Dr. Deirdre Lynn:

I spoke earlier about the statutory footing of the national biodiversity action plan. It is covered in the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2023. Every public body listed in the Act will be obliged to have regard to the national biodiversity action plan. Every entity responsible for actions within the plan has a biodiversity duty. This means they must update on their progress and contribute to the interim report and the final report of the plan. This report will go to the Minister, who can then respond to this. There will be an annual update to the senior officials group on the environment and climate change and to relevant Cabinet sub-committees. The Minister will report annually to the Cabinet on the progress of the plan.

Bodies such as Coillte and Bord na Móna are coming to us a lot. There is significant engagement and willingness there. We are in an era of a coalition of the willing. They are asking what they can do and where they can prioritise their work and restoration efforts. A significant amount of work on that is ongoing behind the scenes.

This was one of the really refreshing things about being part of the development of this plan compared to earlier plans. People came to us and told us that they wanted to be part of this and offer up actions. It is very comforting for us that we are where we are now and everybody seems to be willing to pull together to deliver action for biodiversity.