Welsh Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into Brexit

RSPB Cymru submission

8th September 2016

1. Introduction

1.1.  The implications of leaving the EU for nature in Wales are potentially highly significant. They remain difficult to quantify as ‘Brexit’ has yet to be clarified. What we do know is that nature – and many of the environmental challenges we face – are not constrained by national borders. It is clear that, whatever our future relationship with the EU, we will still need to work with others outside Wales and the UK if nature is to be restored and protected effectively.

1.2.  For decades, EU legislation, policy and funding have had a huge impact on how we manage Wales’ natural environment. Ministers and officials involved in the negotiations will need to consider how nature’s requirements are met in establishing our future relationship with the EU. It is vital that Wales is represented as an equal partner in these negotiations to secure an approach which guarantees common, progressive environmental standards and measures across the UK, whilst providing the flexibility to accommodate the needs of devolution. 

2. The state of Welsh Nature

2.1.  The latest assessment of Welsh wildlife finds it at crisis point. The State of Nature report (2013), compiled by scientists from 25 organisations, found that across the UK 60% of species monitored have declined in recent decades. One in ten species face the threat of extinction – in recent years we have lost the turtle dove and corn bunting as breeding birds in Wales. Ecosystems in Wales and across the UK are in poor condition and facing increasing pressures leading to further fragmentation and loss of resilience. With the wider societal goods and services attained from the natural environment this is not only bad for wildlife but for people too.

3. EU legislation and funding

3.1.  Given the ongoing threats to nature efforts must continue and increase in order to tackle biodiversity declines. Resources to recover nature must be retained both in terms of funding and staffing within statutory organisations and governments.

3.2.  Brexit raises a number of questions about how we ensure ongoing protection and recovery of our natural environment in Wales. Much of the biodiversity and wider environmental protections in Wales stem from EU legislation, e.g. the Birds and Habitats Directives, the Marine Strategy and Water Framework Directives. This legislation has been effective in or contributed to protecting biodiversity. From Snowdonia and the Llyn Peninsula to the Pembrokeshire coastline many of our special places across Wales are protected under EU law. Environmental protection must not be weakened or eroded by our exit from the EU, and in the future, must be as good as, if not better than now. Consequently, we look to the Welsh and UK Governments for reassurances that environmental protection will be a priority in forthcoming discussions.

3.3.  European funding has underpinned much of the nature conservation effort in Wales and maintaining this resource (as a minimum) is essential.

3.4.  On the flip-side, one particular EU policy, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has historically driven negative impacts on nature. Research has identified agricultural change as the biggest negative driver of change in UK wildlife since 1970. Leaving the CAP is an opportunity to develop a new approach which better recognises and rewards the provision of environmental goods and services and reverses wildlife declines.

4. International leadership

4.1.  Many big environmental challenges transcend national boundaries thereby requiring international collaboration. Wildlife declines, climate change, pollution, the state of our marine environment and over exploitation of natural resources, all need us to work with other nations on a global scale. We will need to continue to work closely with the EU as well as with other countries globally, to tackle environmental degradation. We look to the Welsh and UK governments to ensure Wales plays a leading role in trans-national collaboration to address environmental challenges.

5. A Welsh Approach

5.1.  The Welsh Government has recently passed two significant laws affecting our natural environment. Together, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 create a strong new framework for Wales’ natural environment and wildlife, which recognises the wide-ranging benefits for people as well as its intrinsic value. Implemented effectively, building on pre-existing environmental legislation, this new legislation should enable Wales to respond positively to Brexit and ensure that we deliver increased protection and restoration of our biodiversity, thereby contributing to a sustainable future for Wales’ environment, people and economy.

5.2.  Over the next year, the Welsh Government will be developing its National Natural Resources Policy (NNRP), based on achieving resilient ecosystems and realising the opportunities they offer. Faced with the challenge of losing EU funding, we need to work together to develop a new approach to sustainable management of land and sea which better recognises the true value of nature. This legislative framework provides a unique opportunity to reconsider the way we pay for the goods and services provided by our seas and countryside, including farmed land in Wales. For example, to date CAP has primarily focused on food production and the provision of income support. Developing the NNRP  post-Brexit provides the opportunity to create new sustainable land and sea management policies which maintain and enhance biodiversity and the resilience of ecosystems and the benefits they provide to improve social, economic and cultural well-being.

6. Conclusion

6.1.  Although there is much uncertainty, the challenge of recovering biodiversity remains, as does the potential benefits of doing so. Existing protections must be safeguarded and built upon. If the new Welsh legislation is implemented effectively, building on existing domestic legislation (including that derived from the EU), Wales has the opportunity to be a world leader in environmental protection and sustainable management of land and seas. It is vital that the Welsh Government continues to involve stakeholders in discussions about their negotiating position to ensure the best interests of Wales are served in the forthcoming negotiations, and similarly, Welsh environmental interests need to be represented in the UK’s negotiations with the EU.

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