we drink. I will conclude. The Welsh Government therefore needs show that it is serious about tackling the nature crisis by committing to introduce legislation during the first year of Government to set legally binding targets for nature recovery in order to harness efforts across Government and other sectors to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Diolch. 

As others have said, we are fast losing biodiversity in Wales, with the latest 'The State of Natural Resources Report' stating that the overall trend is one of serious decline, reflecting the global situation of an internationally recognised nature emergency.

The danger is a dystopian future, with the only mammals surviving being pets, farm animals and scavengers such as rats. Could Kenneth Grahame write The Wind in the Willows today, and do modern children know the animals that he is talking about? Take badgers, which are not liked by many in this Chamber, being blamed for bovine TB. They eat slugs, mice and rats. The danger of losing top-of-the-food-chain predators is that the animals lower down the food chain can expand, like rabbits do, in accordance with the Fibonacci. Remember Australia?

Biodiversity loss in Wales is being driven by a number of human-induced factors, including agricultural management, climate change, urbanisation, pollution, hydrological change, woodland management and invasive non-native species, of which Japanese knotweed is the most common in my constituency.

Primary legislation is needed urgently to address the gap left in the oversight and enforcement of environmental law as a result of us leaving the EU. Wales unfortunately lags behind all the other parts of the UK when it comes to securing effective environmental governance post Brexit. The previous Welsh Government made a commitment to bring forward an environmental governance and principles Bill in the sixth Senedd. I look forward to the opportunity of voting for it, and I hope that we can see it soon.

The economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic is being felt across Wales, and it will be felt across our economy for many years to come. However, by addressing biodiversity decline, underscored by a set of clear targets for delivery, we can create meaningful employment opportunities across the country. By investing in nature, in habitat restoration and green skills, we can boost the workforce and the economy.

The recent Dasgupta review found that our economies, livelihoods and well-being are all dependent on our most precious asset: nature. Our unsustainable engagement with nature is endangering the prosperity of current and future generations. The review also re-emphasised that biodiversity is integral to ecosystems' health, and the ability of ecosystems to provide essential benefits to society. Biodiversity loss, therefore, impacts on our life support system.

Nature recovery targets are key to driving our transition towards a nature positive economy. As we see with net zero, statutory targets have a key role in shaping investment, not only across Government but across sectors. The Aldersgate Group, a multistakeholder alliance including some of the largest businesses in the UK, has called for stronger environmental regulation, underpinned by ambitious and clear environmental targets, to provide businesses with the certainty they need over the long term to make investments that increase resilience and bring potential economic and employment benefits. Investing in habitat creation and restoration at scale has the potential to support thousands of new green jobs, which would help to absorb the economic shock of the past year. This will also go some way in developing a nature conservation skills base in Wales, to meet the needs of the future and, ultimately, provide the foundation for a shift towards a nature-positive, low-carbon economy.

One hundred and fifty stakeholders from across Wales have developed a proposal for a national nature service, and a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds report has estimated that a national nature service could support up to 7,000 green jobs in Wales. Furthermore, investing in nature-based solutions offers substantial return in investment. According to a report by Cambridge Econometrics for the RSPB, every £1 invested in habitat restoration for peatland, saltmarsh and woodland creation secures £4.62, £1.31 and £2.79 of benefit respectively. By investing in nature-based solutions, we could vastly improve water and air quality, boost ecotourism, prevent flooding, store carbon and, of course, boost biodiversity, along with countless other benefits. We can't afford to separate our economy from nature; our economy depends on it and it exists within it.

To truly achieve a green recovery in Wales, we must invest in nature. By introducing legally binding nature recovery targets to restore and create a wide array of habitats in Wales, we could deliver for the economy, create thousands of jobs while delivering for nature and for the climate. If the Welsh Government truly want to deliver a green recovery, investment in nature must be an absolute priority target for us. It would provide a clear direction for action on nature's recovery, while also providing a clear picture for future job creation and the expectations for our industries to help us reach our environmental goals. Diolch yn fawr.

