Biodiversity, the big picture — seeding the future!

Carolyn Thomas MS

Whether you were buzzing about World Bee Day or completed No Mow May, this time of year focuses on celebrating and learning about biodiversity and since being elected last year I’ve been impressed by the level of understanding in this Senedd.

But the roots of my interest in nature go back to my childhood, in fact — if a child does not connect with nature before the age of 12 then they are less likely to as an adult.

I used to power up a steep lane in my village thinking that once I get to the top there will be an amazing view, now I wonder up slowly marvelling at the variety of natural life in the species rich hedgerows and banks that is going on all around me.

After I was made Flintshire Council’s biodiversity champion and attended some presentations and workshops, I started to look for species, I developed an eye for spotting them in the verges, I noticed wild strawberries, orchids, honeysuckle, stitchwort, wild garlic, butterflies, bees and bats.

I discovered singing hedges full of sparrows, crows fighting buzzards, otter spraints and snakes, I noticed that there was a whole other world going on outside the human bubble that I lived in and I am proud to say I am now a species champion for the butterfly orchid.

Nature is beautiful and importantly we cannot survive without it. Our natural environment is in decline and so are the benefits it delivers; it has served us well and now we need to nurture it and help it thrive.

Biodiversity is an essential underpinning element of all resilient ecosystems and is fundamental to our economic, social, and cultural wellbeing.

We so often forget that the wild food chain we’re taught as children, starts with the smallest of insects who rely on our native flora.

We are now in a nature emergency. Our wildlife is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history we have no choice but to act now to save it. 1 in 6 species assessed in Wales alone are at risk of extinction….1 in 6! Let that sink in.

We focus on tree planting for carbon storage yet 3to 5 times more carbon is stored within our grasslands than in our forests. Rural grass verges make up more than 50% of our rich meadow land in the UK. 97% of traditional lowland grassland meadows in Wales and England were lost between 1930 and 1987. This is where we need to look to put protections in urgently.

Road verges and parks may be the only regular contact some people in Wales have with nature. Having more native areas allowed to stay wild will enhance local character, visual interest and our health and wellbeing.

Changing how grass is cut, over time, creates more native wildflower rich meadows in amenity areas and along roadsides. Creating wildlife corridors via wild patches, natural growth areas and focusing on only cutting desirable footpaths where needed.

This will help combat both the nature and climate emergencies by supporting wildlife, enhancing ecological connectivity, storing more carbon in our soils and building more resilience to environmental change. While letting our children connect with our wildlife, so they too will continue to protect it for our future generations.

We can make road verges and amenity grasslands (parks and other open green spaces) more wildlife friendly. Regularly cut, closely mown grass may look tidy to some, but it has little benefit for wildlife. We need to take a step back from our expectation of manicured monocultured grass, weeded to boredom.

We need to allow all possible meadows to reach their full potential and let the flowers grow.

Great work is already being carried out by local authorities, North Wales Wildlife Trust and Local Nature Partnerships across Wales, highlighted by No Mow May — the Magnificent Meadows Cymru partnership project, and the Road Verge management guidelines which are an important framework for this partnership working.

I also want to pay tribute to landowners who have managed land for nature, and hope that the incoming Sustainable Farming Scheme will offer the right incentives to encourage others who can’t afford to do so or have the expertise, to do the same.

Carolyn Thomas is the regional Labour Senedd member for North Wales