Written question WQ84946
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
What is the Welsh Government doing to protect wildlife and animals around the Wales Coast Path?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
As with many other rights of way in Wales, the Wales Coastal Path (WCP) crosses and passes along the side of many protected sites. The designation of these sites often include management requirements that can vary at different times of year according to the vulnerabilities of species and habitats for which they are designated, for example a requirement to keep dogs on a lead.
Land along the WCP corridor includes farmland, open countryside, cliffs, meadows, beaches and urban environments, and provides an important opportunity to address the challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. This year Welsh Government has funded Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to commission some best practice and recommendations on how to scale up biodiversity improvement projects along the WCP corridor, and potentially other trails. We expect the final report very soon and will consider its implications closely.
Where livestock are farmed adjacent to the WCP, the same principles apply as for any public right of way and users should follow the Countryside Code, published by NRW.