Intensive land use 'a bigger driver of biodiversity loss than climate change'

Fri, 10 Jun, 2022 - 02:00

Pádraig Hoare

Intensive use of land is actually a bigger driver of biodiversity loss than the effects of climate change, with dramatic increases in the past 60 years.

The second of the two-day National Biodiversity Conference on the future of nature in Ireland heard from a range of scientists and environmental professionals throughout the day, with land management and the use of natural resources just one of a plethora of topics explored.

Eamon Haughey of Atlantic Technological University told delegates that while intensive landuse had put unprecedented strain on biodiversity over 60 years, climate change was now compounding the problem.

He pointed to the 2022 report from the UN-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that showed that even a 1.5C warming of global surface temperatures will lead to irreversible loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, even if it only lasted a few decades.

He also highlighted data that show that biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history, with on average a nearly 70% decline in the populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians over the past 50 years.

A report by Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in 2019 found that climate change is a threat to many habitats such as sea cliffs, wet heath, and raised bogs.

Climate change and biodiversity loss are linked and should be tackled simultaneously, Mr Haughey said.

When it comes to the planning system in Ireland, biodiversity is seen as a barrier: a mindset which should be reversed, according to Claragh Mulhern of the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage.

"It is absolutely essential that the joined-up approach between the Climate Action Plan, Housing For All [the Government's plan for housing], and the National Planning Framework really speak to each other, and they are all going in the same direction," Ms Mulhern said.

Biodiversity should be encouraged in all housing development, she said "pushing the envelope beyond a few select sites".

Senior ecologist at Bord Pleanála, Maeve Flynn, told delegates that the best outcomes for biodiversity in the planning system was developments having ecologists involved in the process from the outset, such as the design stage.

In-house expertise in ecology within local authorities is also crucial, she said.

Heritage Minister Malcolm Noonan said that he was satisfied with the National Biodiversity Conference outcomes, and was "looking forward to the preparation of the next National Biodiversity Action Plan", set to be published next year.

He praised Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who had addressed the conference in the keynote address at the opening proceedings on Thursday.

Mr Noonan claimed the contribution by the Taoiseach "will stay with him for a long time".

He said: “It gives me great hope when a world leader addresses a conference on biodiversity and speaks with such passion and conviction. 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 we heard about this morning.”

Mr Noonan announced a number of strategic pledges as the conference came to a conclusion, including an additional €17m to support breeding waders and their habitats in the wider countryside.

Breeding waders are said to be among the most seriously threatened birds in Ireland, with rapid population declines ravaging its numbers in recent decades.

The heritage minister also vowed to fast track the recruitment of biodiversity officers in every local authority within three years.

The fast-track process will see six appointed this year, bringing the total to 11, before a national rollout.

Taoiseach: Politicians have not taken the biodiversity crisis seriously enough