P-03-264 RSPB Cymru Biodiversity 2010

Further information (provided by the petitioner)

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth – the plant and animal species that make up our wildlife and their habitats.  Important for social, cultural and economic reasons, it enriches our lives and often makes vital contributions that we give little thought to (for example, saltmarsh provides much needed flood protection and is considered an ecosystem service).  In addition to the many practical reasons for conserving biodiversity, there is also a very strong ethical case for not destroying other forms of life that share the planet with us.

In 2001, EU Heads of State set a target to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010 and the Welsh Government set out its aim to meet the international target to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010.  Under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act, all public bodies now have a duty to conserve, enhance and protect biodiversity.  As we get closer to 2010 is it widely acknowledged that this ambitious commitment will not be met and we are still losing biodiversity at an alarming rate.

This petition is calling on the National Assembly for Wales to hold an inquiry looking at the reasons why the 2010 target will be missed and to make recommendations to the Welsh Government on how we can meet our future targets, including the Wales Environment Strategy target to have brought about recovery by 2026.