SoNaRR 2025 Aim 1: Stocks of natural resources are safeguarded and enhanced

Natural Resources Wales

This information is part of the State of Natural Resources Report 2025

Natural resources underpin our well-being and quality of life and are the basis of healthy, resilient ecosystems. They provide our food, clean air and water, fuel our industries, and create jobs.

This assessment evaluates Wales’ progress towards Aim 1 of the sustainable management of natural resources (SMNR): to safeguard and enhance stocks of natural resources. It takes a broad view of natural resources, including wild species, air, water and soil, and is not confined to economically valued stocks (which are mostly considered in the Aim 4 assessment).

Despite strong legislative foundations, including the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, Wales is not yet achieving this aim. Natural resources continue to be degraded. Evidence shows widespread pressures across ecosystems, including unsustainable land use and management, and pollution of air, water and soil. Climate change is intensifying these pressures, and more frequent extreme weather events are affecting resource stability and resilience. Invasive non-native species, pests, and diseases further threaten biodiversity and ecosystem function.

Some progress has been made, including peatland restoration, improved air quality legislation, and legacy pollution remediation through the Wales Metal Mines Programme. However, these efforts are not yet sufficient to reverse long-term trends.

Transformative change is needed—across food, energy, housing, and transport systems—to regenerate natural resources and reduce Wales’ global ecological footprint. This requires integrated action across sectors, improved monitoring and research, and community engagement. Most fundamentally, this transformation requires changes in how we value and view nature.

This national Aim 1 assessment synthesises evidence from across SoNaRR 2025 and signposts to related assessments under Aims 2, 3 and 4. It outlines opportunities for action and highlights priority areas for safeguarding and enhancing Wales’ natural resources.

Vision

Success would see Wales using natural resources in a way that enables their quantity and quality to improve over time, not be degraded. In this vision, our ecosystems are resilient and able to regulate, maintain and provide natural resources which benefit the people of Wales. Our economy and culture not only protect natural resources and ecosystems from pressures that would degrade them, but also work to improve the quantity and quality of natural resources in Wales and those that we use from around the world. Use of non-renewable resources would be managed to reduce impacts on ecosystems and to move towards renewable alternatives.

Delivering on this vision will advance the Well-being of Future Generations goals and contributes to progress against the National Indicators for: Levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution in the air (Indicator 4), Concentration of carbon and organic matter in soil (Indicator 13), The global footprint of Wales (Indicator 14), Areas of healthy ecosystems in Wales (Indicator 43), Status of biological diversity in Wales (Indicator 44), and Percentage of surface water bodies, and groundwater bodies, achieving good or high overall status (Indicator 45).

Key messages

Wales is not yet safeguarding and enhancing stocks of natural resources – transformational change is required

Despite policy frameworks like the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, evidence shows that Wales is not sufficiently safeguarding or enhancing its natural resources. Species decline, habitat degradation and pollution of air, soil and water, indicate that current efforts are falling short of reversing degradation or improving resource stocks. We need to transform our food, housing, transport and energy systems so that they no longer degrade our natural resources.

Pollution and land use pressures are undermining resource quality

Intensive agricultural management, urban development, wastewater and transport are major contributors to pollution across Wales. Nutrient pollution, ammonia emissions, and chemical contaminants are degrading soils, water, and air quality. These pressures are reducing the resilience of ecosystems and the quality of natural resources.

Climate change is intensifying risks to natural resources

Changing rainfall patterns, extreme weather events, and rising temperatures are putting our natural resources under increasing stresses. Peatlands, which store significant carbon and regulate water, are particularly vulnerable. Climate change is also compounding the effects of pressures from invasive non-native species (INNS), pests and diseases to further threaten wildlife, ecosystem resilience, and economically valued productivity. Without targeted adaptation and mitigation, climate change will further erode the quantity and quality of Wales’ natural resources.

Some progress has been made, but change needs to be at the system level

Initiatives such as peatland restoration, the Wales Metal Mines Programme, promotion of resource efficiencies, and air quality legislation show positive steps toward resource protection. However, these actions are not at the scale or pace required to reverse long-term trends. Restoration and protection projects are essential, but they must be accompanied by deeper shifts in the systems which drive degradation in order for our natural resources to be protected.

Read the full Aim 1: Stocks of natural resources are safeguarded and enhanced assessment in our State of Natural Resources Report 2025.

Read this assessment



Evidence needs

Evidence gaps hinder the effective action and monitoring required to assess and achieve the safeguarding and enhancement of natural resources (Aim 1). The SoNaRR 2025 ecosystem and natural resource assessments identify evidence needs in relation to Aim 1 covering the following areas:

  • soil health, erosion, contamination and carbon stocks;
  • biodiversity, extent, condition and connectivity of many Welsh habitats;
  • evidence around water availability, quality, and flood risk in the face of climate change, land use change, and increasing demand;
  • climate change impacts across many natural resources and ecosystems;
  • distribution, impact, and management of INNS;
  • environmental impacts of renewable energy developments and land-use practices;
  • pressures and impacts from human activities in the marine environment;
  • enhanced local and national monitoring of air quality and its impacts on human and ecosystem health.

These evidence gaps limit the ability to assess progress and design effective interventions. Addressing these evidence needs is critical to safeguarding and enhancing natural resources.

Key evidence sources

Explore some of the evidence we have used to inform our assessment:

See SoNaRR 2025 Air, Water and Soil Natural Resource assessments for further key evidence relevant to Aim 1.

 

Case studies

Celtic Rainforests

The Celtic Rainforest project has facilitated INNS and non-native conifer removal, as well as conservation grazing, and restoration of plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS).

Celtic Rainforests Wales | Eryri National Park

Tackling metal mine water pollution

Since 2020, the Welsh Government-funded Wales Metal Mines Programme has investigated over 50 sites and is developing long-term remedial measures to reduce pollution from abandoned metal mines.

Metal mine water pollution - Natural Resources Wales Citizen Space - Citizen Space

The National Peatland Action Programme

The National Peatland Action Programme is a 5-year plan of peatland restoration in Wales, 2020 – 2025. Restoration action on over 1650 hectares in the first two years means the programme surpassed its initial restoration targets of 600-800 hectares of public and private land every year.

Natural Resources Wales / The National Peatland Action Programme

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