Not so freshwater: Voting for nature could save our future

Liliana Tarrant Snedden, UK Youth for Nature Campaigner

I have never swum in freshwater in Wales, and I have an underlying mistrust of rivers, lakes and streams. Always worried about the pollution that might lie within.

The sickly green, the oily slick, the milky brown foam, the absence of life, these should not be the norm.

Yet a different future is possible, a vibrant, thriving future, but only if we all vote with nature in mind and heart.

I have never seen a salmon leap. My generation, we have grown up in a nature depleted land, and I don’t know what is more heartbreaking – that I have no nostalgic memories to look back on of a landscape bursting with life, or that those who do remember have had to watch the vibrancy of Wales slowly bleed away.

A Welsh childhood

My love of the natural world was born in Wales, nurtured by being lucky enough to have a childhood spent going to the beach, walking through woodlands and playing in fields.

I have grown up in Pembrokeshire, a county with rolling hills, dramatic coastline, a breathtaking National Park and a strong farming community. Yet this is also an area with notable freshwater pollution from both from agricultural and other sources, that has forced most waterways to the brink of ecological collapse.

I also spent a significant portion of my adolescence helping out on the sheep farm of a family friend. This experience gave me some insight into the challenges of farming and problems with unsustainable practices, but also the invaluable land knowledge held by farmers and the love they can have for the natural world.

From these formative experiences that developed my deep-rooted love for the Welsh landscape I went to study biology at Cardiff University, wanting to understand all I could about nature and the environment. Little did I know that the places I adored were already devoid of so much of the vibrant life which once also called them home.

Learning the truth

In lectures I learnt about the dire situation we find ourselves in, with the UK and Wales being some of the most nature depleted countries on Earth. In Wales, 1 in 5 species are at risk of extinction (State of Nature, 2023). I also discovered that freshwater ecosystems are some of the most at risk, threatened by land use change, climate change and of course, pollution. The WWF Living Planet Report (2024) tells of a gut-wrenching 85% decline in monitored freshwater species since 1970. Please let those numbers sink in.

Taking action: A pivotal time

Knowing that the places I love are actually a ghost of what once was and that if nothing is done we will lose even more, there was no choice but to act. I joined youth led campaigns, took part in citizen science initiatives, and raised my voice alongside thousands of others at marches in London, all in the name of Welsh freshwater. Now I am a part of the Voices for Freshwater in the UK Youth for Nature ‘Not So Freshwater’ campaign, calling for key actions young people believe are essential to secure a thriving nature-rich Wales. We are calling for the next Welsh government to act now, with urgency and ambition, as this is a pivotal time determining whether Wales can turn the tide for nature.

As a young person in Wales, I have grown up being showered by a lot of rain and spent many summers swimming in the Celtic sea. Water has shaped my experience of the natural world in Wales, flowing into every eddy of life, an experience that I know is shared with many communities in Wales. Yet from the hills of Pembrokeshire to the streets of Cardiff, it feels that progress is not happening fast enough.

Policy Is Still Failing Nature, People and Future Generations

I dream of a future where our Welsh landscapes run with crystal clear streams, filled with mayfly, dipper and otter. Where farmland hums with insect life supporting a chorus of birds. Where seas shimmer with bountiful shoals of fish. Sludge filled shores, deathly silent riverbanks and wastelands of monoculture will be a distant memory. The people of Wales, from cities to rural farms will be thriving, connected to the land we call home and the biodiverse nature that supports us all. But this dream cannot be realised without decisive action and real change.

Farmers need to be better supported to make transitions to sustainable farming practices that significantly reduce agricultural run-off and pollution, and current systems of reporting issues need to be clarified and updated. The Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Bill 2026 is a good start, one that does give me hope. However, the next Welsh government will need to put words into action, actually following the principles of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and putting the future of my generation, and generations to come at the forefront of all decisions.

I am 24, and it will sadly be years before someone my age is able to be in a position of power great enough to make the systemic changes that need to occur. The idea that the younger generation will ‘fix’ everything is endlessly frustrating and deeply heartbreaking. People in positions of power now, whether they be Members of Senedd, councillors, landowners, farmers, business owners, teachers or each of us with a vote, need to act now. Not in 30 years’ time.

Voting For Nature: Our Future

So in the upcoming Senedd election I hope everyone in Wales votes with nature in mind and heart, as this country we all call home cannot survive without thriving, biodiverse nature. We must do everything we can to restore, protect and advocate for nature in the upcoming election.

I am using my vote to advocate for those with no voice, for plant, animal, river, sea and future generations of Wales – will you?