Biodiversity

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity simply means the variety of life — the full range of plants, animals, fungi, insects, microorganisms, and the habitats that support them. It also includes the genetic diversity within species and the complex relationships that link everything together.

Whilst biodiversity is the variety of life, an ecosystem is the place where the living matter interacts – with each other as well as with the soil, water, and climate around them. Healthy ecosystems depend on rich biodiversity, and in turn, biodiversity can only thrive when ecosystems are functioning well. The two are inseparable: one (biodiversity) describes the living parts, the other (ecosystem) describes how those parts work together. Biodiversity underpins healthy ecosystems, and those ecosystems together create the environment we all depend on.

Why biodiversity matters to everyone

Biodiversity underpins the natural systems we all rely on. Diverse habitats support clean water, fertile soils, pollinating insects, flood protection, and the ability of landscapes to recover from storms, drought, and disease. It also shapes our wellbeing — from the food we eat to the green spaces that support our mental and physical health. When biodiversity declines, these everyday benefits weaken, making communities more vulnerable and less resilient.

See Nature Under Pressure, our news item about three major reports released in January 2026.

Why it matters in Wales

Wales holds internationally important habitats — coastal heathlands, dunes, saltmarsh, peatlands, and species‑rich grasslands — many of which are now rare across Europe. Biodiversity underpins rural livelihoods, tourism, and the Welsh Government’s legal duty to pursue sustainable development. BUT nature in Wales is declining fast — wildlife numbers have fallen by 20% since 1994 and one in six species is now at risk of extinction according to the State of Nature Report (2023).

Why biodiversity matters in Rhossili

Rhossili’s landscape is rich, distinctive, and internationally recognised for its wildlife. Its dunes, cliffs, heathlands, meadows, and surrounding seas support rare plants, important bird species, pollinators, and marine life found in few other places. These habitats depend on long‑standing grazing patterns, careful land management, and the protection offered by multiple conservation designations. Biodiversity here is not just an environmental asset — it shapes the character of the village, supports local livelihoods, and underpins the beauty and identity that draw people to our community area.

In a nutshell, biodiversity is the living fabric that keeps Rhossili’s land, sea, wildlife, and community healthy — and protecting it safeguards everything we value about this place.

Biodiversity and Resilience of Ecosystems Duty

RCC’s duty

All Community and Town councils in Wales have a legal duty under Section 6 of the Environment Act (2016) to maintain and enhance biodiversity. The Act states that every public body…

…must seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity in the exercise of their functions in relation to Wales, and in so doing promote the resilience of ecosystems, so far as consistent with the proper exercise of those functions.

To comply, a council should:

embed the consideration of biodiversity and ecosystems into their early thinking and business planning, including any policies, plans, programmes, and projects, as well as their day to day activities.

Rhossili Community Council has a designated Councillor Lead and Officer who both take a particular focus on biodiversity to help fulfil this duty.

One Voice Wales supports all Community and Town Councils with advice, resources and training about embedding biodiversity in the Council’s work, particularly in relation to planning and implementing the Section 6 Biodiversity Action Plan. Its Nature Recovery Guide sets out 5 Pillars of Action as a framework for planning:

One Voice Wales keeps a record of all published Section 6 reports and shares this information with Welsh Government. They also provide a list of compliant Councils for publication on the Wales Biodiversity partnership website.

RCC’s plans and reports can be accessed from the links in the section below.

Read our news articles about biodiversity and the environment.