GIVEN THE REASSURING greens of our landscape, many may not realise that Ireland is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis.
A third of Ireland’s 100 bee species are threatened with extinction; over half of the native Irish plant species have declined in range or abundance; half of our rivers and lakes are polluted, and two-thirds of our estuaries; Ireland has lost over 90% of our wetlands, more than any other country on earth; and over a quarter of our bird species are red-listed — meaning they are of high conservation concern. It’s not a reassuring outlook.
In 2022 the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss assessed the state of biodiversity in Ireland. One of their key findings was that the State had comprehensively failed to protect biodiversity, with inadequate funding and enforcement of legislation.
The finger of blame was pointed squarely at the Government, with Assembly members demanding change. And the 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP), which was published last week, should be the driver of that change. The Plan was widely hailed as a good day for nature, but how does it stack up? Is this a turning point where our Government finally begins to take biodiversity protection seriously? Let’s look behind the beautifully illustrated cover to find out.
First, the positive bits. The governance arrangements for this Plan are much better than previous iterations, in a move to mainstream biodiversity protection the Plan seeks an all-of-government approach, with a requirement for more collaboration, and a clear requirement for all public bodies to report on progress against the Plan objectives. This will undoubtedly improve accountability.
However, while good governance, accountability and transparency are key elements for the success of any plan, they alone won’t get us where we need to go. Much was made of the fact that the Plan now has a legislative backing, and it is good to see a requirement for the NBAP in legislation.
However, public bodies simply have to ‘have regard to‘ the objectives and targets in the Plan. Legally speaking, it doesn’t amount to much of an obligation at all. Public bodies cannot be held legally accountable with language that weak, and in a world where public bodies have failed, failed and failed again to protect biodiversity this isn’t particularly reassuring.
There was also a lot of hype about how there is now substantial funding for biodiversity, via the €3.15 billion Climate and Nature Fund. Any additional funding for nature and climate is obviously hugely welcome, but this fund appears to be primarily for capital works, with no ring-fencing for biodiversity, and the fund won’t be accessible until 2026.
It’s unclear where the additional funding is going to come from to deliver on all of the actions outlined in the Biodiversity Plan, including increased funding for the National Parks and Wildlife Service and other State bodies charged with protecting biodiversity. Without sufficient guaranteed funding this Plan will fail to deliver, to the detriment of our biodiversity.
Critically, the plan utterly fails to deliver on any reform of Coillte or Bord Na Móna to allow them to prioritise nature and climate over economics, despite a clear call in the Citizens’ Assembly Recommendations to do so, and a commitment in the Programme for Government. This is a significant omission, and a real lost opportunity. The untapped potential of Coillte and Bord na Móna’s land holding for biodiversity is unprecedented in the history of the Irish State. We have the opportunity to restore public lands at scale for nature, public amenities and sustainable development.
This is public land, and the Irish people should have a greater say in how it is utilised.
Coillte is the largest owner of peatland habitat in Ireland. Under its management, tens of thousands of hectares of rare, raised bog and blanket bog habitat have been drained and afforested in past decades. Similarly, Bord na Móna owns a vast landholding which would formerly have supported an incredible array of wildlife across a mosaic of valuable peatland habitats. Though much has been lost since Bord Na Móna was established in the 1940s, the potential for rehabilitating those habitats is incredible.
All signs point to the need to reassess how we use land, to take another look at peatlands with a view to what they could provide given the chance: vast biodiversity benefits, flood retention, carbon storage and water protection.
How can the Government call on private landowners to make the necessary changes, if they’re not willing to lead from the front, to use public land for the public good, and demonstrate the incredible benefits which restored peatlands can provide?
This is a clear-cut action which the Government has the power to deliver, and it could have massive benefits to biodiversity, why then have they entirely ignored this recommendation?
Similarly, there is no mention of a review of the Arterial Drainage Act. This is an archaic Act which was enacted in the 1940s to allow the Office of Public Works (OPW) to drain wetlands to convert them to productive agricultural land. It was of its time, but it’s widely acknowledged to now be out of step with the need to protect biodiversity and water quality.
Under this Act, the OPW is legally mandated to periodically manage and dredge 11,500km of waterways, to ensure they remain free-flowing to provide for ongoing land drainage. As such, a review of the Arterial Drainage Act is a critical piece in the biodiversity jigsaw, but one which the Biodiversity Plan fails to deliver.
Just over a week after the Plan was published, the all-of-government approach to protecting biodiversity has failed its first test. Under the Plan, Bord Bia was charged with ensuring that the Origin Green programme produced measurable benefits for biodiversity, including through the Farming for Nature programme. This is a really worthwhile programme, which aims to support, encourage and inspire farmers who farm, or who wish to farm, in a way that will improve nature.
Early this week, Bord Bia announced that it was scrapping funding for the Farming for Nature programme, a paltry €25,000 of its €57 million euro budget. It doesn’t bode well for all Government departments taking their obligations under the Biodiversity Plan seriously.
On balance, this plan is better and stronger than previous National Biodiversity Action Plans, and there are areas where it clearly brings about improvements, such as far better accountability and collaboration, which are foundational for success. Yet it missed critical opportunities to really drive through meaningful change. The Citizens’ Assembly said of the Government’s approach to protecting biodiversity, ‘this must change’.
I wholeheartedly agree, but in my view, this plan fails to deliver that. In 2019 President Higgins said of biodiversity “If we were coal miners, we’d be up to our knees in dead canaries”. It seems it’ll take more than dead canaries before we see the necessary change of approach from Government.
Dr Elaine McGoff is Head of Advocacy with An Taisce, she has a PhD in Freshwater Ecology and an Advanced Diploma in Planning and Environmental Law.
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