3
Local Authorities and Sustainable Peatland Management
The significance of SPM to Wales’s targets on climate change and nature recovery is gaining increasing recognition. Currently, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have central responsibility for developing strategies and carrying out activities to meet these goals. Welsh Government has tasked NRW with providing a map and baseline assessment of peat in Wales and creating a 5 year National Peatlands Action Programme (NPAP). However, SPM in Wales will require an effective multi-level governance system. Local authorities have important local knowledge to contribute to the delivery of SPM as well as the skills and experience to engage with local communities on this issue. The aim of this report is to provide a detailed consideration of the potential role for local authorities in SPM. The report is written by a law academic and adopts a methodology based on doctrinal legal research. This forms the foundation for considering the role of local authorities in SPM in both their own operations and working in partnership with others. The research outlines these legal rules with reference to the wider policy and funding contexts in which they operate. Subsequently, it provides an evaluation of the framework of rules relevant to law, policy and funding at a local level in the light of the objectives of SPM. Reflecting the multiple benefits of SPM, the review identifies and outlines the following ways in which the powers and responsibilities of local authorities are relevant to SPM.
The Powers and Responsibilities of Local Authorities Relevant to SPM
3
Made with FlippingBook HTML5