I am very proud to be the species champion for the noble swift. I represent the most intensely urban constituency in Wales, and the sight and sound of swifts are one of the wonders of our summer evenings. Ely in Cardiff West is one of their preferred summer haunts. A survey in 2019 identified 14 nesting sites in those buildings. No survey could be carried out last year, and the results of this year's survey will be available in August, but we have one testimony from an RSPB member who said, 'I was in Ely last week, and there were loads of swifts just above the rooftops'. So, I expect the nesting numbers there to be high. If any refurbishment of council or housing association properties is due to take place there, swift nesting should be taken into consideration and nest boxes installed. It would be a great pity if city planners were not aware of the importance of the area for swifts. They must include nesting provision in their requirements for relevant developments.

Despite that positive evidence, the swift is rated amber across the UK for conservation status. In Wales, it has been recorded as the bird in steepest decline since 1994, according to the breeding bird survey. The breeding in Wales is down by three quarters—a more rapid loss than across the UK as a whole. So, what are the reasons for this decline? The key threat is considered to be the loss of nesting sites when buildings are restored or demolished. Mitigation work rarely takes place, and I'm not aware of environmental impact assessments taking place that pay due regard to this. What about the lack of food resources for swifts? The use of insecticides is likely to be reducing the availability of aerial invertebrates, which is what they feed off.

At the moment, the RSPB says there's no evidence that decline is due to problems at the African wintering grounds for the swift or along their migration routes. That might change with climate change, but for now, clearly, the guilty parties are in Britain, because other parts of Europe are not experiencing the same decline. So, we really do need to take it seriously. Swift boxes and swift bricks need to be de rigueur on all suitably high new buildings. I know that the Minister for Climate Change has been proactively looking at this and working to enshrine that into planning law, and I'd be most grateful if we can hear when we may be able to make that stick. 

I'm very pleased that the Welsh Government is fully cognisant of the nature emergency. I understand that the Welsh Government is going to vote in favour of the Plaid motion, and that's fantastic, but declaring a nature emergency isn't going to be sufficient. We are all going to have to put our shoulders to the wheel to prevent the otherwise inevitable extinction of whole species, which, as Delyth Jewell already pointed out, we cannot allow, for the sake of future generations. 

We have to tread more lightly on this earth. I heard at lunchtime, along with several other Members, the devastation that is also caused not just to the land, but also to our oceans, and I know the Minister attended that as well. I did mention, after the Minister had left, the Seaspiracy documentary, which is on the internet, and which is utterly devastating. We are destroying our oceans across the world, because of greed, basically, and we absolutely have to do something about that. I'm absolutely not convinced that the UK Government deal on leaving the EU has made an iota of difference to the destruction of our seas around our island, and has obviously reduced our ability to persuade other people, other countries, to work together on preventing the elimination of whole species across our oceans.

You could argue that leaving the EU free market, having slammed the door on the ability of the fishing industry to export to the continent, is a blunt instrument for restoring biodiversity loss, as, if you can't sell them, you're unlikely to fish them out of the water. But that's no consolation to Welsh seafood businesses—

Can you conclude now, please?

—like the rope mussel producers who operate a sustainable business without any impact on the industrial exploitation of Welsh waters by large-scale European businesses, which continue apace. I look forward to hearing how the Government is going to deal with this really substantive matter.

Protecting the environment and biodiversity in my constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire and across Wales is of the utmost importance to our long-term goals of improving the natural environment for future generations. Parties across this Parliament all agree that we must reverse biodiversity loss, and work to ensure we're at the global forefront of creating a thriving environment for nature, in order to provide the people of Wales with higher living standards and to protect our environment.

