Last week, Natural Resources Wales became operational bringing together the previous work of the Countryside Council for Wales, the Environment Agency Wales and the Forestry Commission Wales. Sponsored by the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales will be one of the first public bodies in the world that will manage natural resources in a manner that considers benefits under the three sustainability imperatives: social, economic and environmental.
In the first year of its operation, they aim to,
- protect people and their homes as far as possible from environmental incidents like flooding and pollution
- maintain and improve the quality of the environment, including the promotion of nature conservation, access and recreation
- provide opportunities for people to learn, use and benefit from Wales’ natural resources
- support Wales’ economy by using natural resources to support jobs & enterprise
- help businesses understand and work with environmental, social and economic impacts when they bring forward proposals
- help make the environment and natural resources more resilient to climate change and other pressures.