Ireland is falling short of its international biodiversity commitments, with more action needed to protect and restore nature, the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has said.
In its annual review, the CCAC reported that just 14.4% of land and just under 10% of marine areas are currently under formal biodiversity protection, well below the 30% target for 2030 set under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
In addition, just a quarter of Ireland’s peatlands are in a healthy condition, the report noted, with stronger restoration targets needed.
Biodiversity investment gap
According to the CCAC, Ireland has an annual biodiversity investment gap of €700 million, with insufficient resourcing across government departments limiting conservation efforts. This is compounded by the lack of a dedicated budget stream for biodiversity measures within the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund.
‘Progress in expanding protected areas remains too slow and priority habitats continue to be degraded, impairing ecosystem services,’ it said.
The CCAC did welcome an increase in core funding for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) – to more than €100 million – in the country’s most recent Budget, however it added that this remains inadequate to meet Ireland’s biodiversity commitments.
The CCAC made four recommendations in its annual review to address Ireland’s biodiversity shortfall:
1. Strengthening regulations
It called on the government to ‘urgently’ develop a specific regulation requiring planning authorities to ensure no net loss of biodiversity, as well as ensure that nature-based solutions are incorporated into all future developments.
2. Improving incentives
The CCAC urged the government to ‘ensure continuity’ of the current agri-environment schemes and timely payments, as well as establishing a long-term programme that ‘incentivises and rewards farmers for delivering ambitious, results-based measures that reduce emissions, build resilience and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services’.
3. Encourage afforestation
It said that the government should strengthen incentives for and remove barriers to the Native Tree Area Scheme, encouraging the planting of ‘small native woodland pocket forests of 0.1 to 1 hectare’ to drive afforestation, enhance biodiversity and protect watercourses. This should form part of the mid-term review of the Forestry Programme 2023–2027.
4. Establishing targets and monitoring progress
Finally, the CCAC called on government departments and semi-state agencies to ‘coordinate with each other’ in setting targets for peatland restoration for 2030, 2040 and 2050, as well as expanding restoration and conservation measures within and outside protected areas.
These targets should be included in the Climate Action Plan 2026 and be subject to annual progress reporting, it noted. Read more here.
