Agriculture and land use in Wales will play a central role in future environmental policy after a major new report warns that the way we produce food and manage land is critical to tackling Wales’ worsening climate and nature crises.
Launching the Status of Natural Resources Report (SoNaRR) 2025, Neil Sachdev, the new chair of Natural Resources Wales (NRW), said Wales needs to rethink the way it cultivates land, grows food, heats homes and travels to halt environmental degradation ahead of the next Senedd term.
Published under the Environment Act and timed to inform debate in the run-up to the Senedd election, the report is expected to influence future land use policy, agricultural support frameworks and environmental regulation in Wales.
SoNaRR 2025 assesses how Wales manages its natural resources sustainably, examining the state of our soil, water, air, land and sea, as well as the wildlife and ecosystems that support food production, rural communities and agribusiness.
NRW said that although some progress had been made since the previous assessment in 2020, major concerns remained about the overall picture.
The report concludes that nature across Wales is under continuing and intensifying pressure from climate change, pollution, habitat loss and unsustainable land use.
Currently, nearly one in five species is at risk of extinction, only 40% of water bodies reach good ecological status, and ecosystem resilience remains low in large parts of the country.
It also found that Wales continues to use more than its fair share of the world’s natural resources, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of current production and consumption patterns.
For farmers, the report emphasizes that land management and food production are at the heart of restoration policy.
The NRW assessment suggests that future approaches will increasingly link agricultural support, environmental outcomes and long-term resilience, rather than treating agriculture and nature as separate policy areas.
NRW is highlighting several targeted interventions already underway, including peatland restoration, air quality legislation, the Wales Metals Mining Program and the Sustainable Agriculture Plan.
These measures begin to address long-standing environmental problems related to land use and pollution, the report said.
But the report warns that natural resources are still being degraded faster than they can be recovered, and these gains are being outweighed by broader pressures.
According to NRW, the most significant pressures lie not only in environmental regulations, but also in how land is used, how food is produced and consumed, and how investment decisions are shaped in both rural and urban areas.
At a launch event in Cardiff, NRW joined the Future Generations Commission in urging policymakers to use the report’s findings to drive reform across food production, land use, energy and transport.
They said this evidence should be used to shape future policies that restore nature while strengthening resilience and supporting a just and regenerative economy, with agriculture and land management recognized as central to delivery.
A key section of the report, the co-produced ‘Bridges to the Future’ chapter, provides a framework for long-term change across agriculture, energy, travel and the built environment.
Built around the “Five Bridges” model, it focuses on redesigning everyday systems, restoring nature as essential infrastructure, building a regenerative economy, realigning long-term governance, and delivering a just transition.
At the presentation, Mr. Sahadev said: “SoNaRR has shown that the most harmful pressures on nature are not limited to environmental policy.
“They are built into the way we heat our homes, the way we travel, the way we grow and consume food, the way we use land and the way we invest in place.”
He added: “If Wales is to continue to be a place where people and nature thrive, we must not only manage impacts, but change the system itself.”
Stating that this challenge is shared by all of society, including agriculture, Mr. Sachdev said: “SoNaRR is a diagnosis, but the bridge to the future is our common response.
“At this crucial time ahead of the Senedd election, we are calling on leaders from all sectors to come forward, share responsibility and work with us to deliver the scale of change that Wales needs.”
The event, held at Cardiff University’s Spark Innovation Campus, brought together dignitaries including Deputy First Minister Hugh Ilanka-Davies, Wales’ Future Generations Commissioner Derek Walker and Wales’ National Infrastructure Commission Conservation Officer Elspeth Jones.
Mr Walker said nature plays an important role in protecting communities, supporting public health and reducing flood risk, and warned that failing to act on the report’s findings would put people at unnecessary risk.
“Natural solutions are all around us,” he said, pointing to projects such as green roofs in Swansea and seagrass restoration across Wales. He added that action was needed across public services, from land management to infrastructure maintenance.
He also warned that environmental degradation would have the greatest impact on disadvantaged communities, placing an “unimaginable burden” on future generations.
Ilanka-Davies welcomed the report as a “robust assessment” of the challenges facing Wales’ natural environment, saying it would inform future natural resources policy.
“Protecting and enhancing nature is essential for people today and for future generations,” he said, adding: “We need to go further again.”
As Wales prepares for the next Senedd term, NRW said the report highlights that decisions about agriculture, land use and rural investment are central to whether environmental targets can be met without compromising food production.
He concluded: “This is not just a warning about our future, but a reflection on our present. If we act now with a sense of urgency and shared responsibility, Wales can lead not only by ambition but by delivering the scale of change the country needs.”
“Otherwise, the next SoNaRR will only record deeper losses, higher costs and narrower options.”
