Natural Resources Wales convened a citizens’ assembly to review the Nature and Us findings and wider work and agree the shared vision.
The citizens' assembly completed its discussions and its recommendations were captured in a shared vision for the natural environment, which was unveiled at the Royal Welsh Show on 24th July.
The Citizens’ Assembly was made up of 50 individuals from across Wales, met over three sessions and considered the following questions:
- What benefits would we see if this happened?
- What needs to be different from today?
- What steps do we in Wales need to take to reach a thriving future?
We worked with a group of organisations from across Wales to design the Assembly, to agree the focus of its work, and to ensure a balanced range of evidence was presented. The shared vision will now inform how we and others work together, providing a compass point for us all to work towards, and inspiring action for nature and for people now and into the future.
11th February 2023
The first session took place online and focused on providing a framing for the assembly, working through evidence with participants on why there is a need to rethink the way we live our lives. It focused on the state of nature in Wales and situated it in the context of global challenges (including impending future change) and how that interacts with present challenges. By the end of the session, participants had sense of the most pressing concerns facing the natural environment in Wales, an understanding of the systems that influence this, and had time to reflect on the implications for how they imagined possibilities for the future. They also heard what other people across Wales thought, from the Nature & Us findings.
Speakers included:
· Prof. Steve Ormerod, Professor of Ecology at the School of Biosciences, Cardiff University
· Marie Brousseau-Navarro, Acting Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
· Sharon Thompson, Head of Policy and Advocacy, RSPB Cymru
· Alex Ioannou, State of Natural Resources Reporting Officer, Natural Resources Wales
· Nerys Edmonds, Principal Public Health Practitioner, Public Health Wales
For an impression of Session 1 of the citizens assembly have a look at the visual recording
4/5th March 2023
In the second session participants met in person in Swansea and Wrexham, to reflect on how society might need to change to ensure nature and society thrive together. Participants were split between both locations to explore their connection with nature, and how this shapes their thinking. As this was an in-person session, the specific geography of each location were used as a point of reflection. Participants developed a shared understanding of the impact that everyday life has on the natural environment and how this in turn impacts on people, and started to think about alternatives. They gained insight into how a variety of organisations are currently working to support greener lifestyles in Wales, with the view to being able to start to identify the benefits of working with nature and people together.
Case Studies were provided by:
· Ellen Macarthur Foundation
· Food Sense Wales
· Green Squirrel (Railway Gardens)
· Down to Earth
· Living streets (Sustrans)
· Community Supported Agriculture
For an impression of Session 2 of the citizens assembly have a look at the visual recordings of the sessions:
18th March 2023
The third and final session was online and moved from learning and sharing, to building a vision together for the natural environment of Wales. It brought back a variety of insights and contributions from the first two sessions (using a Miro-board and the visual artist who will be note-taking throughout the first two sessions). Participants took part in a range of group activities to move towards a shared ownership of the vision which is created, and made recommendations as to how the vision can have impact and meaning.
For an impression of Session 3 of the citizens assembly have a look at the visual recording.