Brecon and Radnorshire is world renowned due to the beautiful Brecon Beacons national park, which runs across the southern ridge of my constituency, and, to the north, the Elan valley, which is a jewel in the Welsh crown. It attracts people from all corners of the globe—from hikers to horse riders, trail runners and nature observers. It's vital to the economy and the people who live within my community to not only maintain, but to enhance the environment. 

The first part of this debate calls for legally binding requirements to reverse biodiversity loss through statutory targets. In principle, I broadly support this, but I will struggle to support this if the targets implemented come at a cost to the rural economy and people's jobs in Brecon and Radnorshire. I'm already seeing certain phosphate legislation by NRW massively impacting rural house building. We must be extremely careful to get the right balance.

This debate calls for an establishment of an independent environmental governance body for Wales. I do believe in small government, and I do not believe that vast sums of public money should be spent when, I believe, we could work across the border with the UK Government to manage this crucial issue. It's not just an issue for Wales, but the whole of the UK to enhance and protect biodiversity.

What I want to see from the proposers of this debate as they close are more clear reasons for why this organisation should be established independently in Wales, and why it could not be shared with the UK Government in a real joined-up approach to tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. I am concerned this could become another organisation that will simply just waste money and achieve very little, when the money could be put to better use in other areas of Wales to clean up the environment. 

As I said, I really want to work across parties in this Chamber to help and enhance biodiversity and our environment, and I welcome conversations with the parties opposite to see how I can do that going forward in this term of Parliament. Diolch, Deputy Llywydd.

Thank you for the opportunity to make a brief contribution to this debate. I'm fortunate to represent a constituency that is alive with wildlife; think of the Celtic rainforest at Maentwrog, the peace of Bardsey island or Cors Barfog, Cwm Maethlon. The area has an incredible collection of wildlife from the glutinous snail at Llyn Tegid to the Snowdon lily, but they are under threat.

I want to focus briefly on the public's contribution and the voluntary sector's contribution, who play their part in trying to secure the glorious natural diversity we have here in Wales. In my constituency, the Cymdeithas Eryri Snowdonia Society, which is a conservation society for the Snowdonia area, is working in all weathers to improve the national park. The society extends out to work in partnership with other bodies, such as the national park authority, the National Trust and others, in order to implement its Caru Eryri Love Snowdonia programme. Caru Eryri is reliant on volunteers to carry out the work of clearing rubbish, maintaining pathways and providing friendly advice to help visitors have a safe and responsible visit whilst respecting communities and wildlife across Snowdonia.

The volunteers work tirelessly on this valuable work between April and October, receiving training, equipment and support to do this work outside of these months. The volunteers of Cymdeithas Eryri are busy with work such as restoring wetlands, forests and peatland, and managing invasive species. This army of volunteers represents thousands of hours of environmental action on an annual basis. They do this in order to safeguard nature and special areas and make it easier for others and future generations to enjoy the glory of this very special area.

The reason I'm talking specifically about Cymdeithas Eryri is to show that the actions happening at the moment to safeguard nature and biodiversity are reliant on individuals and small and large charities on a local and national level. There are thousands of other volunteers doing similar work for other organisations too, of course. But we can't rely on volunteers. They and the charities and organisations working in this area, such as Cymdeithas Eryri, want national guidance, and they want the Government to act too.

They are welcoming the positive action where Wales is in the vanguard, but what these volunteers and others want to see is the Government committing to clear targets for the restoration of nature and to legislate in order to close the gap in terms of environmental governance. The volunteers play their part, but where is the leadership coming from? They want to see the Government taking action on climate and nature restoration, and in addition to this, as well as warm words and headlines, they want to see measurable evidence of the efficiency and effectiveness of these actions. Finally, they want to know that those responsible for safeguarding the environment are accountable for their work. These people have shown the way; now, the Government must step up to the mark and take action.

