Biodiversity in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough
The Environment (Wales) Act 2016
Section 6 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 introduced an enhanced biodiversity and resilience of ecosystems duty (the S6 duty) for public authorities in the exercise of their functions in relation to Wales.
This means that public authorities must seek to ‘maintain and enhance biodiversity’ wherever possible within the proper exercise of their functions and in doing so; seek to promote the ‘resilience of ecosystems’.
Biodiversity (‘biological diversity’)
‘The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat.’
Ecosystem
‘A functioning unit made up of living organisms (plants/animals/micro-organisms) within their non-living environment (air/water/minerals/soil) and all the diverse and complex interactions that take place between them.’
Resilience of ecosystems
‘A resilient ecosystem has the ability to respond to disturbance by resisting damage and recovering quickly.’
Reporting
Every three years, under section 6(7) of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, all public authorities are required to publish a report on what they have done to comply with the S6 duty.
The first reporting round deadline was before the end of 2019:
- The Merthyr Tydfil Nature Recovery Action Plan (MTNRAP) was adopted by MTCBC in January 2020 (this document details the actions undertaken by the Council in relation to the S6 duty between 2016 and 2019).
The second reporting round deadline was before the end of 2022:
- The Biodiversity and Resilience of Ecosystems (S6) Duty Report was approved by MTCBC in January 2023 (this document details the actions undertaken by the Council in relation to the S6 duty between 2019 and 2022).
Biodiversity in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough
The MTNRAP explores the current state of biodiversity in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough describing, in broad terms, the diverse range of habitats and species found.
Examples of habitats found within the County Borough include:
- native woodland
- ffridd
- heathland
- rhôs pasture
- wetland
- naturally re-vegetated mineral spoil areas
- rivers & streams
Examples of protected species found within the County Borough include:
- European otter
- bats
- great crested newt
- water vole
- marsh fritillary butterfly
- Ley’s whitebeam
The MTNRAP includes awareness raising, education, data collection, sustainable development and ecological connectivity.
Merthyr Tydfil Biodiversity Partnership
The Merthyr Tydfil Biodiversity Partnership was formed to help implement and meet the targets of the Local Biodiversity Action Plan (now replaced by the Merthyr Tydfil Nature Recovery Action Plan – see above). The actions for all habitats and species in this plan are to maintain extent, achieve favourable condition, restore, expand, maintain and increase species in the borough.
The partnership is made up of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, and a variety of individuals, community groups, voluntary, government, and non-government organisations.
If you would like to join or find out more about the Merthyr Tydfil Biodiversity Partnership or would like more information on the Merthyr Tydfil Nature Recovery Action Plan (2019-2024) please contact the Merthyr Tydfil Biodiversity Officer.