Natural Resources Wales at COP26 Harnessing nature for the benefit of people and planet

Welsh projects inspired by and delivered by nature to tackle the climate emergency will be showcased to a global audience as world leaders gather at COP26 to discuss taking ambitious action on climate change.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will join the UK’s nature conservation, environmental protection, and forestry agencies at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow to highlight how nature-based solutions can play a leading role in delivering a net zero future.

NRW will showcase two nature-based solution projects from Wales as part of an exhibition on the Inter-agency Climate Change Group (IACCG) stand in the Green Zone, hosted in the Glasgow Science Centre, on Tuesday 2 November.

The first is Greener Grangetown, a sustainable drainage system (SuDS) project designed to better manage rainwater and make this diverse neighbourhood in Cardiff a cleaner, greener place to live.

Delivered in partnership by Natural Resources Wales, City of Cardiff Council and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, the project was driven by the need to reduce volumes of rainwater entering the capital’s sewerage system to provide resilience against the impacts of climate change and urbanisation.  It also had the ambition of improving the surroundings and access to urban green spaces for its residents and commuters.

At Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm in South Wales, NRW is working in partnership with energy company Vattenfall on a £3million, 25-year habitat management plan designed to support local wildlife, restore habitats and improve peatland ecosystem resilience on the 76-turbine site. Priority is being given to the restoration of blanket bog, the felling of conifer plantations and undertaking ground works to restore natural hydrological processes of peat bodies for carbon storage and sequestration benefits.

Recognising the critical role and urgency for addressing both the biodiversity and climate crises in unison, the projects each demonstrate cost-effective, natural approaches to addressing some of the UK’s biggest environmental, societal and economic challenges. They also demonstrate how climate change adaptation and mitigation can be delivered by building resilience into natural resources and ecosystems. 

The exhibition is part of a wider programme of events colleagues from NRW will attend during the COP26 fortnight. This includes the Regional Roadshow events across

Wales (between 4 and 10 November), highlighting examples of best practice

and allowing participants to engage in important conversations around the key COP26 Presidency Programme themes.

The ambition is to spark strong domestic and international interest in the adoption of the wide range of approaches currently being undertaken in Wales and the UK to tackle the climate emergency – including nature-based solutions.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of Natural Resources Wales said:

“It has been well-documented that this major climate summit will be the world’s best chance of building a cleaner, greener future. As the impacts of climate change are seen and felt around the world, and on our doorsteps, we must take this opportunity to accelerate the action needed to keep any further future impacts at bay.

“This must be the moment that every country and every part of society embraces their responsibility to protect our planet. NRW is looking forward to playing our part over the next fortnight, to highlight the positive role Wales is already playing in achieving this ambition on a global stage.”

In September the five UK statutory nature agencies launched a new report – Nature Positive 2030 – setting out how the UK can meet its commitments in the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, and ensure that nature’s recovery plays a critical role in the path to Net Zero.

The findings from the joint report will be highlighted throughout COP 26, to emphasise that achieving nature commitments will deliver huge benefits to human health, well-being and our economy, and will require transformative change across society and in the way we protect, value, use and engage with nature.

Clare Pillman, added:

“The Nature Positive 2030 report stresses the need to put our ambitions for nature recovery on the same footing as those for climate change – those individuals, businesses, cities and governments attending this crucial conference that are striving to become Net Zero need to become nature positive too.

“Our ambition for this report at COP26 is to showcase the very best examples of nature-based solution projects from across the UK, highlighting to new audiences how nature can provide important solutions to climate change and help achieve environmental improvements for the benefit of current and future generations.”

• Nature based solution case studies from Wales are available from Natural Resources Wales – contact communications@naturalresources.wales
• Further information on the case studies from across the UK on show at COP26 can be seen on the JNCC website here from 1 November gov.uk/iaccg-nbs-case-studies/
• The UK Inter-agency Climate Change Group (IACCG) brings together representatives from the UK environmental agencies to update on climate change policy and evidence developments across the four UK nations, identifying common areas of interest and sharing experience.
  
  
• Its membership includes:
• Natural England
• Natural Resources Wales
• NatureScot
• Northern Ireland Environment Agency
• Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
• Environment Agency
• Scottish Forestry
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
• Forestry Commission
• Forestry England
  
  
• The IACCG will exhibit some of the best examples of the UJ’s nature-based solutions projects on its stand (C8) in the Green Zone on Tuesday 2 November.
• Nature Positive 2030 has been produced by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, NatureScot and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. It consists of two reports – a Summary Reportand an Evidence Report and was published in September 2021 to mark the first anniversary of the Leaders' Pledge for Nature.
• It’s NRW’s job to look after Wales’ natural resources and what they provide for us: to help reduce the risk to people and properties of flooding and pollution; to look after our special places for people’s well-being and wildlife; to provide timber; and to work with others to help us all manage them sustainably. Our people have the knowledge, expertise, and passion to help make the sustainable management of natural resources a reality.
• For more information naturalresources.wales
• For more information about COP26 HOME - UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) at the SEC – Glasgow 2021 (ukcop26.org)