Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for sharing their expertise with us today. The focus of this committee is climate, so it is a real pleasure to bring biodiversity into that discussion as well. I agree with some of what Mr. Fogarty said about things moving from Department to Department. I would like to see the Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine having an interest in this area also as it is of great importance.

On the climate perspective, our witnesses mentioned the co-benefits of investing in biodiversity. I wonder also about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. Usually we look at it the other way around where we say that if we invest in a different type of land-use in respect of biodiversity that will have an impact on climate. I would like to hear our witnesses views on the impact of climate on biodiversity.

One of the things that has been quite stressful for farmers is the idea that we have the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 going through the Dáil and Seanad which would see reductions of 51% in emissions by 2030 and being climate neutral by 2050. If other sectors play their part and do more, then there would not be as much pressure on agriculture. It is important to say that there is still that pressure there and that investing in biodiversity can be the thing that very much eases the pressure on farmers. Can our witnesses speak a little bit more about the effects of agriculture, particularly on soil health, which has an impact on biodiversity?

Finally, on local action on biodiversity, Dr. Lysaght spoke about voluntary actions and systemic support. One of the things I see is a lack of support within councils for biodiversity. We have the all-Ireland pollinator plan but would Professor Stout, in particular, think that having biodiversity officers on every council would not only help to bring the public on board but would also ensure that we have the work done at a local level?

There are a great deal more questions and I fully agree that we need to ensure we have marine protected areas, which is key to the programme for Government. Could I have some responses to those issues from our witnesses? I am happy to submit further questions afterwards.