Environment (Wales) Act 2016

National natural resources policy

9 Duty to prepare, publish and implement national natural resources policy

(1) The Welsh Ministers must prepare and publish a document setting out their general and specific policies for contributing to achieving sustainable management of natural resources in relation to Wales (the “national natural resources policy”).

(2) The national natural resources policy must set out what the Welsh Ministers consider to be the key priorities, risks and opportunities for sustainable management of natural resources in relation to Wales, including what they consider should be done in relation to climate change and biodiversity.

(3) The Welsh Ministers may include anything in the national natural resources policy which they consider relevant to achieving sustainable management of natural resources in relation to Wales.

(4) The Welsh Ministers must—

(a) take all reasonable steps to implement the national natural resources policy, and

(b) encourage others to take such steps.

(5) The Welsh Ministers must publish the first national natural resources policy before the end of 10 months starting with the day this section comes into force.

(6) The Welsh Ministers—

(a) must review the national natural resources policy after each general election, and

(b) may review the policy at any other time.

(7) The Welsh Ministers may at any time revise the national natural resources policy and must publish the national natural resources policy as revised.

(8) In exercising their functions under this section, the Welsh Ministers must apply the principles of sustainable management of natural resources.

(9) In preparing or revising the national natural resources policy, the Welsh Ministers must have regard to the most recent report under section 8 on the state of natural resources in relation to Wales.

(10) When the Welsh Ministers publish the national natural resources policy (or a revised policy), they must also publish a report summarising—

(a) any consultation that was carried out in preparing the policy, and

(b) any representations that were received as a result of the consultation.

(11) In subsection (6), “general election” means a poll held at an ordinary general election under section 3 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32) or an extraordinary general election under section 5 of that Act.