Nature: Wales 'faces dystopian future if more not done'

Efforts to halt a collapse in wildlife and habitats must be funded "at a scale never seen before", environmental charities have urged.

It follows a declaration of a "nature emergency" by Wales' parliament.

Legally-binding targets, similar to those designed to cut carbon emissions, now look set to be introduced.

The Welsh government said it "absolutely acknowledged" there had not been enough progress to tackle the problem.

One in six species of wildlife, plants and fungi looked at for a major 2019 report were found to be at risk of disappearing from Wales in the coming decades.

RSPB Cymru's director, Katie Jo-Luxton, said the Welsh government and others in authority needed to act "with the same level of vigour that we've seen around coronavirus".

"We've seen lots of commitments in the past from politicians and, frankly, they haven't delivered," she said.

"Wales leads on recycling and that was driven by legally binding goals. We now need that for nature."

The charity launched a pop-up exhibition in Cardiff on Thursday, showcasing a corner shop from a nature-free future.

Instead of fizzy drinks, crisps and sweets, the shelves were filled with sand bags, bottled unpolluted air and records of extinct bird's song.

Having backed a Plaid Cymru motion in the Senedd calling for tougher action on nature loss, the Welsh government confirmed it planned to establish an independent environmental watchdog.

It would investigate complaints public bodies were causing pollution or environmental destruction.

Wales had been accused of "lagging behind" in replacing previous arrangements involving the EU.

WWF Cymru's policy and advocacy officer, Alex Phillips, called for a "clear timetable for delivery."

"We hope that the new government will use this debate to build momentum and include a clear commitment to legislate in the next 12 months in its forthcoming legislative statement," he said.

Climate change minister Julie James told the Senedd both the "climate and nature crises" were "inextricably linked".

A new environmental governance body was "absolutely needed" she said, and the Welsh government wanted to work on setting targets "that drive the actions that are important".

Labour Member of the Senedd (MS) Mike Hedges said Wales was in danger of "a dystopian future of the only mammals surviving being pets, farm animals and scavengers such as rats".

Conservative MS James Evans said he supported protecting the environment but would struggle to endorse targets if they "come at the cost of the rural economy and people's jobs" in his constituency.

Plaid Cymru's Delyth Jewell added: "If we really want to achieve a green recovery here in Wales we need to invest in the recovery of our habitats and species, and create the green workforce able to fulfil our nature recovery targets."