The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 (anaw 3) ( cy, Deddf yr Amgylchedd (Cymru) 2016) is an Act of the

National Assembly for Wales The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English language, English and () in Welsh language, Welsh, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes ...

that was given

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

on 21 March 2016. It put into place the necessary legislation to enable the planning and management of the natural resources of Wales in a more sustainable, pro-active and joined-up way than was previously possible.

Parts

The Act has seven main parts: *Part 1: Sustainable management of natural resources *Part 2:

Climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

*Part 3: Charges for carrier bags *Part 4: Collection and disposal of waste *Part 5: Fisheries for shellfish *Part 6: Marine licensing *Part 7: Flood &

coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

committee

Part 1 Sustainable management of natural resources

Part 1 of the Act lays out the approach to be taken by Wales in planning for and managing its

natural capital Natural capital is the world's stock of natural resources, which includes geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms. Some natural capital assets provide people with free goods and services, often called ecosystem services. All of t ...

assets and its resources at both a national and a local level in line with the statutory 'principles of sustainable management of natural resources', as defined within the Act. Section 6 of this Part puts a duty onto public bodies and local authorities to 'maintain and enhance biodiversity' in a manner consistent with the exercising of their normal roles and functions. Whilst doing this, public authorities are also obliged to 'promote the resilience of ecosystems'. This legal duty supersedes the

biodiversity duty Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

outlined in Section 40 of the

Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c 16), also referred to as the NERC Act (2006), is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In a reorganisation of public bodies involved in rural policy and delivery, the measures d ...

which was relevant to both England and Wales. However, the obligation still applies to those public authorities in Wales to which the NERC Act duty applied. It also requires those bodies to have regard to the lists of habitats and species of 'principal importance' published as a result of Section 7 of the Environment (Wales) Act. Each public body must report at least every three years on how it is complying with the biodiversity duty. Section 7 requires

Welsh Ministers , image = , caption = , date_established = , country = Wales , address = , leader_title = First Minister () , appointed = First Minister approved by the Senedd, ceremonially appointed ...

to publish and maintain lists of species and habitats in Wales that are regarded as of 'principal importance' for the purpose of maintaining and enhancing it biodiversity. This part of the Act replaces the duty outlined in Section 42 of the NERC Act 2006.

Part 2 Climate change

This part of the Act places an obligation on Welsh Ministers to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...

from Wales such that in the year 2050 they are at least 80% lower than baseline figures for 1990 or 1995 (dependent upon which greenhouse gas is being measured).

Part 3 Carrier bags

Part 3 of the Act empowers ministers to draw up regulations requiring certain sellers of goods to charge for

carrier bag Plastic shopping bags, carrier bags, or plastic grocery bags are a type of plastic bag used as shopping bags and made from various kinds of plastic. In use by consumers worldwide since the 1960s, these bags are sometimes called single-use bags, ...

s, and places an obligation on those regulations to ensure that the proceeds are directed towards charitable purposes, as defined by the

Charities Act 2011 The Charities Act 2011c 25 is a UK Act of Parliament. It consolidated the bulk of the Charities Act 2006, outstanding provisions of the Charities Act 1993, and various other enactments. Repeals Legislation repealed in its entirety by the 2011 A ...

Part 4 Collection and disposal of waste

Part 4 of the Act relates to issues surrounding the prohibition of discharge of food waste into public sewers, or by incineration, general waste collection, and a code of practice relating to this part of the Act.

Parts 5 and 6

Parts 5 of the Act relate to fisheries (particularly

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...

) and to protection of the marine environment. It creates powers for ministers to serve or revoke protection notices in European marine sites as defined in the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010, whilst Part 6 relates to marine licensing.

Part 7 Miscellaneous

The final part of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 relates to various issues, including the establishment and powers of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Committee for Wales, matters relating to land drainage, and to minor amendments of prior legislation relating to

Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Count ...

References

{{reflist

External links

The Environment (Wales) Act, Part 1: Interim GuidanceGuidance for Public Authorities on Implementing the Biodiversity Duty
2016 in the environment Acts of the National Assembly for Wales Conservation in Wales Conservation in the United Kingdom Environmental law in the United Kingdom