Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Act 2026

37 Welsh Ministers’ plans under section 6 of the Environment Act E+W

After section 6(6) of the Environment Act, insert—

“(6A) The Welsh Ministers must—

(a) when preparing their plan under subsection (6)—

(i) consult the Office of Environmental Governance Wales, and

(ii) apply the principles of sustainable management of natural resources,

(b) when preparing their plan under subsection (6), consult—

(i) such persons or bodies as the Welsh Ministers reasonably consider have an interest in matters relating to biodiversity in Wales, and

(ii) members of the public in Wales, and

(c) when they publish that plan, also publish a report summarising—

(i) the consultation that was carried out in preparing the plan, and

(ii) any representations that were received as a result of the consultation.

(6B) The plan prepared and published by the Welsh Ministers under subsection (6) must, in particular, set out—

(a) what action they propose to take to contribute to the fulfilment of the vision of the Global Biodiversity Framework, namely that “by 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people,

(b) proposals covering the areas of responsibility of each of the Welsh Ministers,

(c) what action they propose to take to ensure that the targets set in regulations under section 6B are met and when they propose to take that action,

(d) how the targets, if met, will contribute to halting and reversing the decline in biodiversity or to restoring biodiversity to resilient levels,

(e) where the standard specified under section 6B(4) in relation to a target is achieved, how they propose to maintain that standard, and

(f) what action they propose to take to comply with the duty in section 8A to promote awareness of biodiversity.

(6C) In subsection (6B)(a), the “Global Biodiversity Framework means the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity referred to in subsection (4)(a) at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties in December 2022.”

Commencement Information

I1 S. 37 in force at 27.6.2026, see s. 46(2)(f)