Welsh Environment Minister John Griffiths has launched new plans to ensure public services deliver long term and sustainable benefits for the people of Wales, meeting a commitment to legislate to make sustainable development the central organising principle of the Welsh Government and public bodies in Wales. The minister explained what this means:

“I have often said that Sustainability lies at the very heart of the Welsh Government. What this means in reality is that when our Government is faced with difficult choices we will go for the option that delivers the best long term results for the people of Wales.”

Consultation on proposals for a Sustainable Development Bill

The Welsh Government is seeking views on proposals for a Sustainable Development Bill which would place a legal requirement on organisations delivering public services in Wales to ensure their decision making is informed by sustainable development principles. The proposals would also require organisations to report annually on how they have complied with that duty.

The consultation is seeking views on:

• The Welsh Government’s approach to a sustainable development duty that applies to organisations delivering public services;
• The Welsh Government’s approach to the role and functions of a new independent sustainable development body;
• The barriers to taking more long-term, joined-up decisions, and how to remove them;
• Evidence on promoting sustainable development;
• Reviewing existing legal duties and simplifying them in the proposed Sustainable Development Bill;
• The advantages and disadvantages of defining “sustainable development” in law.

Comments can be submitted by 18 July 2012, through an online form, by email or post.

• Consultation details and how to respond…

Sustainability in practice

The Minister further explained what it means to put sustainability at the heart of the Welsh Government:

“This means things like investing in high quality, early education now to prevent social hardship later on; or helping Welsh householders and businesses to become more energy efficient so they can save money whilst also preparing for future energy price rises.

“We believe that by adopting this approach we will improve economic, social and environmental well being and enhance quality of life in Wales. This in turn will mean healthy, productive people, vibrant, inclusive communities, a diverse environment that supports wildlife and an advanced, innovative and resilient economy.

“Of course we know we cannot achieve all this on our own. These proposals are about ensuring that all organisations delivering public services in Wales are legally committed to making decisions based on clear sustainability principles. We believe this approach will deliver long-term benefits.

“However we are also mindful of the need to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and costs and this consultation considers whether there are obligations that could be removed in light of the proposed sustainability duty.”

Peter Davies, Commissioner for Sustainable Futures said:

“The Sustainable Development Bill will represent a key stage in the devolution process, establishing a framework for development which is clear, connected, consistent, provides certainty and is focused on the long-term.

“The focus is on using the legislative powers to set the framework for improvement and investment, but ultimately, it is also about the opportunity of change and challenging mindsets. We should therefore make sure there is focus on change.”

One of the consultation proposals is the establishment of an independent Welsh body to provide advice and guidance on sustainable development. The new body could also challenge public service deliverers on how they are meeting their duty.

The consultation builds on the good progress that many public service organisations in Wales have already made in seeking to operate more sustainably.

This includes Swansea Council’s work to improve how they measure their performance by linking it more directly with real benefits for local communities and with an increased focus carbon on emission reduction.

The health board Hywel Dda is also working creatively to increase its resilience and performance. This includes strengthening partnership working between third sector, hospitals and GPs to improve delivery; encouraging volunteering and developing a code of practice; and supporting the development of social enterprises for heath and social care. All of these moves are aimed at in increasing capacity within the community, driving up resilience and focussing healthcare on prevention and early intervention rather than waiting until people urgently need services.

The Welsh Government is continuing its own work to operate and legislate sustainably and is also launching an Active Travel Bill. The key aim of the Bill is to see local authorities enabling and encouraging more people to walk and cycle in Wales by connecting key sites such as hospitals, schools and shopping areas with traffic free routes and cycle lanes.

Speaking to 100 representatives from Wales’ public, private and the third sectors at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in December, Environment and Sustainable Development Minister John Griffiths outlined plans for a sustainable development bill and asked for contributions to inform the proposed bill.

The Welsh Government committed in its legislative programme to introduce legislation on sustainable development, in order to:

• Make sustainable development the centre of all activities and decisions of the Welsh Government and devolved public bodies in Wales; and
• Create an independent sustainable development body for Wales.