I call on the Minister for Climate Change, Julie James.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you very much, everyone, for taking part in the debate. I'm really delighted to have a chance to put this issue in front of the Chamber quite so early in the new Senedd term. As people have pointed out, we will not be opposing the motion. In fact, I'm very much pleased to be supporting it. We are, of course, putting climate change and nature at the heart all the decisions in this new Government. We are very aware of the challenges we face. Globally, biodiversity is still being lost at a frightening rate, and the situation in Wales is similar, with the rapid decline in our most precious species and habitats.

It was heartening, though, Deputy Presiding Officer, to listen to a number of Members mention the species champion role that they've undertaken. I know that people are very proud of the species that they've championed, and a number of Members mentioned them. I myself am the species champion for the native oyster, and have been very pleased to see the reseeding of the native oyster beds around Swansea and the coast of Gower. I know that my colleague Lee Waters is the species champion for the hedgehog, a well-known indicator of a good ecosystem, and a well-known predator of slugs and other the garden pests. So, we too are very proud of ours. We are very happy to work with the species champions across the Chamber, and I encourage any new Member who has not yet got a species champion in tow to take one on as soon as you can. You do learn an awful lot about the ecosystem necessary to support your species and also what action you can take in order to champion it. 

In particular, on the swift boxes, I am very pleased to say that we are incorporating them into our innovative housing programme. We have swift bricks going up across a number of social houses across Wales, and we are looking—and my colleague Lee Waters in particular is looking—at biodiversity along road routes and rail routes, including incorporating swift boxes and other nesting boxes as appropriate along those routes. So, those kinds of actions can make small but very important differences in the way that especially migratory birds are received in Wales. And I'm very delighted to have seen them; I've actually seen a swift in my own garden only very recently, which was a lovely sight. 

And of course we have acknowledged the escalating nature emergency and we, along with the rest of the world, absolutely acknowledge that we have not yet made enough progress towards the aim of reversing the decline in biodiversity. And of course the climate and nature emergencies are inextricably linked. You have one because you have the other. Climate change is one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss. Changes in temperature or rainfall can cause loss of habitats and species, reducing the resilience of the overall ecosystems. This isn't an either/or or a 'nice to have'; these things are absolutely inextricably linked. Biodiversity loss, particularly in areas like peatlands, can then reduce nature's ability to store carbon, exacerbating climate change in an escalating vicious circle. We need to intervene in that circle and reverse the change. 

This is not a small thing to say, and it's an even bigger thing to do. We all know that. But it's not a counsel of despair, either. There are still things that we can and should do, but these are not easy things and they are not straightforward things. And many of you here in the Chamber will have to have a long, hard look at your own particular priorities and the way that you're behaving, as well as the Welsh Government, because we will need to do this together and make those very difficult decisions. 

Reducing the direct pressures on nature from climate change as well as from pollution and unsustainable consumption is therefore an integral part of the action needed to stem biodiversity loss. As a Government, we are taking action to reduce these major pressures on our ecosystems. This will include improving water quality, reducing air pollution, decarbonisation and the circular economy. We're also continuing to invest significantly in our natural environment to restore and to create resilient ecological networks across Wales. These, of course, provide the many benefits that many Members in the debate today have mentioned, such as flood management, soil restoration, carbon sequestration and allowing species to move and, indeed, adapt to the change. 

Much of our current work now contributes to these nature networks. The Glastir Woodland Creation scheme and the national forest will support biodiversity through creating more mixed woodlands, enhancing and connecting existing woodlands as we go. And my colleague, again Lee Waters, has been doing a deep dive into tree planting in Wales, about how we can ensure that we plant more of the right trees in more of the right places as swiftly as possible in order to enhance our woodlands, enhance our carbon sequestration and, of course, create our national forest. 

