Report calls for nature to ‘have a seat at the table’ in decision-making

Adam Johannes

Wales could lead the way in protecting the environment, as a call is made for nature to have an official seat at the table in public sector decision-making.

A new report, Developing Principles for Nature Representation in Public Sector Governance, from the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW), says something big needs to change. Nature itself should have a voice when the government makes important decisions.

Looking at how this could work in real life, the document is based on a six-month pilot where NICW tested a brand new role – a “Nature Guardian” – whose job was to speak for Nature during meetings. It’s the first time any public body in the UK has tried this.

The report argues that environmental problems often get worse not because the laws are bad, but because nature is rarely considered when big decisions are made about land, building projects, or spending. Without change, Nature will remain “an affected party rather than a recognised stakeholder” – harmed without having any say.

Supported by Nature on the Board and Lawyers for Nature, the report explores how treating Nature as a stakeholder could help public bodies respond better to climate and nature emergencies.

Examples

The authors cite the River Rights movement. Inspired by the Rights of Nature, councils on rivers like the Ouse, Itchen, and Hampshire chalk streams are adopting “Rights of the River” charters, recognising rivers as living entities with the right to exist, flow, and thrive.

Communities organise practical action and River Guardianship programmes. Rivers like the Wye and Usk now have guardians who speak for the river in local decisions, and a national network is helping the movement grow.

In New Zealand, the Whanganui River was made a legal person, meaning it has rights and can be represented in decisions. Guardians chosen by the government and Māori communities act as the river’s voice, protecting its health and wellbeing, cultural values, and environmental integrity.

The report examines key principles for public bodies, including transparency, accountability, listening to communities, and drawing on culture, history, and heritage to understand the long-term effects of decisions.

Transformative

NICW Chair Dr David Clubb said giving Nature a voice is “a transformative act”, arguing that for too long Nature had been an absent stakeholder, impacted by decisions, but never represented, and warned the country faces “significant biodiversity loss and climate risk.”

Elspeth Jones, the pilot Nature Guardian, said the experiment showed that including Nature in decision-making can “shift perspectives and challenge assumptions.”

To launch the report, NICW is running a workshop where decision-makers imagine what Wales could look like 100 years from now if Nature shaped decisions today. By pairing practical planning with radical imagination, the Commission hopes to tackle the climate and nature crises with new thinking.

Wales has already led the way, it was the first UK nation to create the Well-being of Future Generations Act and to declare a nature emergency. Their message is simple. To secure a better future, perhaps the best thing is to let Nature speak – and actually listen.

Response

Asked about the proposals, the Welsh Government pointed to previous correspondence in which Deputy Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said they did “not intend to progress the recommendation to incorporate nature as a key stakeholder…at this time.” While other countries had done so, adopting a similar approach in Wales “would require detailed consideration to test the appropriateness.”

For now, he pointed to existing laws, which he said already provide “a clear framework to recognise and value nature in policy and decision-making.”