The Welsh Government will now formally consult on the purpose and extent of a Sustainable Development Bill during 2012 and hopes to introduce the Bill to the National Assembly in 2013 or 2014.

The Welsh Government’s sustainable development scheme, One Wales: One Planet, already puts sustainable development at the centre of everything the government does, meaning that its decisions:

• take a long term approach;
• integrate economic, social and environmental issues; and
• use evidence when making decisions so that they provide the best value for the people they serve now and in the future.

The sustainable development bill aims to strengthen this approach and change this commitment to a legal duty.

Inviting discussion

The Welsh Government has published a discussion paper on the proposed bill and is now inviting views to help develop the consultation.

The discussion paper suggests the following key issues for development of the sustainable development bill:

• How should legislation bring about a step change in sustainable development?
• What does the public sector, with sustainable development as its central organising principle, look like and how does it operate?
• What new duties or powers might bring that about?
• What should be the role of the independent sustainable development body?

A detailed summary of the initial comments received in response to these questions is now available on the Welsh Government website.

Commitment to sustainable development

John Griffiths described the Welsh Government’s commitment to sustainable development:

“Wales is one of only a few administrations in the world which has a statutory duty to sustainable development. We now want to strengthen this duty to ensure that sustainable development is absolutely central to our thinking and to that of the broader public sector in Wales. We think it is a vital commitment to make.

“It demonstrates that we will use sustainable development to make better decisions, across all Ministerial portfolios, to help us achieve our ambition of being a truly sustainable nation.

“The Sustainable Development Bill must make a discernable difference to the everyday lives of our citizens, now and in the future. Our approach to sustainability must be relevant to the way in which public services across the board are shaped and delivered in the future.

“To advise, guide and challenge us on this we are also proposing the creation of a new, statutory independent sustainable body to serve Wales. This is a mark of our strong commitment to sustainable development, and this approach helps set us apart as a nation.”

Find out more

To find out more about the Bill and what it means, contact the team at the Welsh Government team via SDBIll@wales.gsi.gov.uk or visit www.wales.gov.uk/sustainabledevelopment for the latest updates on the work.

Over the past 18 months, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has been working with a number of the industry-led Sector Skills Councils to deliver training in support of Wales’ movement towards a low carbon economy.

The outcome of this partnership has been the investment by Welsh Government in a £1.8m Delivering Low Carbon Skills project which is supported by funding from the European Social Fund. It is estimated that in total the project will have provided training to over 1,000 participants from across Wales, including nearly 500 Welsh businesses.

Training has ranged from those job roles involved in supporting energy efficiency within homes through to the maintenance of large scale wind turbines, focusing on the following areas:

• Domestic Energy Advice;
• Commercial Building Energy Advice;
• Bolt-on in Sustainable Construction for Construction Apprentices;
• Sustainable Construction Top-up for existing workforce;
• Solid Wall Insulation;
• Heritage Skills;
• New Build and Modern Methods of Construction;
• Qualifications and up-skilling in Wind Turbine Operation & Maintenance;
• Environmental Technologies, including Solar Thermal, Solar Photovoltaic and Heat Pump qualifications.

Working in partnership

Construction Skills, Asset Skills, Energy and Utility Skills and Summit Skills, worked in partnership to access the Welsh Assembly Government’s Sector Priorities Fund (SPF) pilot programme. The Group established a funding package for pilot training, capacity building and skills development, to support the stimulation and growth of a low carbon built environment workforce in Wales.

Links have also been made to existing energy efficiency programmes in Wales, with many businesses involved in the Arbed Scheme also benefiting from training.

The Arbed programme is the Welsh Government’s Strategic Energy Performance Investment Programme, supporting commitments to reduce climate change, help eradicate fuel poverty and boost economic development and regeneration in Wales. Established in 2009, the programme is designed to bring environmental, social and economic benefits to Wales and coordinate investment into the energy performance of Welsh homes.

A cultural shift

The key outcome of the pilot project has been the creation of a cultural shift among training providers, like Further Education colleges, in terms of their understanding of the types of training needed by businesses to the low carbon challenge.

Two large employers in Wales, Magnox North and Carmarthenshire County Council, have been recognised for their sustainable development and corporate social responsibility work through Healthy Working Wales, the Welsh Government’s workplace health programme.

