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2023 has been filled with many ups and downs when it comes to biodiversity and conservation measures for nature in Ireland, read on for some of the most important developments of the year.
One of the best news stories for nature conservation this year was the release of the Citizens Assembly report on Biodiversity loss . Some of the key recommendations for this report include:
The IWT stated the importance that the government must rapidly implement these recommendations and this should not be another report to sit and gather dust. We were glad to see that the Joint Oireachtas Committee released its own recommendations this month.
Irish citizens have made it clear that reversing biodiversity loss and protecting nature is a key issue. The government must listen and take direct action in the coming months.
The pledges for the EU Biodiversity Strategy were due by March of this year and countries are expected to submit these pledges showing their commitment and plans to reverse the extreme biodiversity loss in Europe by 2030. Ireland has not submitted their pledge yet along with several other member states. We keenly await details on the commitments from the Irish government and hope that this includes having 10% strictly protected marine areas..
The Nature Restoration Law (which aims to restore 20% of EU seas and 20% of EU land) progressed through the EU legislative process and is nearly over the line, with a final vote scheduled for February.
The Irish Government supported the NRL in the EU Council and all 13 Irish MEPs voted not to reject the law in July’s plenary vote. The conservative EPP group in the EU Parliament spearheaded a misinformation campaign attempting to derail the law with unfounded claims that it would ruin the livelihoods of EU farmers and impact food security. This is not the reality of this law and over 100 businesses and 6000 scientists signed letters urging the EU parliament to pass this vital legislation.
Over 1 million EU citizens signed the Restore Nature petition and Ireland had the third highest uptake per capita in the EU.
The IWT would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who signed this petition, shared social posts and turned up to rallies in support of this law. Without the public pressure you put onto the Irish government and Irish representatives in the EU, we would not be where we are today. We will continue to advocate and lobby for this law and update you about future events in the New Year.
Image courtesy of BirdLife International
After a drawn out court case , Ireland was found guilty of failing to implement conservation objectives under the Habitats Directives. After the verdict, the Irish government stated that the Courts findings refer up to 2019 and since then the government has made considerable progress in rectifying these issues. We hope to see progression amplified in the new year through:
The report on climate change was released after an 8 year analysis concluded. Hundreds of scientists came together to put forward the most comprehensive global assessment on climate change and it doesn’t make for a happy read.
We need to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030 if we are to stay on track to limit warming to 1.5 degrees. To achieve this we must phase out fossil fuels and use nature based solutions to limit our climate footprint.
Nature has already been our greatest ally in the fight against climate change and if we are to tackle this we must simultaneously tackle the biodiversity crisis. COP28 was a controversial event this year with the president being the CEO of an Abu Dhabi Oil company. While there was no agreement to phase out fossil fuels, the Dubai Ocean Declaration calls on leaders to increase actions to protect the marine environment, the world’s largest carbon sink. Progress on Offshore Renewable Energy in Ireland has been steaming ahead this year with several consultations on the Offshore Renewable Energy Plan II and suggested areas for development. Switching to renewables is vital for our future but this mustn’t be done at the expense of the environment and careful marine spatial planning with nature at the forefront must be undertaken. In some good news the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications have announced an extra fund of 1.1 million euros to enable environmental NGO’s to increase their resources for offshore wind research and engagement.
Image courtesy of UNFCC via Flickr
Senator Alice Mary Higgins submitted a bill to change the outdated mandates of Coillte and Bord na Móna and include a mandate for nature with better language addressing climate change and biodiversity. Bord na Móna’s primary duty is still to “produce and market turf and turf products” while Coillte’s primary legal duty remains to “carry on the business of forestry and relative activities on a commercial basis”. The new bill proposes that Coillte’s principal objective should be “to carry on the business of forestry and other activities on an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable basis” and Bord na Móna’s primary duty should be “to manage, protect, rehabilitate and restore bogs in the State”
A commitment from Government to allocate €3 billion for climate and nature was a welcome development this year. The funds which will be made available between 2026 and 2030 are in addition to funds from the National Development Plan.
The goal of this bill is to protect more of the spaces and features which are important to people and nature without hindering development of local housing. It will allow communities to designate ‘Sites Locally Important for Ecology’ to protect important natural areas. It will also prioritise managing trees over felling and includes a duty to replant any trees which must be cut down.
The Wildlife Amendment Bill came before the Dáil with some good and bad news. The National Biodiversity Action Plan is on a statutory footing and public bodies must now integrate nature into their plans, policies and strategies. The bad news is that it will allow for some de-designation of certain areas which have been protected for their raised bog habitats and will allow turf cutting. This contradicts previous legislation such as the Climate Action Plan which was published in 2022. The land use review which took place this year comes at a valuable time when biodiversity loss is at the forefront of the political and public minds more than ever before.
The Land Use Review showed that 68% of Irish land is being used for agriculture and shows that 20% of wetlands, mainly peatlands and fens, have been lost since 1990.
A review of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Agriculture regulation was announced this year which was welcomed by environmental NGOs to address the inadequacy of the current regulations for environmental protection. Some of the issues will look at the restructuring of the land by hedge removal which fragments habitats and reduces natural connectivity for wildlife as well as the widespread drainage of wetlands.
Overall, this year has presented a varied landscape for conservation legislation, and this blog captures just a fraction of the events that have unfolded. With many EU governments making a worrying move towards more right wing politics it’s hard to know what the next year will bring. Let’s hope that some of the positive progress made this year and the public pressure to protect our ecosystems on land and sea continues into 2024 and beyond.