Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

What I see in some cases is a little bit of tokenism. People might say that it is lovely to see that little bit there which is for the bees and the birds, but then everything else is manicured and sprayed with Roundup. We must up the game as soon as possible where everything is done for biodiversity. It does not mean that it goes crazy and wild like the Serengeti, which is what some people would think. There is a lack of understanding there. Biodiversity does not mean crazy and rotten looking with nettles and weeds. There is a lot of work to be done on that. I do see little boxed-off areas where there is one little roundabout or one little patch for biodiversity and a little sign that says that this is for the bees, when the rest of it is all manicured. As a Department, we must have higher expectations and as soon as possible. It is of paramount importance. If we do not get biodiversity right in our villages and towns then we do not have pollinators to enable us to grow food in the fields. We need to up our game and expect to see this everywhere. This is something I brought up in the programme for Government when we held our negotiations with the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, and the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Calleary. I remember specifically getting the word "biodiversity" embedded into the Tidy Towns programme, but not just as a part, it was to be overarching.

We should not be funding plants, foreign species and things that are not native to the area and that will not enhance our pollinators. It is important and it is an easy win. It is an easy thing to expect people to do.