North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has this afternoon spoken of the nature crisis facing Wales and called for legislation during the first year of this Welsh government to set legally binding targets for nature’s recovery.
Speaking in the Opposition Debate on Climate and Biodiversity, Mr Isherwood said “despite Wales’ stunning landscapes and beautiful scenery, wildlife in Wales is in serious decline”, and as Wales Species Champion for the Curlew he spoke of the steep decline of breeding numbers in Wales, down 44% in the last decade.
He said:
“With the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, COP 26, scheduled to be held in Glasgow under UK Presidency in 4 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.
“And the Welsh Conservative Amendment re-emphasises the need for the Welsh Government to 'work more closely with the UK Government on the response to the climate emergency and nature recovery'.
“The State of Nature 2019 Report found that 1 in 6 species in Wales are threatened with extinction, and the latest 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 Species Champion for the Curlew since 2016, I am working with Gylfinir Cymru /Curlew Wales, a collaboration of government agencies and NGOs, including the farming unions, formed to try and reverse the dire decline of Curlew in Wales, an ecological umbrella/indicator species.
“The UK regularly hosts up to one quarter of the global Curlew breeding population and the Curlew is now considered the most pressing bird conservation priority throughout the UK.
“At current levels of decline, curlews will be extinct as a breeding population in Wales by 2033 without intervention. We have only years to save this iconic and culturally important species, and its ethereal voice in the Welsh landscape.”
Mr Isherwood also stressed that “the commendable goal to increase forestry and woodland in Wales, must ensure we have the right trees in the right places to genuinely protect biodiversity”.
He added;
“Gylfinir Cymru, have been working on a Wales Action Plan for Curlew, which we hope 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 things for Curlews in these places.
“Nature has intrinsic value but it also plays an important role – we need it for the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink.
“The Welsh Government therefore needs to show 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 natures recovery in order to harness efforts across government and across sectors to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.”