The employers have been awarded the Corporate Heath Standard, which is the national mark of quality for health and well-being in the workplace in Wales, at Platinum level. This is the highest level of the Standard, and recognises employers’ sustainable development and community work, alongside their work to improve the health and well-being of their staff.

The Corporate Health Standard provides a framework for businesses and organisations to maintain and improve the health and well-being of their staff, with free specialist support and advice provided by Public Health Wales.

The Platinum Standard includes criteria on six areas of sustainable development: transport, procurement, facilities management, capital build, employment and skills, and community engagement.

For their independent assessments, the two employers provided a case study on their work. Magnox North focused on the activities and community education role of its Information Centre, which provides science workshops for primary school-children, including free transport, as well as being open to the public. Carmarthenshire County Council highlighted its Local Sustainable Food Strategy, which has built sustainable development into all food and catering contracts.

Smaller employers in Wales, employing less than 50 staff, can access advice and support through the Small Workplace Health Award, which includes an environmental awareness module.

Further information

• Healthy Working Wales: more about ‘Healthy Working Wales’ and the Platinum Standard;
• healthyworkingwales@wales.gsi.gov.uk: contact Healthy Working Wales.

The Works is a £350 million project to regenerate the 200 acre former steelworks in Ebbw Vale, in a joint venture between the Welsh Government and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council. The Works is a flagship project for the Welsh Government’s sustainable development agenda, providing a revitalised community through strong regeneration and sustainability principles.

The UK’s first zero carbon house, at The Works, Ebbw Vale

The unique scheme is being delivered within a sustainable development framework with four objectives:

• Social - maximizing employment and business opportunities;
• Economic – strengthening the community and retaining its history and heritage;
• Environmental – improving the natural and built environment through biodiversity and landscape;
• Resource – making efficient use of resources through measures on energy and emissions, water and materials waste.

The site has already been dramatically transformed through many completed elements of the project, including:

• Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan is the UK’s first fully single bedroom hospital, open since December 2010. The hospital has 95 in-patient beds, and an adult mental health unit with out patient day care and 11-bed in-patient facility.
• The Environmental Resource Centre provides a place for school children and the wider community to learn about the ecology and heritage of the former steelworks. The building is the first to use the award winning Ty Unnos Sitka Spruce construction system, turning low cost wood into a high value end product. The centre was officially opened in May 2010 and is now run by Gwent Wildlife Trust.
• Central Valley Wetland Park is the green area of the site, approximately 1.5 km long and 10 hectares in area, and has been re-profiled during the land reclamation contract.   Over 200 years of industrial activity had left the area with a loss of natural soil cover and vegetation.  An innovative process of creating soil on site was engineered to recycle existing site material with imported fertiliser.  Tree planting on the landscape area began in March 2009, with the help of schools from Blaenau Gwent.
• Welsh Future Homes is a development of four showcase experimental low energy homes, helping to establish Ebbw Vale as the centre of a new sustainable construction industry in Wales and inspire a generation of housing that meets new standards in energy efficiency. The houses include the UK’s first zero carbon house, meeting Passivhaus and Code for Sustainable Homes level 6 standards.
• Basement Park retains nine of the former steelworks basements as a heritage feature. Some of these basements were transformed during 2010–2011 and unveiled at the National Eisteddfod, including:
• A community basement designed by various representatives of the Blaenau Gwent Community. The theme of the public space represents the past, present and future of Blaenau Gwent;
• The vertical garden, a winning landscape design from a competition organised by The Works;
• A further two basements were transformed temporarily for the Eisteddfod 2010 to demonstrate how these structures can be used for leisure and recreational purposes, becoming an underground arts basement and an extreme sports facility where visitors were able to zip-wire into the structure

The Environmental Resource Centre at The Works

Other major projects are well underway, including the £110 million learning works programme to provide a first class learning environment for future generations. The learning programme consists of:

• The Blaenau Gwent learning zone (due for completion in September 2012);
• 3-11 school (including special education needs & integrated childcare centre);
• Sports centre;
• 11-16 school;
• Energy centre & multi story car park;
• Public realm & infrastructure.

