Health and well-being

Our responsibilities 

We are responsible for protecting the environment in Wales, but we also have responsibilities to improve well-being. Providing a better future for everyone:

• reducing the impact businesses have on people's health as well as the environment
• encouraging people to get outdoors and connect with nature

What we do

• promote the benefits of connecting with nature and the natural environment
• regulate business as well as providing advice and guidance to reduce their impact on people's health
• respond to environmental incidents, for example air pollution, tree disease and flooding
• consult on the national health and wellbeing policy and strategy 
• consider the impact our strategies, plans, policies and projects have on peoples health and wellbeing
• look after sites across Wales where people can go walking, running, bike riding, horse riding and more 
• publish educational resources to help more young people learn outdoors and connect with nature
• provide grant funding for projects that help improve people's health

Working with our partners

Our health advisors work with a range of partners, nationally and locally via the Area Statements, to help people live healthier and more fulfilled lives, protected from environmental risks.

Some of our key areas of influence are:

• Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales Obesity Strategy
• Active Travel Board
• Welsh Government Social Prescribing Strategy task and finish group
• Memorandum of Understanding with Public Health Wales
• Public Health Network Cymru Advisor Group
• Age friendly Wales steering group
• Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes
• National Physical Activity Group (NAPG) and Daily Active Offer
• Children’s rights to a healthy environment
• Highlighting the benefits of the natural environment and training GP’s through work with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW)