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

44 General interpretation E+W

In this Act—

• “compliance notice” (“hysbysiad cydymffurfio”) means a notice served under section 18;

• “effectiveness of environmental law” (“effeithiolrwydd cyfraith amgylcheddol”) has the meaning given by section 33;

• “environment” (“amgylchedd”) means—

  (a)

  air, water and land (including the earth’s crust),

  (b)

  plants, wild animals and other living organisms and their habitats, and

  (c)

  the natural systems, cycles and processes through which the things in paragraphs (a) and (b) interact;

• “the Environment Act” (“Deddf yr Amgylchedd”) means the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 (anaw 3);

• “environmental law” (“cyfraith amgylcheddol”) has the meaning given by section 31;

• “environmental objective” (“amcan amgylcheddol”) has the meaning given by section 1;

• “environmental principles” (“egwyddorion amgylcheddol”) has the meaning given by section 2;

• “environmental principles and integrating environmental protection statement” (“datganiad o egwyddorion amgylcheddol ac integreiddio diogelu’r amgylchedd”) means a statement prepared and published under section‍ 7;

• “environmental protection” (“diogelu’r amgylchedd”) means—

  (a)

  protection of the environment from the effects of human activity;

  (b)

  maintenance, restoration or enhancement of the environment;

  (c)

  protection of people, in particular their health, from the effects of human activity on the environment;

  (d)

  monitoring, assessing, considering, advising or reporting on anything in paragraphs (a) to (c);

• “failing to comply with environmental law” (“methu â chydymffurfio â chyfraith amgylcheddol”) has the meaning given by section 34;

• “improvement plan” (“cynllun gwella”) means a plan published under section 24;

• “improvement report” (“adroddiad gwella”) means a report published under section 22;

• “information notice” (“hysbysiad gwybodaeth”) means a notice served under section 15;

• “the OEGW” (“SLlAC”) means the Office of Environmental Governance Wales established under section 8(1);

• “public authority” (“awdurdod cyhoeddus”) has the meaning given—

  (a)

  in relation to sections 5 and 6, by section 5(4);

  (b)

  in relation to Part 2, by section 32;

• “urgent compliance notice” (“hysbysiad cydymffurfio brys”) has the meaning given by section 19(4).

Commencement Information

I1 S. 44 in force at 28.4.2026, see s. 46(1)