'Ireland must reverse a lost decade of biodiversity damage'

This image of a desiccated reservoir in Alcora, Spain, sums up our worst fears of the ravages of climate change — but the challenge posed by Ireland's barren hills and shrinking biodiversity is equally pressing, the National Biodiversity Conference heard. Picture: Fernando Bustamante/AP

Ireland must begin to reverse the damage to the country’s biodiversity after experiencing a “lost decade for nature in Ireland”, a minister has said.

Speaking after his address at the second National Biodiversity Conference which started in Dublin on Wednesday, minister of state for heritage Malcolm Noonan said the biodiversity crisis is directly comparable to the Covid crisis in terms of its severity and urgency.