Once one of the largest steelworks in Europe, the Works is now at the forefront of sustainable development, with the UK’s first zero carbon house developed on the site. Many technologies are being trialed at The Works, providing opportunities to educate the industry in enhanced construction techniques and future sustainable techniques and technologies.

The project has recently been awarded the first exemplary rating in the UK under Greenprint, BRE’s masterplanning tool for creating sustainable communities.

The nrg4SD (Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development) general assembly took place in Quebec at the end of August. John Griffiths, Environment and Sustainable Development Minister for the Welsh Government, took part and signed the Declaration of Quebec (pdf), confirming Wales’s commitment to achieving and encouraging sustainable development at a sub-national level.

The network brings together representatives of regional governments around the world to promote the role of sub-national and regional governments in helping to ensure the world adopts a more sustainable way of living. Altogether nrg4SD represents around 600 territories in the World.

Wales has always been a progressive nation in terms of sustainable development. Nationally, through One Wales: One Planet and, more recently, through making sustainable development the central organising principle of the organisation – something the government is keen to encourage other Welsh businesses to do – through the Sustainable Development Charter.

Sustainable Development Charter

The Welsh Government’s Sustainable Development Charter was launched in May 2010. Its purpose is to enable Welsh organisations to make sustainable development their central organising principle.

By signing the Charter the Welsh Government is asking organisations to set out examples of best practice on sustainable development and share details with other organisations.

At the time of the launch a small group of just over 20 Welsh organisations joined in agreeing to follow the lead of Government and now – just over a year later – more than 100 organisations are working together on sustainable development. Those that have signed up come in all shapes and sizes and hail from a variety of sectors. They include major multinationals, key public sector organisations and high profile voluntary groups.

The Welsh Government’s ambition is to establish a working, active community of practice on sustainable development across all sectors that can act together to solve problems and, over time, see the Charter network being used to drive progress on sustainable development and inspiring action.

More information on the Sustainable Development Charter can be found here.

International Sustainable Development

Internationally, the Welsh Government continues to deliver inspiring programmes. The Wales for Africa programme has become a beacon for Welsh efforts to help deliver the UN Millennium Development Goals to halve global poverty by 2015. One element of their work includes the Wales-Mbale Territorial Approach to Climate Change (TACC) project, a partnership initiative between the Welsh Government, the Mbale region of Uganda and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Wales–Mbale Territorial Approach to Climate Change

The aim of the TACC programme is to assist 50 developing country regions to develop their own climate change action plans and access international funds to deliver them. The TACC is seen as an innovative approach to assisting the delivery of the adaptation and mitigation actions in developing countries, which are important UN goals.

In 2010, in partnership with the UNDP, the Welsh Government launched the $1 million TACC project in Mbale, Uganda.

The project means that a climate change action plan for Mbale will be produced using UN expertise and satellite data, ground proofing, meteorological data, as well as support from environment and climate change professionals in Wales. This plan will detail the vulnerabilities of the region to climate change and will be used as the basis for applications for international carbon financing funds.

As part of the project, three members of staff from Environment Agency Wales have completed 8 week assignments in Mbale under the Wales for Africa International Learning Opportunities scheme. They worked with the District Council to build the partnership, develop a monitoring and evaluation framework and begin the work of mapping water resources in the area.

Developments of the programme will be available through the Welsh Government website as the project progresses.

Further reading

• More information on International Sustainable Development in Wales;
• More information on nrg4SD.

New sustainable development indicators for Wales report progress on the commitment to sustainable development as the central organising principle of the Welsh Government.

The new figures show improvements in 19 of the 44 areas measured (up from 17 last year), including air quality, electricity production from renewable resources and recycling rates. A further 18 indicators have shown little or no change.

Headline indicators and the full suite

A set of five headline indicators collectively present a high level view of progress towards sustainable development:

1. Economic output – Gross Value Added (GVA) and GVA per head;
2. Social justice – percentage of the population in low-income households;
3. Biodiversity conservation – status of priority habitats and species;
4. Ecological footprint – Wales’ global ecological footprint;
5. Wellbeing – physical and mental health – life satisfaction.

