Ireland’s fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan was launched on the 25th of January 2024 with a commitment to establishing a national Nature Restoration Plan by 2026 and contributing to both the ambition of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and to global restoration targets.
The focus now turns to the development of Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan to ensure that the Government’s €3.15bn Climate and Nature Fund, which was announced as part of Budget 2024 is delivered. This fund is expected to play an important role in resourcing the measures in the Nature Restoration Plan. The plan will be designed to underpin the implementation of nature restoration measures across the country and deliver benefits for rural economies.
The national Nature Restoration Plan will build on and expand efforts that are already underway across the State. Through the LIFE Programmes and Farm Plan Scheme operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), farmers are already participating in over 1500 projects to restore nature all over the country. Many more are expected to participate in the new €25m Breeding Waders EIP, which was launched by NPWS and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in 2023.
This is in addition to the more than 18,000 farmers who are involved in results-based ACRES Cooperation Projects under DAFM. Through the National Federation of Group Water Schemes , a further 130 are participating in dedicated initiatives to protect water quality. It is anticipated that this number will grow substantially to over 15,000 in the coming years as two new projects – the Waters of LIFE Project and the Water EIP, led by DAFM – come on stream.
Restoration efforts are also underway in other areas, including through Bord na Móna’s work to restore and rehabilitate 33,000 hectares of degraded peatland and Coillte’s commitment to enhance and restore biodiversity on 20% (90,000 hectares) of its estate by 2030.
For more information on the agri-environment schemes contributing to nature restoration in Ireland, please click here.