Welsh public supports urgent action for nature, new poll reveals
Ever since the RSPB began, we've tried to help species thrive and that's still at the heart of what we do. The threats they face may be different now, but our need and passion to help wildlife is still urgent.
Published: 3 Apr 2025
Topic: Welsh public supports urgent action for nature.
We hoped the people of Wales felt the same too. So, in early February, we commissioned a survey around people’s attitudes to aspects of wildlife and nature in Wales, to find that out.
The survey was carried out by Beaufort Research Limited and fieldwork for the survey took place between 3 and 23 March 2025. A total of 1,000 interviews were completed online, with the results being representative of the adult population (aged 16+) in Wales.
The survey undoubtedly showed that the people of Wales want stronger protections for nature.
We know that Wales’ nature is disappearing at an alarming rate. The most recent report on the State of Nature in Wales shows that one in six species are now threatened with extinction nationally, and there has been a 20% drop in Wales’ wildlife since 1994. Hearteningly, people in Wales want to see these trends reversed - with 77% of those asked saying they would like to see more nature thriving in their local green spaces and 80% feeling that time spent in nature is important to their health and wellbeing.
The Welsh Government has made ambitious commitments to restoring nature but is failing to deliver according to a recent report by the Senedd Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee. The Committee was highly critical of the Welsh Government for its slow progress towards key commitments, including the global target to protect 30% of land and seas for nature by 2030. One opportunity considered by the Committee to boost action for nature was the forthcoming ‘Nature Positive Bill’ on environmental governance and biodiversity targets. A bill we have been calling for many years. The Bill will create a new environmental watchdog for Wales, bring core environmental principles into Welsh law, and introduce legally binding targets for nature’s recovery.
The window of opportunity to bring nature back from the brink is shrinking at an alarming rate. If the Welsh Government is to deliver on its commitments to biodiversity, we need a step change in action. Nature simply cannot wait.
It seems nature is high up on the public agenda too. The recent poll showed that 74% of respondents agreed that targets in law were needed to restore nature and over three-quarters (76%) believed that current and future governments needed to take more action to tackle the loss of nature.
The upcoming Environmental Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Bill provides the opportunity to set ambitious targets, along with a solid delivery plan and to drive action across all sectors for nature recovery. Government accountability for the state of nature will break the cycle of ‘too little, too late’ that has allowed our wildlife to continue to decline and provide Wales’ nature with its best chance of flourishing.
Wales is home to awe-inspiring landscapes that we all love. And over 80% of Wales is farmed in some way. Farmers therefore also have a pivotal role to play in saving nature. The upcoming Sustainable Farming Scheme, if designed correctly, should be another effective means of helping Wales meet biodiversity targets and tackling climate change, as well as helping farmers produce food sustainably, which is why we’re currently calling on Welsh Government to secure the future of climate and nature-friendly farming in Wales, via our online e-action.
The opinion poll also found that just over two-thirds (67%) of those surveyed thought farmers should be required to use the funding they receive from the Welsh Government to farm in a way that benefits nature and tackles climate change.
Nature is clearly an important issue for people in Wales; the Welsh Government should take confidence from this and drive high ambition for nature recovery in Wales.