Well-being plan for Pembrokeshire

Project Plan: Biodiversity and the Nature Emergency

Project background

The Climate and Nature emergencies are interwoven challenges which cannot be solved in isolation. Healthy natural habitats are essential to store carbon, reduce flood risk, help prevent coastal erosion, improve health and wellbeing, maintain healthy soils and clean water and support the recovery of species such as pollinators, needed for our crops and food supply. They also underpin our jobs and our economy.

Pembrokeshire is renowned for its outstanding natural environment including an extensive network of sites which are protected for their immense ecological value. Across the county our rich mosaic of terrestrial and coastal semi-natural habitats and the essential services that these provide are however under pressure from:-

• Development – leading to incremental loss and fragmentation of habitats reducing genetic diversity
• Intensification of agriculture (e.g agri-pesticide use impacting pollinators, damage to peripheral habitats like hedges, nutrient and sediment pollution e.g. elevated phosphate in SAC rivers)
• Impacts of non-native species and disease
• Increased recreation
• Inappropriate land use and lack of management

Climate change is likely to further exacerbate these pressures.

The Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership exists to co-ordinate, promote and record existing and new actions to conserve, promote and enhance nature in the County of Pembrokeshire, including the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the inshore waters and seabed around the Pembrokeshire coast to 12 miles offshore, taking account of local and national priorities. They oversee delivery of the Nature Recovery Action Plan and include stakeholders outside of current PSB members such as Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, Sea Trust Wales, the National Trust, Keep Wales Tidy and Bluestone National Park Resort. There are also some 188 individuals signed up to receive ‘professional’ updates and 142 signed up for ‘public’ updates.

 

Headline actions and sub-actions, including timescale for delivery

Outputs - What will be delivered?

Outcomes – What will be achieved?  What will change?

Which of the PSB’s Well-being Objectives does this work contribute to and how?

Which of the following Well-being Goals and Well-being areas does this project contribute to? 

How does this project align with the five ways of working?

 

Headline actions and sub-actions, including timescale for delivery

 

Headline action: Raise the profile of and change the way we think about acting for biodiversity, and the role that all PSB partners have in tackling the nature crisis

Sub-actions;

Recognise nature as an asset in our decision-making processes and embed the consideration of biodiversity and ecosystems into policies, plans, programmes and projects at all levels and support their subsequent implementation

Timescale: Medium term (1 to 5 years)

 

Headline action: Work collaboratively to deliver actions identified in the Nature Recovery Action Plan (NRAP) for Pembrokeshire

Sub-actions;

• All PSB members will work towards delivery of Objectives 1 & 6 of the Nature Recovery Action Plan (NRAP) for Pembrokeshire and in addition, where they own, manage or influence the management of land, contribute towards Objectives 2 – 5
• A framework will be developed for all PSB partners to demonstrate and report on how they are contributing to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity and promoting the resilience of ecosystems, whether or not they are subject to the Section 6 duty set out in the Environment (Wales) Act 2016
• All PSB partners will ensure that wherever land is under their ownership or management protecting or enhancing species and habitats and promoting the resilience of ecosystems is and explicit factor in management decision
• Identify opportunities where actions undertaken to improve the health of natural assets will directly contribute to wider well-being benefits
• Identify specific actions to implement Welsh Government Biodiversity Deep Dive recommendations to work towards achieving UN 30 by 30 targets

Timescale: Medium to Longer term (1 to 5 years and beyond)

 

Outputs - What will be delivered?

• Progressive delivery of the Nature Recovery Action Plan for Pembrokeshire
• All PSB partners will commit to activity which contributes to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity and promoting the resilience of ecosystems
• Engage with a broad range of stakeholders and communities to deliver actions within the Nature Recovery

 

Outcomes – What will be achieved?  What will change?

• Greater awareness and profile of the nature emergency and the role that all PSB partners have in addressing the pressures and delivering solutions
• Land under public ownership will be sustainably managed providing examples of best practice
• Nature will be recognised as an asset and will be demonstrably embedded in the decision making, plans and strategies of PSB partner organisations

 

Which of the PSB’s Well-being Objectives does this work contribute to and how?

 

Well-being Objective 1

Support growth, jobs and prosperity and enable the transition to a more sustainable and greener economy

• Tourism supports 12,473 jobs and agriculture employs 5% of the workforce in Pembrokeshire. Both of these are fundamentally underpinned by healthy, functioning ecosystems. Nature recovery will ensure a sustainable economy. Our economy fundamentally relies upon nature and there has been a collective failure to recognise it as an asset.

Well-being Objective 2

Work with our communities to reduce inequalities and improve well-being

• The wellbeing benefits of access to green space and nature-rich areas are well documented. Simply having a view of green space from your window is valued at £300 per person per annum by WG. Access to green space is an indicator on the WIMD. It is often the most deprived sections of society that have the least access to nature and the greatest exposure to environmental risks, e.g. flooding.

Well-being Objective 3

• The declaration of a nature emergency by the Senedd (30/06/2021) placed equal weight on the importance of action for climate change and the nature emergency. The two are inextricably linked. Nature-rich areas with healthy, functioning ecosystems tend to trap and store carbon and are more resilient to pressures such as changing climate

Well-being Objective 4

Enable safe, connected, resourceful and diverse communities

• Local actions could include community allotments and other food growing initiatives which support resourceful communities.

 

Which of the following Well-being Goals and Well-being areas does this project contribute to? 

 

Well-being areas

• Environmental
• Economic
• Social
• Cultural

Well-being goals

 a prosperous Wales

 a resiliant Wales

 a healthier Wales

 a more equal Wales

 a Wales of cohesive communities

 a globally responisble Wales

 

 

How does this project align with the five ways of working?

 

Long-term: The importance of balancing short-term needs with the needs to safeguard the ability to also meet long-term needs

• Action will be aimed at ensuring sustainable use of our natural environment to support and provide for society in the future. Action now will avoid incurring greater expense later. Approaches to nature recovery are by definition long term. Actions in the short term are always aimed at achieving long term sustainability and the functioning and resilience of ecosystems.

Prevention: How acting to prevent problems occurring or getting worse may help public bodies meet their objectives

• Ensuring nature recovery and the resilience of ecosystems will help to prevent problems caused by ecosystem failure such as flooding, drought, extreme heat, soil erosion, pollution and carbon loss.  The value of healthy and functioning ecosystems in limiting negative impacts (e.g. of climate change) and promoting wider societal benefits (e.g. wellbeing benefits of access to nature) are embedded in this work

Integration: Considering how the public body’s well-being objectives may impact upon each of the well-being goals, on their objectives, or on the objectives of other public bodies

• This work will the resilience goal, which explicitly supports societal and economic resilience.  By securing healthy functioning ecosystems this will support a more sustainable local economy and provide resilience against future environmental risk.

Collaboration: Acting in collaboration with any other person (or different parts of the body itself) that could help the body to meet its well-being objectives

• A framework to support collaborative action by all PSB partners will be developed.  Collaborative approaches to optimise delivery for available resources are at the heart of the work of the Nature Partnership.

Involvement: The importance of involving people with an interest in achieving the well-being goals, and ensuring that those people reflect the diversity of the area which the body serves

• Activity will involve public bodies across all functions and at all levels, who represent the public they serve, alongside working directly with the public and communities.