Further indicators grouped under the chapter headings of the Welsh Government’s policies to promote sustainable development:

• Sustainable resource use;
• Sustaining the environment;
• A sustainable economy;
• A sustainable society;
• The wellbeing of Wales.

Developing indicators of wellbeing

The Welsh Government’s new Sustainable Development Scheme included a commitment to report on the wellbeing of Wales as a 5th headline indicator of sustainable development.

This year’s indicators report physical and mental wellbeing, using data from the Welsh Health Survey, and overall life satisfaction, using the new National Survey for Wales. Other measures of wellbeing that are under development and due to be included in the National Survey.

Commitment to one planet living

Welsh Ministers have a duty to have a scheme setting out how they will promote sustainable development in everything that they do – the Welsh Government’s scheme for Sustainable Development, One Wales: One Planet, defines sustainable development as:

“enhancing the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of people and communities, achieving a better quality of life for our own and future generations, in ways which:

• promote social justice and equality of opportunity, and;
• enhance the natural and cultural environment and respect its limits – using only our fair share of the earth’s resources and sustaining our cultural legacy”.

Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development John Griffiths welcomed the figures:

“I am pleased that these figures show how Wales has made good progress in a number of areas that are key to making Wales a sustainable nation. The statistics show improvements in key areas such as urban and rural air quality, production of electricity from renewable sources and household waste recycling and composting.

“The Welsh Government is committed to one planet living, where we live and plan for a future that only uses our fair share of the earth’s resources. Today’s figures prove that we are making good progress but of course there is still scope for improvement.”

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• Consulting on new sustainable development indicators

Directed by the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Tourism Framework (STF), Visit Wales is focusing on sustainable tourism - which is about more than just being green.

Unlike ‘eco’ or ‘green’ tourism, sustainable tourism gives equal consideration to local communities, culture and traditions, economic prosperity, and the environment. Four key objectives support the vision for sustainable tourism:

• Promoting local prosperity;
• Supporting community well-being and involvement;
• Minimising tourism’s impact on the environment;
• Protecting and giving value to natural heritage and culture.

Working in partnership

Visit Wales has developed a number of programmes in partnership with key stakeholders in delivering a more sustainable tourism industry. The drive to make tourism more sustainable is also encouraging organisations across Wales to work together in cross-sector partnerships to achieve shared goals.

Since 2007, a Sustainable Tourism Forum of private, voluntary and public sector bodies has been coordinating the development of sustainable tourism across Wales and has put in place a Sustainable Tourism Action Plan.

Important areas of the forum’s work to date have included bringing the tourism and transport sectors together to look at barriers that visitors face when using public transport, resulting in improvements in information provision and new incentives for visitors to use public transport.

Another example of successful cross-sector collaboration is the Green Sea Partnership, an all-Wales working partnership to safeguard and enhance the coastal environment of Wales. Improving the quality of beaches, the built and natural environment and maintaining and improving seawater quality is especially important for tourism and the economy in Wales. Since its launch in 1996, the partnership has been a key driver in quality in coastal tourism in Wales, securing two successive EU projects.

The focus has been on improvements to beach infrastructure and curbing pollution. It is a measure of the partnership’s success that 15 years ago only two Welsh beaches qualified to meet the international Blue Flag standard while this year 46 beaches and marinas have been accorded the status.

As well as a record number of high water quality Blue Flag awards this year, Wales boasts 46 Green Coast Awards. The Green Coast Award is unique in that it recognises Guideline water quality (the EU designation for excellent water quality) as well as best practice in environmental management for beaches, which may not have the facilities associated with resort beaches. Since its launch in Wales, the Award has grown in popularity and has now expanded to Ireland.

Annual programme for sustainable tourism

Visit Wales sets an annual work programme for sustainable tourism development, divided into partnership working, establishing pilot projects, investing in tourism infrastructure, and improving the quality of the sustainable tourism product inWales.

