A number of strategic pledges were announced at our National Biodiversity Conference Act Now For Nature on June 8&9 by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan...
These included:
an additional €17million to support breeding waders and their habitats in the wider countryside. The programme will be designed to support and compliment the Breeding Wader EIP, part of the CAP Strategic Plan, co-funded with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to support bird species, including curlew, lapwing and golden plover across the country
a commitment to fast-track the recruitment of Biodiversity Officers in every Local Authority within 3 years. 6 will be appointed in 2022, bringing to 11 the number in place by the end of the year
€1.5 million to support varied initiatives that work with National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) teams across critical areas in research, engagement and policy
the Farming for Nature Project will benefit from increased funding to support its development and outreach in engaging with farmers, enabling knowledge-sharing and delivering peer learning to support biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes
the National Biodiversity Forum to expand its role to do more in the science-policy space to support effective evidence-based action, as well as stakeholder consultation work across the wider sector
the All-Ireland Climate and Biodiversity Research Network to design and synergise research that supports integrated climate and biodiversity policy measures
€300,000 will be provided to support the monitoring stream of BIODIVERSA, the European biodiversity partnership supporting research on biodiversity
As the conference closed, Minister Noonan said he was very satisfied with how proceedings went and he looks forward to the preparation of the next National Biodiversity Action Plan, to be published in 2023.
He said: "I know that the desire for collective action demonstrated here this week, evidenced by the hugely varied voices we’ve listened to and engaged with, will translate into a robust, ambitious National Biodiversity Action Plan that brings about the new era for nature stewardship.”
One of the Seeds4Nature pledges from the first national biodiversity conference, a Business For Biodiversity platform to support the private sector in taking positive action for nature, as supported by the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage and the Department of Agriculture Food & the Marine, was also launched in action at the 2022 event - read more here and visit the BusinessForBiodiversity hub here.
Read more updates on the 2019 conference Seeds4Nature pledges here.