The national peatland action programme will also improve peatland ecosystem resilience nationwide and contribute to climate change mitigation. We have an excellent project going on in north Gower, in my colleague Rebecca Evans's constituency, the Cwm Ivy scheme, in which we are helping to restore the salt marsh in north Gower to create approximately 39 hectares of salt marsh following an actual breach of the sea defences at Cwm Ivy. The new salt marsh, of course, will help provide the compensatory habitat that will be needed to offset the likely loss of salt marsh habitat in the future due to a combination of sea level rise due to climate change and the need for new coastal flood defences across Wales. And in this way, we need to have an integrated programme, both of flood defence for our communities but also mitigation for our species that require those inter-tidal areas to thrive and flourish. Salt marshes, of course, also contribute to carbon sequestration and a number of other ecosystem services. 

The reason I'm saying that, Deputy Presiding Officer, is because the economy and our ecology, our nature and our ecosystems are not in conflict. Many of the things that we want to do to mitigate climate change and to help with increased biodiversity restoration also help our economy, and those things can go hand in hand. I think it's essential that this Chamber does not see them as conflicting things, an either/or choice, but as an integrated whole, that we can work together to make sure that people have the jobs of the future that do not destroy our planet as they go.

We have a nature networks fund, with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to improve the condition, connectivity and resilience of Wales's marine and terrestrial protected site networks to enable them to function better at the heart of the nature networks—vital areas of ecological resilience in which habitats and species can thrive and expand. This absolutely has to be central to our future sustainable land management policy. We are committed to shifting financial support we provide for agriculture so we properly reward farmers for the environmental and social outcomes they deliver alongside the production of food. These services include, of course, clean water and air, carbon sequestration and creating and restoring valuable habitats on their land. 

We also recognise that an important part of tackling the nature and climate emergency is engaging and harnessing the power of individuals and local communities to take action, and Mabon and others highlighted very well what local communities can do when they come together in their local area. Our nature networks fund is also designed to create those networks of people that are engaged in those sites, and this is done through increasing and diversifying volunteer bases, supporting citizen science initiatives, and training schemes such as Kickstart. I thought Mabon's example was a very good one also. 

Our Local Places for Nature programme encourages everyone to engage with nature, to value nature and to create nature on their doorsteps. As Siân highlighted, the focus has to be on urban areas, particularly Wales's most disadvantaged communities and those with little access to nature, to ensure that every one of our younger generations, our future generations, is engaged in the natural environment. 

Investing in our natural environment contributes to our ambition, set out in the programme for government, to build a stronger green economy. This investment will support skills development and green jobs, as I've said. As a small country, our ambitions for tackling the nature emergency lie not only at the local level, but also on the global stage. We support the development of the convention on biological diversity post-2020 global biodiversity framework, enabling bold action to drive change to halt biodiversity loss. Our priorities include mainstreaming biodiversity consideration in all decision making, strengthening capacity and capability to implement nature-based solutions, and sharing best practice in Wales and internationally. We're actively engaged in the development of the post-2020 monitoring and indicator framework, working with DEFRA at state level. We anticipate a new global biodiversity framework with clear goals and targets following the convention in October. 

Through the Edinburgh process for sub-national governments we are signatories to the Edinburgh declaration, which calls for parties to the convention to take strong and bold actions to bring about transformative change. It also recognises the vital role of sub-national governments, cities and local authorities in delivering that vision. 

Deputy Presiding Officer, I could actually carry on talking for about 40 minutes about all of the things we're doing, but I can see that you're getting impatient about it. This is a very important subject, however, and I think the last thing I want to get across to people is that we absolutely do need to have an environmental governance body for Wales. We will be bringing forward legislation for that, and we will be looking at biodiversity targets, but we'll be looking at those in the context of both the global framework, the UK framework, and to make sure that we do not have the unintended consequences of setting targets in a particular area that mean other very important areas are lost. I will welcome working across party in this Chamber to make sure that we set the targets that drive the actions that are important. It's not the targets that drive the change, it's the actions. The targets are only a measure—the actions that we need to ensure that Wales plays its full role in tackling both the climate and nature emergencies on the world stage. Diolch. 

I call on Delyth Jewell to reply to the debate. 

Dirprwy Lywydd, what a wonderful debate this has been. 

