The Government has been slammed for a lack of real action as the country’s second ever Biodiversity Conference kicked off at Dublin Castle on Wednesday.
Social Democrat Biodiversity spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore hit out at the news that just six of at least 31 biodiversity officers promised in the Programme for Government have been announced.
Five are already in place, but it was proposed that at least one would be available to each local authority.
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Ms Whitmore said the move means councils will not be able to meet their biodiversity commitments.
Extinction Rebellion Ireland, meanwhile, protested outside the event.
They too were calling for less talk, more action and legislation instead of proposals.
Ireland’s second ever Biodiversity Conference was launched by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien.
The Fingal TD’s department oversees the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
He said: “It’s no accident that the theme of this year’s conference is ‘Act Now For Nature’.
“We know what we’ve got to do. It’s time to get on and do it.”
Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan also spoke.
The Green Party TD reminisced about the River Nore, where he played as a child, saying while the river has always been good to locals that relationship hasn’t always been reciprocated.
“Our collective wellbeing and prosperity are reliant on a healthy natural world,” he added.
The conference learned how NPWS spending has increased 64% under Malcolm Noonan’s watch.
His party colleague Minister Pippa Hackett spoke of the impact agriculture could have on the fight for improved biodiversity since 60% of Ireland’s land is used for farming.
“It is clear our farmers have a vital role to play,” she added as she called for a whole farm approach - rather than improvements that “compartmentalise biodiversity to a strip or a corner of a field”.
Social Democrat biodiversity spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore, told us: “There’s an awful lot of talk from the government but not a lot of action.
“The simple things that should be easily done are not being done.
“We see today that they have announced six biodiversity officers for the councils across the country.
“There’s currently five in place and the government announces six, which is obviously not enough.
“Fingal Council has said that they will not be able to meet their targets for biodiversity unless they have six themselves.
“They have been very clear about that in their action plan.
“It’s not enough and it has been very underwhelming from the government.
“They need to start to putting their money where their mouth is to start getting these things done.”
Ms Whitmore says it is not enough to operate biodiversity plans only a local level, after Minister Hackett suggested this is the best way to get results and bring the public on board.
“There are actions that need to happen on a local level and must happen on a local level but there needs to be guidance from government,” she added.
“We need to have laws in place that protect our nature and they are not in force at the moment.
“We need to have enforcement in place to uphold those laws - and that enforcement is not there either.”
Extinction Rebellion Ireland activist Maria Arnold agrees.
She spoke to us as she protested outside the government’s first Biodiversity Conference since 2019 at Dublin Castle today.
Maria said: “President Higgins at the first conference said ‘if we were miners we would be up to our knees in canaries’.
“That’s three years ago and no action - by now we are nearly up to our necks in canaries.
“We’ve come again to raise this issue and say there cannot be any more talking.
“All of the proposals put forward need to be legislated for and that’s what we’re asking.
“The first simple one is to stop peat being cut,” she added.
“It’s a carbon sink and it’s the easiest thing we can do. It’s like our Amazon.
“The next thing would be to put in place Marine Protected Areas and legislate for and enforce them.
“There are all of these steps that we know and we don’t need to talk about any more.
“We’ve been told by the experts and now they have to act.”
UN and EU representatives also addressed the conference.
Head of the Biodiversity of Unit at the EC Directorate General for Environment called on Ireland to address emissions from the peatlands that have been drained for agriculture.
He said that while they make up just 3% of agricultural land, they create a quarter of the sector's emissions.
Mr Leiner described them as the “low hanging fruit” for positive action to reduce emissions and improve biodiversity.
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