OB3 Research, in collaboration with BRO Partnership, was commissioned by the Welsh Government to undertake an evaluation of implementation of the section 6 biodiversity duty.
Section 6 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 put in place a Biodiversity and Resilience of Ecosystems Duty for public authorities (the section 6 or s6 duty). The section 6 duty requires that public authorities must seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity in exercise of their functions, and in so doing, promote the resilience of ecosystems, so far as consistent with the proper exercise of those functions.
To comply with the duty public authorities are required to embed the consideration of biodiversity and ecosystems into their day to day activities, policies, plans, programmes and projects. Key to this is embedding biodiversity at the corporate level, where early thinking and planning should seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity through the exercise of their functions.
The aims of the evaluation are to:
establish the extent to which the section 6 duty has been implemented/complied with in the first three years, through the production of plans and reports, and/or through mainstreaming action across organisations
investigate the enablers and barriers to its implementation
establish to what extent the guidance provided has been useful, has been followed, and what further guidance and/or support could be provided.
