Biodiversity crisis undermines Ireland's 'green' credentials

Paltry funding, contradictory policy, flagrant law breaking, inadequate monitoring, and poor public communication remain the biggest barriers to solving Ireland's biodiversity crisis, a major review of the national five-year plan has found.

The National Biodiversity Forum report on the National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) 2017-2021 made five headline recommendations for heritage minister Malcolm Noonan to consider.

"The taxpayer is not getting value for money on biodiversity policy due to a chronic lack of coordination — and sometimes outright conflict — between the NBAP and other national policies. 

"At a minimum, all departments must ensure their policies are consistent with and/or, promote the aims of the NBAP," the report said.

National tourism and food policies trade on Ireland’s 'green' image, which is not borne out by the evidence, the forum members said.

The focus on economic growth rather than sustainable management of these environmental systems and areas will lead to further damage, according to their report.

There is significant reputational risk in the continued marketing of Ireland and Irish products as ‘green’ given the state of biodiversity in this country.

The review found that on average, Ireland spends €250m per year on biodiversity, or 0.13% of GDP, falling well short of the 0.3% recommended by the International Union for Conservation of Nature for OECD countries.

"At present, Ireland does not adequately fund even basic environmental compliance," it said.

The biggest breaker of environmental law in Ireland is the State, the review found.

"Non-compliance is rife at all levels of society, from Government non-compliance with EU laws down to local wildlife crime by individuals."

Infringement cases

There are currently 14 open infringement cases against Ireland involving environmental law by the EU, the review found.

It also found that current monitoring and evaluation systems for biodiversity are falling short.

"The National Biodiversity Data Centre needs to be strengthened and expanded to establish biodiversity monitoring as a long-term national priority and protect it from electoral cycles and changing political agendas," the report said.

The challenges facing biodiversity need to be pressed upon as much as the overall climate change emergency, the review found.

"Climate issues overall remain a higher priority and continue to receive more parliamentary and policy attention than biodiversity.

But nature and biodiversity can play a central role in achieving national and sub-national net-zero carbon targets. 

"Acting to protect, recover and renew biodiversity can deliver co-benefits such as climate mitigation and adaptation, and enhanced human health and wellbeing," it said.

BirdWatch Ireland, a member of the National Biodiversity Forum, said the national five-year plan had only made limited progress.

"We must handsomely incentivise farmers and fishers to protect and restore ecosystems and species. They are crucial actors in this regard and without them efforts are doomed," the organisation's advocacy head Oonagh Duggan said.

The next biodiversity action plan and citizens’ assembly will be instrumental in turning around the fate of our natural heritage, she added.