Examples under this programme of work include:

• National Park Environmental Management Pilots 2010
  Wales’ three National Park Authorities undertook environmental management events and seminars designed to address key sustainable tourism themes, eg energy efficiency, waste management, recycling and participation in green certification schemes.
• Tourism Investment Support Scheme (TISS)
  Launched in October 2010, TISS is open to existing Welsh tourism businesses for the purpose of upgrading facilities, for instance increasing energy efficiency or environmental improvement.
• National Tourism Awards, Sustainable Tourism Category
  In 2010 Visit Wales launched a new sustainable tourism category of the National Tourism Awards. Key sustainability questions were also incorporated within all other award categories.
• Tourism Environmental Satellite Account and Tourism Impact Model
  Visit Wales is working with Cardiff Business School on the Tourism Satellite Account for Wales in order to measure key economic and environmental impacts of tourism in Wales. This includes improving data on carbon, water, and waste in tourism.
• Destination Management website
  Launched in January 2011 to pull together and build key partnerships with tourism business, communities and public authorities in developing a more sustainable tourism offer. See the Destination Management Wales website.

A leading sustainable tourism destination

Strides have been made towards the vision of Wales as a leading sustainable tourism destination through working in partnership and driving change for the industry.

Visit Wales will actively promote validated schemes through its marketing and industry websites. The current validation programme sets the framework for these improvements and the required benchmark for the industry, as well as helping visitors make an informed choice and meeting growing consumer expectations around sustainability.

More work is needed to engage with the industry and invest in product development to ensure that industry needs are met.

Visit Wales has committed to develop strategic centres of excellence in tourism over the next four years. Around £35m will be invested into two EU Convergence – Environment for Growth (E4G) projects on Coastal Tourism and Sustainable Tourism with seven centres of excellence (CoE) for tourism in Wales:

• For Sustainable Tourism
  The adventure tourism Eryri CoE (located in Snowdonia, Gwynedd), the Off-Road Cycling CoE (in Neath Port Talbot), the One Historic Garden project to develop existing garden attractions (Pembrokeshire), and the North Wales Cycling Centre of Excellence (Denbighshire).
• For Coastal Tourism
  The National Trust’s CoE for Aberdaron and the Llŷn Peninsula, the Pembrokeshire Coastal Waters Centre, and Swansea Bay Water Sports Centre.

Part of a broader movement

Efforts to promote sustainable tourism are just one aspect of a broader movement to promote sustainable development.

It is clear that tourism can have a significant effect on the environment and the way we live. The long term future of the industry in Wales is dependent on the ability to safeguard the quality of the environment as well as contribute to the economic development and well-being of individuals living, working or staying in Wales.

Through investing in and developing our coastline, beaches, local food, creating local jobs and providing leisure access for all, tourism has a unique opportunity to create an environment where both the visitor and the community feel a greater sense of well being.

Further reading

• Sustainable tourism: Welsh Government webpages on sustainable tourism.
• Visit Wales: promoting tourism in Wales.

Last year the Welsh Government ran its first Sustainable Development Challenge Fund, better known as the Green Dragons Den at the Hay Festival. Four winners, picked by a panel of Green Dragons, each received £10,000 to develop their ideas to make Wales more sustainable.

The Hay Festival (photo courtesy Mike Erskine)

Last week the Green Dragons gathered again during the Hay Festival’s Hay on Earth programme to grill the latest set of applicants hoping to win this prestigious competition. The competition concentrated on the following themes:

• Clever Stuff – reducing the impact of the stuff we make, buy, use and recycle every day.
• Field to Fork – improving the way we grow, transport, process and use the food we eat.
• Home and Hearth – scaling up the good practices that save money and energy whilst reducing our impact on the environment
• Connecting Communities – finding new and better ways to bring together the shared interests of local councils, businesses, communities and the third sector to build resilience and reduce impact.

The Green Dragons were looking for applicants that could show:

• How they will promote sustainable development in Wales and help achieve the Welsh Government’s vision for a sustainable Wales (as set out in One Wales: One Planet).
• Innovation and demonstrate cutting edge thinking
• How they will integrate economic, social and environmental issues and promote long term sustainable solutions
• How they will support the long term wellbeing of people and communities in Wales.

