North Wales MS and Wales Species Champion of the Curlew, Mark Isherwood, has today raised concerns in the Senedd Chamber that there is no obligation to implement SSSI ((Sites of Special Scientific Interest) Management Plans in Wales.
Questioning the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs in today’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament over the implementation of the plans, Mr Isherwood expressed concern that the timeline for targeted SSSI action is unlikely to be met by 2030.
In a question asking the Cabinet Secretary what guidance the Welsh Government produces regarding the implementation of the plans, he said:
“Last month, I questioned you here on the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) and how it will help meet Wales's 2030 biodiversity goals, particularly in protecting species like the Curlew. I highlighted that, while SSSIs are included in the SFS, there's currently no requirement for their active management. Without urgent habitat action, the Curlew could be extinct in Wales by 2033, and I sought assurances that the Sustainable Farming Scheme would support farmers in delivering the large-scale conservation efforts needed.
“You responded that the SFS requires the production of SSSI Management Plans under its universal actions. However, I'm advised that there is still no obligation to implement these plans and, as a result, no action will be taken unless participants voluntarily choose to do so. If they do, they must select from the Optional and Collaborative layers of the scheme, many of which are still being finalised, meaning the timeline for targeted SSSI action remains unclear and unlikely to be met by 2030. Why, therefore, is implementation of these plans not required?”
Responding, the Cabinet Secretary said:
“Just to remind you, we haven't produced the Sustainable Farming Scheme in its entirety yet. We produced the outline back in November. We know some of the parts; we do not know the entirety of the scheme. We will know very shortly. But the work on SSSIs has been a core part of developing what we call the 'universal layer', and 'universal' does mean exactly that, it's the layer we anticipate will be accessible to all farmers, and that all farmers will then need to comply with what's in the universal layer.”