A new law to protect biodiversity and enhance the wellbeing of the people of Wales has been introduced, as the Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change, Huw Irranca-Davies visited the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre in New Quay.

Mr Irranca-Davies said the Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Bill, would ‘play a crucial role’ in safeguarding Wales' natural environment.

The Deputy First Minister said: “I am thrilled to be introducing this Bill to the Senedd.

“It is crucial legislation that will empower us to address climate and nature emergencies, safeguard our environment from harm and ensure a sustainable future for Wales.

“Wales is facing unprecedented challenges in respect of climate change and biodiversity with severe weather events like floods, heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires significantly impacting our communities, our ecosystems and even our economy.

“With one in six species now at risk of extinction in Wales, it has never been more important to restore nature and preserve the natural environment for future generations.

“The urgency to act has never been greater, and this Bill is an important step in strengthening our response and oversight of action in Wales.”

The Deputy First Minister spoke while on a visit to the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre in New Quay.

Part of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales Limited, it received £249,306 from the Nature Networks Fund in 2024 for the Dolphin Diet Detectives Project which aims to enhance the resilience of marine ecosystems in the local area.

The project, which has supported six paid traineeships and helped train student interns and local volunteers, involves collecting faecal samples from bottlenose dolphins for analysis to help researchers understand what they have been feeding on and where to help build individual profiles for each dolphin in and around Cardigan Bay.