Thirty-nine projects across Wales will benefit from £8.2m of
Welsh Government nature funding, Climate Change Minister announced today (Friday, March
8).
The projects have been named in the latest round of the Nature
Network Fund and include everything from investigating bugs on
coal spoils and reintroducing voles to Newport wetlands to
learning more about dolphin diets off the coast of west Wales.
This fund is a key component of the Nature Network Programme,
launched in 2021, helping Welsh Government work towards the
Global Biodiversity Framework 30 by 30 goal, which aims to
protect and effectively manage 30% of the planet’s marine,
freshwater and terrestrial environments by 2030.
The fund is a programme that the Welsh Government delivers in
partnership with The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Natural
Resources Wales.
It was set up to strengthen the resilience of Wales’ network of
protected land and marine sites, to support nature recovery and
to encourage engagement with local communities.
Climate Change Minister announced the latest round of
funding on a visit to Pendine’s Project Seagrass which has been
awarded £249,000.
Seagrass habitats are important to Wales’ marine environment as
they can capture carbon, which helps in addressing our nature and
climate emergency commitments.
The new project will focus on three Special Areas of Conservation
(SAC); Pembrokeshire Marine, Carmarthen Bay and Severn Estuary.
Minister for Climate Change, , said: “Tackling the climate
and nature emergencies is at the heart of everything we do - we
must protect our environment for future generations to enjoy.
“I’m delighted to announce the latest round of funding today,
it’s always inspiring to see the variety of amazing work
happening right across Wales to protect nature and biodiversity.
“This new funding will help facilitate the ‘Team Wales’ approach
that we require to improve the condition and resilience of our
protected sites while engaging local communities and connecting
them to amazing natural sites on their doorsteps.”
Chief Executive Officer and Charity Co-Founder at Project
Seagrass, Dr Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth, said: “Seagrasses provide
a multitude of benefits to people and the planet.
“These systems support very high biodiversity, commercial
fisheries and can capture and store large amounts of carbon.
“The UK has lost an estimated 90% of its native seagrass cover
over the past century. Healthy seagrass meadows are a valuable
ally in the fight against the current biodiversity and climate
crises.
“We need to look after our remaining meadows but have a huge
opportunity now to put back some of what has been lost and in
years to come reap the benefits of mature, healthy systems.
“This project is a significant boost, it will kickstart the
long-term recovery of seagrass in South Wales.”
Andrew White, Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund in
Wales, added: “Funding natural heritage projects which help
tackle the effects of climate change and support nature’s
recovery is a key priority for The National Lottery Heritage Fund
in Wales.
“The Nature Networks Fund is a valuable partnership which helps
us to meet this objective.
“These latest awards will support an impressive variety of
projects which demonstrate the ambition of the Fund as well as
the scale of the challenge facing us all.”
