What assessment has the Minister made of the decline in hedgehog population in Wales and what protections is the Welsh Government bringing forward to stem this decline?
The State of Mammals in Wales report 2019 written by the Mammal Society and commissioned by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) estimates the hedgehog population to be 56,800 in Wales. There is no reliable data available for the individual years listed.
Tackling the nature emergency and reversing the decline in our habitats and species is a top priority for Welsh Government. There is existing legislation in place to provide protection for hedgehogs. The hedgehog is listed under section 7 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 as a species of principle importance. Public authorities have a duty under the Act to seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity whilst carrying out its functions and in doing so have regard to the section 7 list. In practice this means for example, that planning decisions should take account of the impact on hedgehogs and their habitats.
In addition we support a range of initiatives to support habitats and species of principle importance including the hedgehog. This includes contributing funding towards Natur am Byth, an ambitious multi-year project to save the most threatened species in Wales including hedgehogs.