A NEW action plan to help Swansea tackle the nature emergency is to be launched.
Swansea Council discussed the plan when members met on March 21.
They agreed to adopt the Section 6 Biodiversity Duty Action; it’ll help the council meet its duties under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016.
It will also contribute to tackling the climate emergency and the council’s aim to make its own organisation net zero by 2030 and the city net zero by 2050.
David Hopkins, the council’s joint deputy leader and cabinet member for corporate services and performance, said, “This action plan will be a key driver in our endeavours to maintain and enhance biodiversity and to contribute to Welsh Government targets for nature recovery.
“We’re facing a climate and nature emergency, but we can change this by putting nature into recovery.
“Nature contributes so much to our world, such as storing carbon, providing clean water and air, creating healthy soils, contributing to medicines, reducing flooding, pollinating the food we eat and boosting our mental health.”
The actions include:
Helping to embed biodiversity in decision-making across the council
Safeguarding key species and habitats – and improving their management
Restoring degraded habitats and creating new habitats
The council’s new plan was created after liaison with council teams, taking key legislation and policies into account. It is intended to review progress regularly and to report to the Welsh Government.
The council is already doing a lot to help wildlife, such as planting trees, boosting the number of wildflowers in parks and verges, making the city greener, working with schools, putting up bird boxes and looking after nature reserves and wildlife sites.
A key corporate wellbeing objective in the council’s corporate plan is to deliver on climate change and nature recovery.
