Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Assembly for Wales

Y Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, Amgylchedd a Materion Gwledig | Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee

Fframweithiau cyffredin y DU ar amaethyddiaeth a’r amgylchedd | UK common frameworks on agriculture and environment

UK 06

Ymateb gan : Cyd-bwyllgor Cadwraeth Natur

Evidence from : Joint Nature Conservation Committee

JNCC has more than 25 years of experience in facilitating joint working between Defra and the Devolved administrations within the UK, when they require it.  JNCC achieves this through a variety of approaches including:

· Sharing best practice and knowledge

· Identifying commonality

· The agreement of common guidelines

· Agreeing common methods for analysis, monitoring etc

· Establishing partnerships and contracts on behalf of the four countries

· Undertaking joint reporting

· Establishing a collective voice

The work is significantly assisted by JNCC’s governance structure which includes the Joint Committee - a board made up of the four countries and some independents - and core grant in aid funding that is agreed and shared by Defra and the Devolved Administrations according to a set formula.

The UK scale working JNCC undertakes is designed to provide the maximum flexibility for countries to work independently while still gaining the benefits of working together.

The circumstances that give rise to UK scale working are:

· A common obligation

· An obligation on the UK e.g. Reporting to international multi-lateral agreements

· Economies of scale

· A shared challenge

· A common objective

· A better fit to ecological principles and bio-geography

Some examples of JNCC’s work to facilitate UK Scale Working include:

· Agreeing options for marine monitoring

· Collating and producing UK reports for the EU Directives and multi-lateral environment agreements

· Various activities to coordinate UK’s implementation of the Aichi (Global Biodiversity) Targets

· UK Monitoring programmes for birds, butterflies, bats, flowering plants and seabirds

· Standards for monitoring the condition of protected areas

· Guidelines for the selection of Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

· Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981)

JNCC would be pleased to expand on any aspects of our facilitation of UK scale working if the Welsh Government wished.  We very much appreciate the opportunity to submit this written evidence to the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.