Wales (lead partner)

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Wales is one of the four nations that, along with Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, make up the United Kingdom.

Its mountainous terrain deterred the various conquering forces who came to Britain’s shores throughout history, so that Wales remained a stronghold of ancient Celtic culture against the invasions of the Romans, Saxons and Vikings.

The last prince of an independent Wales was killed in the 13th century during the Norman Conquest, when Wales’ history became more closely married to rest of the island. The Celtic influence remains strong in Wales today, the Welsh language being its most tangible manifestation.

Wales has a total land-area of 20,640 sq. km and has both rural and urban areas. The major population centres are to be found in the towns and cities of south Wales and the industrialised area of the northeast around Wrexham.

Wales’ population of just over 2.9 million lives at an average density of 140 people per sq. km (Roughly the same as the European average but half the UK average). More than half of the population lives in the industrial and commercial belt of south Wales, with around 500 people per sq. km. These discrepancies lead to problems of peripheralisation in many rural areas.

Environment: Of Wales total area (20,640km sqrd ), approximately 80% is devoted to agriculture with some 30,000 holdings, the majority of which are dependant on livestock production. Woodland covers another eighth of the total.

Wales contains habitats as diverse as coastal sand dunes, oak woods and upland moorlands. It has three National Parks and five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, while 70 per cent of the coastline is safeguarded in one way or another. Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) - a network covering one tenth of the land area of Wales, which are important places for wildlife habitats, plants and animals, geological features and landforms - are the central core of the statutory conservation system in Wales.

Organisations involved in promoting SD in Wales

The National Assembly for Wales - The National Assembly for Wales is the regional tier of government. It consists of 60 elected Assembly Members, together with a staff of civil servants. The National Assembly is a corporate body which was established by the Government of Wales Act 1998 and took up its functions in July 1999.

The Welsh Assembly Government - The Welsh Assembly Government encompasses the First Minister of the National Assembly, the Assembly Ministers in the Cabinet and the Deputy Ministers. Each Cabinet Minister is responsible for particular areas, such as health, education or finance. The Welsh Assembly Government makes most executive decisions on behalf of the National Assembly and is fully accountable to the National Assembly as an elected body.

The National Assembly for Wales has a legal duty to promote sustainable development in all of its activities. Furthermore, Sustainable Development is one of the three guiding principles of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Welsh Development Agency - The Welsh Development Agency has an all-Wales remit in economic development, which includes the field:
• Innovation and technology
• Information Society
• Entrepreneurship
• Inward Investment
• Agri-food (www.foodwales.com)

Countryside Council for Wales -The Countryside Council for Wales is the statutory body responsible for the following areas:
• Earth Science
• Marine
• Agriculture
• Landscape
• Habitats and species
• Wildlife Protection
• Access/recreation
• Protected sites

Education and Learning Wales (ELWa) -Responsible for:
1. The National Council for Education and Training for Wales
2. Higher Education Funding Council for Wales

Together, these bodies are responsible for all post-16 education and training in Wales.

Wales Tourist Board - The Wales Tourist Board is responsible for the development of Tourism across Wales. One of the key objectives of its corporate plan is ‘to encourage the sustainable growth of tourism through effective partnership working’.

Environment Agency Wales -Environment Agency Wales is the main regulatory body for the environment. It is responsible for the following areas:
• Air quality
• Conservation
• Fish
• Flooding
• Land quality
• Navigation (inland rivers, estuaries and harbours)
• Recreation (use of inland and coastal waters)
• Waste (regulation of waste management through a system of licences; advice on waste minimisation)
• Water quality (responsible for fresh, marine, surface and underground water)
• Water resources – aim to secure the proper use of water resources.

Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments Executive Agency) - Cadw takes its name from the Welsh word (‘to keep’). Cadw’s mission is to protect, conserve, and to promote an appreciation of the built heritage of Wales.