Thursday 25th June, 2026
Wales is currently one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries.
17% of assessed species in Wales are now threatened with extinction, including our most iconic river fish species: Atlantic salmon.
In January of this year, Wales’s first assessment of the condition, trends and management of important habitats, species and wild birds identified several recurring pressures across habitats and species. These included climate change, pollution and poor water quality, agricultural, practices, development pressures, invasive species and recreational disturbance.
Also in January, Natural Resources Wales published its latest State of Natural Resources Report (SoNaRR). Despite the nature emergency declared by the Senedd five years earlier, this painted an even starker picture of Welsh biodiversity.
Reversing biodiversity loss in Welsh rivers is key to their restoration
It found that while there had been some local conservation success stories since the previous report, biodiversity was still declining in Wales with ecosystems not resilient enough to cope with the pressures they faced.
Why is biodiversity so important?
Biodiversity measures the huge range of all life forms in one area or the planet as a whole.
It includes genetic variation within species and the interactions between species that make up habitats.
Healthy biodiversity and ecosystems provide essential services such as clean water, food production, pollination, carbon storage, flood regulation, soil health, recreational and cultural benefits.
It therefore affects our wellbeing, health and economic prosperity.
A Westminster report in Feb 2026 went further, saying that global biodiversity loss is a threat to national security. Another report in May highlighted the impacts of biodiversity loss globally.
Specifically for rivers, reversing biodiversity loss is key to their restoration. It provides them with the resilience needed to cope with drought and flood. A restored river catchment acts as a sponge enabling it to adapt to mitigate against floods and retain water for longer through dry periods.
It also stops the significant loss of valuable soils into rivers, so important to food production and so damaging to aquatic life.
What are Wales’s commitments?
The Welsh and UK Governments have committed to international biodiversity goals under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
These include halting and reversing biodiversity loss and protecting 30% of land, freshwater and sea for nature by 2030 (“30×30”).
Wales also has international commitments for salmon and sewin recovery through the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO).
However, with Welsh rivers among the most nature-depleted habitats in the country and despite the importance of freshwater ecosystems to biodiversity recovery, we still lack a comprehensive set of specific, measurable targets for rivers.
In Wales there are currently no statutory targets for river restoration, freshwater species recovery or river connectivity like there are in England under the Environment Act 2021.
There are currently no statutory targets for river restoration, freshwater species recovery or river connectivity like there are in England under the Environment Act 2021. This creates uncertainty over the scale and pace of action required to restore river health and recover freshwater biodiversity in Wales.
The Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Act 2026 has created the framework for legally binding biodiversity targets (but not the targets themselves) with Welsh Ministers required to report on progress.
This new framework presents an opportunity to address the gap. Ambitious freshwater targets could provide the focus needed to drive investment, prioritise action and measure progress towards restoring healthy, resilient river ecosystems.
This is also an opportunity to set targets for freshwater fish species other than salmon and sewin.
How are we going to meet our biodiversity targets?
To achieve Wales’s biodiversity ambitions, SoNaRR 2025 called for “transformative” societal change in how we interact with nature. That is going to take commitment and determination from the new Welsh Government.
Historically, Plaid Cymru has been relatively strong on biodiversity. It’s 2026 manifesto pledged to restore and protect nature as part of Wales’s response to the climate crisis.
And in the Senedd this week, the Minister for Rural Resilience confirmed that the new Government’s priorities included developing a new Climate and Nature Action Plan within its first 100 days, setting out a pathway to nature recovery by 2050.
Also confirmed is the establishment of the Office of Environmental Governance Wales (OEGW), our version of England’s Office for Environmental Protection.
This will provide independent environmental oversight, filling the governance gap previously provided by EU institutions. The Minister confirmed that OEGW will be distinct from Natural Resources Wales, with separate responsibilities.
Accountability is key
That all seems quite positive.
However, once Welsh biodiversity targets have been set by the new Government, proper monitoring and accountability will be key to their delivery. Targets set far into the future need to be supported by interim milestones to ensure progress is being achieved. If not, who do we hold accountable when the finish line is another Senedd term away?
The experience of the Water Framework Directive’s consistently missed targets cannot be repeated for biodiversity.
The new governance framework must ensure that we always know what the progress is. Any target failure must lead to action, adaptation and renewed commitment, rather than simply becoming another missed milestone. And, if they are missed the OEGW should be responsible for holding relevant authorities to account.
The experience of the Water Framework Directive’s consistent target failure cannot be repeated for biodiversity.
Despite the Directive’s legally binding objectives, we have made little progress to deliver against them and the Good Ecological Status now committed to by the new Government.
We currently face a situation of mere acceptance that the Directive’s targets will be missed, and missed by some distance. Added to that is a monitoring programme that is insufficient to give us the full picture of water quality.
The independence and effectiveness of the OEGW will be crucial in ensuring biodiversity targets are met. Ministers and officials in Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales must be credited for achieving future targets but equally, held to account effectively when they do not.