Environment (Wales) Act 2016—snapshot

Produced in partnership with Dr Victoria Jenkins of Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Swansea University

The following Environment practice note Produced in partnership with Dr Victoria Jenkins of Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Swansea University provides comprehensive and up to date legal information covering:

Environment (Wales) Act 2016—snapshot
Brexit impact
Background
Sustainable natural resource management
Natural resources policy
Biodiversity duties
Nature recovery action plan
Wales Biodiversity Partnership
Extended powers for Natural Resources Wales
Climate Change

More...

Secondary material resources
Fisheries for shellfish
Marine licensing
Flood and coastal erosion and land drainage

The Welsh Government introduced the Environment (Wales) Bill (E(W) Bill) on 11 May 2015. The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 (E(W)A 2016) received Royal Assent on 21 March 2016. The E(W)A 2016 contains a certain amount of house-keeping on the environment in Wales such as re-setting statutory targets for reducing emissions and carbon budgets and clarifying the law for other environmental regulatory regimes including flood risk management and land drainage. These provisions are not covered by this Practice Note.

In this analysis, attention is primarily given to Part I of the E(W)A 2016, which contains provisions aiming to protect and ensure the goods and services generated by ecosystems and to guarantee the sustainable management of natural resources in Wales. As such and following on from the creation of an integrated agency for the environment in Wales (Natural Resources Wales—NRW) it constitutes something of a re-purposing of environmental law in Wales. This Practice Note also considers provisions in the E(W)A 2016 on the management of secondary material resources, from waste streams, and these provisions will also be briefly considered.

For more information on other parts of E(W)A 2016, see Practice Notes:

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Climate change—emissions targets and carbon budgets
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Waste types and controls—plastics
•
Marine licensing—Wales

Brexit impact

11 pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020 marks the end of the Brexit transition/implementation period entered into following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

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