Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Since we came into government, it has increased significantly. Total provisions for 2024, between capital and current, were €54.4 million. On the capital side, the investment has gone into the infrastructure in the parks, such as trails, access, interpretation and improvement of visitor facilities, but also in terms of management of invasive species - rodent management is a big one, particularly in Glenveagh and Killarney - and problematic species, such as through deer management. That is all quite capital-intensive in terms of nature restoration and we are also responsible for 80 nature reserves.

It is a huge level of responsibility given that we have also purchased or launched two new national parks. This significant investment is going to have to continue into the future. The restructuring of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the creation of much a more robust structure of directorates has been quite successful, particularly if we look at the expansion of the park rangers and wildlife rangers across the country. We see the success they are having in tackling wildlife crime and working with landowners on issues like the farm plan scheme, which has been hugely popular in terms of restoring nature on land. We are also supporting other projects. There are the many LIFE projects that we are involved in, such as Corncrake LIFE, LIFE on Machair and Wild Atlantic Nature. Those LIFE projects are delivering significant investment into rural Ireland and communities and delivering for nature restoration. We see the corncrake figures and the figures for other indicator species all going in a positive direction.

Depending on the outcome of the meeting in Luxembourg next week and if there is a European nature restoration law, that will put additional requirements on the National Parks and Wildlife Service into the future to deliver on a nature restoration plan, which we have committed to under the fourth national biodiversity action plan. There is no doubt that from the low point when we came into government in 2020, we have come a long way to where we are now. I note the support across the Government but, in particular, the role of the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, in supporting and making the case for that. We are certainly in a much better place, although we are not underestimating the significant challenges and the requirements of the EU biodiversity strategy and what we signed up to in terms of the high-level contribution to the Kunming-Montréal declaration. The trajectory will have to continue in that vein over the next decade.