Environmental watchdog warns biodiversity and climate targets at risk without major investment
AN INDEPENDENT environmental watchdog has warned that Wales risks failing to meet its biodiversity and climate commitments unless urgent action is taken to properly monitor and manage protected sites across the country.
The Interim Environmental Protection Assessor for Wales (IEPAW) has called on the Welsh Government to ensure that Natural Resources Wales (NRW) monitors the condition of all protected sites by 2030, warning that current gaps in data and oversight are undermining national environmental goals.
In a report published on January 15, titled Protected Sites in Wales, IEPAW said Wales cannot deliver on key commitments set out in the Environment (Wales) Bill, the Nature Recovery Action Plan for Wales, and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 without immediate improvements in how protected sites are assessed, managed and safeguarded.
Protected sites include areas legally designated for their wildlife, habitats or geological importance. The most common designation in Wales is the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which covers locations with rare species, significant habitats or unique natural features.
The report highlights serious shortcomings in the current system. It found there was a 17-year gap between full assessments of protected sites, with the last comprehensive review carried out in 2020, following the previous one in 2003. As a result, around half of all SSSI features are recorded as being in “unknown” condition due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
Of those features that were assessed, just 20 per cent were found to be in favourable condition. Around 30 per cent were classed as unfavourable, while 50 per cent were not in a desired state. The report also notes that 97 per cent of SSSIs were designated before updated guidelines were introduced in 2013, meaning the network was never designed as a coherent system capable of supporting long-term nature recovery.
Professor Lynda Warren, Interim Environmental Protection Assessor for Wales, said the situation was unacceptable.
She said: “We know that many of these sites are not in good condition, and for many others there simply isn’t enough data to assess them properly. This is clearly not an acceptable state of affairs.
“Considerable thought needs to be given to setting clear targets that will drive real action towards achieving a network of protected sites in favourable condition.”
The investigation drew evidence from conservation organisations, environmental charities, farming groups, planning experts and NRW. While it acknowledged limitations in the legal framework for SSSIs, it concluded that the most urgent priority is investment in monitoring, targeted management and effective enforcement.
IEPAW’s report makes 19 recommendations, centred on five key themes. These include making monitoring of protected sites a statutory duty for NRW, backed by funding to ensure each site is assessed at least once every six years; setting a national target to establish the condition of all SSSIs by 2030; and publishing a costed action plan to bring sites into favourable condition.
Other recommendations include extending civil sanctions to allow NRW to require restoration of environmental damage without prosecution, and expanding Land Management Agreements to support long-term conservation on and around protected sites.
Professor Warren said that resources, rather than new laws, were now the critical issue.
She said: “The single most important requirement is not a change in the law relating to protected areas, but a far greater willingness to devote sufficient resources to ensure effective management and ongoing monitoring.”
IEPAW warned that without swift action, Wales could fall short of its statutory biodiversity targets and wider commitments on nature recovery and climate resilience.
The report follows similar findings elsewhere in the UK. The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) recently published reports on protected sites in England and Northern Ireland, concluding that laws were not being implemented at the pace or scale required. Those reports cited insufficient government action, underinvestment, weak incentives for landowners and gaps in evidence as key barriers.
IEPAW said its recommendations align with existing Welsh policy, including Net Zero Wales and the Nature Recovery Action Plan, and present an opportunity for the Welsh Government to strengthen protections through the forthcoming Sustainable Farming Scheme in 2026.
More information about IEPAW and its work is available via the Welsh Government website.