I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for her speech. I recognise as well that declaring a crisis on its own doesn't achieve enough, as the Minister just said. That's why we would also propose targets and governance on the things that need to be done. But I like that image of hope and that crescendo of action that she talked about. 

That sense of crescendo, of a growing sense of cross-party support, was picked up by Huw Irranca-Davies, and I welcome his support, too.

Thank you to Siân Gwenllian for speaking again about the hope that comes from the fact that rare species can be saved, and for talking about how important it is to turn this situation around for our children. 

Mark Isherwood reminded us of the international framing, of course, of our debate. It's been so wonderful as well to hear Mark, Siân, Jenny, Julie and other Members talk about their own species for which they're champion. To the young—well, to the new Members, I should say, in the Senedd, who might be envious about how many species champions we've been talking about, I'm sure that Wales Environment Link will be in touch before September. There is a programme, and it would be wonderful if as many as possible of you could be involved in that. 

Mike Hedges spoke of this possible dystopian future, where children might not recognise the animals in some of our most beloved books, and Luke Fletcher was talking about how, investing in nature, we can boost the economy, boost eco tourism and prevent flooding. He said our economy depends on nature and exists within it. Hear, hear. 

Now, Jenny Rathbone brought a really important perspective, I think, to this debate: the impact of urbanisation on wildlife, specifically swifts that Jenny was talking about. I love this phrase that Jenny used, 'We have to tread more lightly on this earth.' What a wonderful phrase that is, and then the complementary contrasting perspective brought by James Evans about the Brecon Beacons. Now, James, I hope that some of the concerns you expressed about the rural economy can be assuaged somewhat by the points that Luke had been making earlier, but I do recognise this is an important consideration. I welcome the fact that you were saying you'd like to work cross party on this. 

Thank you to Mabon for that contribution about the wonderful nature in Dwyfor Meirionnydd, the Snowdonia Society, as well as the power of the community. That's such an important element. 

Thank you, finally, to the Minister for confirming that the Government will be supporting the motion. Swifts made an appearance in the Minister's contribution as well, and I think that that was a really important point that the Minister made that this is not a small thing to say, and an even bigger thing to do. It is an important challenge that, obviously, we can't just declare a nature emergency—we have to back this up with action. 

Now, it's clear from the contributions that nature is in crisis in Wales, but that we also have an opportunity now to change that. We can introduce targets for nature's restoration that are legally binding, that will lead to investment, monitoring and improvement, because without legislation in the past, the targets haven't been achieved. Now, I understand the stance of the Conservatives here, but I would urge them to support our motion without amendment. What a clear declaration that would give—that every party in our Senedd supports the motion. 

Now, I think that from some of the really wonderful, eloquent contributions that we've had today, one of the most pressing points I suppose that's come out of the debate is how we are not just acting for our own generation, for the people who are living on this planet now; we are doing it for generations yet to be born—children whose health, happiness and interpersonal skills benefit so much from being outside in the glory of nature. If we are truly to prioritise the well-being of future generations, acting on this emergency has to be paramount. 

So, Dirprwy Lywydd, in closing I would repeat our demands that I hope very much will now be passed. There must be a declaration of nature emergency. We must have legally-binding targets to halt and reverse biodiversity decline, and we must have an independent means of environmental governance in Wales. Dirprwy Lywydd, I hope and I expect that we are about to take a definitive and historic step in this Senedd. I commend our motion to the Chamber, and I hope Members will vote to declare a climate and nature emergency. 

The Llywydd took the Chair.

The proposal is to agree the motion without amendment. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes, I see that there is objection on Zoom from Darren Millar. Therefore, we will defer voting under this item until voting time. 

Voting deferred until voting time.

And in accordance with Standing Order 12.18, we move to voting time, but we will take a short break to prepare for those votes. Thank you. 

Plenary was suspended at 17:43.

The Senedd reconvened at 17:48, with the Llywydd in the Chair.