Ahead of the grand final, each competitor had the chance to practice their pitches to members of the public at a Dragons’ Playground. The Playground was an open space where visitors to the Hay Festival could ask questions about the projects before leaving comments and voting in advance of the grand final.

The finale for each day’s competition saw more than 200 people pack the Elmley Foundation Theatre and witness 3 minute pitches to the Dragons and audience. The applicants then had to endure a cross examination (including questions from the audience), before the Green Dragons and audience voted for a winner.

Jacqualyn Box of Rebound Books in front of the Green Dragons
(photo courtesy Mike Erskine)

Rebound Books, a project developed by L’Arche Brecon, a community where adults with and without learning disabilities live and share life together, won the Clever Stuff prize. The project creates recycled notebooks, sketchbooks, diaries or journals from old or discarded books with the original publication interspersed with blank pages.

Food for the future, developed by Blaenau Gwent Council took away the Field to fork award for their project encouraging Primary and Secondary schools to install allotments, wildlife gardens and waste recycling facilities across the Borough.

Winner of the Home and Hearth competition was the One Million Person Sharing Plan for Wales. Its aim is to help people and communities up and down Wales share existing resources. Everything from bikes, meeting rooms or garden tools will be shared through an online sharing platform creating a collaborative way of consuming goods and services.

The final winner of the week under the Connecting Communities theme was Pots, tubs, troughs and tucker. The Wellbeing Alliance, including the Cooperative Group, Public Health Wales and Communities 1st/GAVO project will develop a community scheme to encourage people in Blaenau Gwent to grow their own produce, share skills and come together.

On 6th April, Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries Richard Benyon and Welsh Minister for Rural Affairs Elin Jones issued a new code of practice on invasive plant species: Helping to prevent the spread of invasive non-native species – Horticultural code of practice.

Invasive non-native species have a very serious impact on the environment and the way we live, with a total economic impact of at least £1.7 billion a year in the UK. Their impact on rare species and sensitive ecosystems makes invasive species one of the greatest threats to biodiversity worldwide, included amongst the top five factors identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. They can also directly affect human health and contribute to flooding.

Floating pennywort: can cause localised flooding by blocking drainage systems (photo courtesy GB non-native species secretariat)

This new code of practice gives advice and guidance on the safe use, control and disposal of invasive non-native plants for everyone engaged in horticulture, gardening and related activities involving the use of plants. Compliance with the new code of practice is now a requirement of the recently revised Government Buying Standards for horticulture and park services.

The aim is to highlight the problems which invasive non-native plants can cause and to advise all those involved in horticulture (from supply to end-use) what basic steps they can take to help minimise their impact.

Water primrose: out-competes native species and clogs waterways (photo courtesy GB non-native species secretariat)

The main issues outlined in the Horticultural Code of Practice are:

• For Users:
  • Dispose of plant waste responsibly
  • Know exactly what you are growing and buying
  • Take advice on the best control techniques
  • Control invasive non-native plants safely
  • Be aware of relevant legislation
• For Suppliers and Retailers:
  • Know what you are supplying or selling; label plants clearly and accurately
  • Provide substitutes for invasive plants
  • Provide advice on disposal
• For buyers and Importers:
  • Provide substitutes for invasive plants
  • Provide substitutes for invasive plants
  • Provide advice on disposal

Background

The new code of practice updates a previous one published in 2005, reflecting some significant changes. The GB Invasive Non-Native Species Framework Strategy was published in May 2008 and a code of conduct on horticulture and invasive alien plants was more recently produced in joint collaboration by the Council of Europe and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO).

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) is the principal legislation which regulates the release of non-native species. Section 14(2) of the Act prohibits the release of certain invasive non-native plants into the wild in Great Britain; it is an offence under section 14(2) to “plant or otherwise cause to grow in the wild” any plants listed on Part II of Schedule 9 to the Act. In December 2009 the Government published new Guidance on section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The code therefore provides practical guidance to help ensure compliance with the provisions of Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act by summarising important considerations.

Further reading

• Non-native Species Secretariat website: information about invasive non-native species, work that is being done to tackle them across Great Britain, and tools to facilitate those working in this area;
• Know what you grow: campaign to encourage pond owners to be aware of the threat of invasive plants.