It’s old news that the world needs to get its act together and move away from fossil fuels and move to renewable and low-carbon ways to produce the energy we need. Hence, the UK Government have commissioned the French company EDF to build a new nuclear power plant just across the Seven Estuary at Hinckley known as Hinkley Point C.

A planning application can be decided by the case officer or by the planning committee. Usually, wildlife concerns are addressed by conditions. These can relate to construction methods, mitigation and compensation and the aftercare and management of the site.

For over a decade, The Wildlife Trusts have campaigned with other environmental organisations in the UK for new laws to provide better protection for marine habitats and wildlife. As a result, the ground-breaking Marine and Coastal Access Act (Marine Act) was introduced in November 2009, providing UK Government with the tools needed to revolutionise the management of our marine environment. Wildlife Trusts Wales are calling for the Marine Act to be effectively implemented in Wales, and the opportunities provided by the Act seized to ensure real benefits for biodiversity around the Welsh coast.

Under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, public bodies have a duty to ‘maintain and enhance biodiversity’ and to ‘promote the resilience of ecosystems’. But what is ecosystem resilience?