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

I thank the Deputy. I will outline the general issues around invasive species. What the Deputy has highlighted is a serious imbalance in nature in general across the country because of habitats, invasive species and other challenges. It is an important issue. Our Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, is responsible for the implementation of the Wildlife Acts and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, both of which prohibit the spreading of invasive species. In addition to this national legislation, EU Regulation No. 1143/2014 on invasive alien species provides for a range of concerted EU-wide measures to be taken with respect to listed species of Union concern. Together, these instruments make up the legislative framework for dealing with invasive alien species in Ireland. Public bodies, Departments and agencies throughout the country work within this framework, in the context of species listed nationally or on the list of invasive alien species of Union concern, to manage, control and, where practicable, eradicate these species.

Under this legislative framework, responsibility for dealing with invasive alien species rests largely with landowners. While my Department carries out important work to manage and control invasive species in its national parks and reserves, it does not have the resources at its disposal to undertake such work on a wider scale. Much of the work tackling invasive alien species happens at local level and is carried out by local authorities in their areas through their own biodiversity action plans.

Additionally, my Department's local biodiversity action fund, which offers funding to help local authorities achieve actions identified in the national biodiversity action plan, has been utilised consistently since its inception to aid in combating invasive alien species. Since 2019, 29 of 31 local authorities in the country have availed of this funding . These projects include the control of species such as Japanese knotweed and quagga mussel, along with awareness and education projects on how to tackle invasive alien species.

While excellent work is being done at local level, there is a need for greater co-ordination and coherence in the overall approach to this issue. In this regard, a national invasive alien species management plan was included in the programme for Government and has been prioritised in my Department. The plan is in its early draft stages and will operate on a national scale but the involvement and co-operation of key stakeholders at local level will continue to be crucial to its successful implementation. To this end, a steering committee has been convened to further the development of the plan and will hold its first meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, 8 March, in Dublin. It will be chaired by the NPWS.

The NPWS is also responsible for implementing the EU invasive alien species regulation in the national context. Under Article 13 of the EU regulation, Ireland identified and prioritized three priority pathways for the development of pathway action plans. The priority pathways are angling, recreational boating and watercraft, and soil and spoil. The angling and the recreational boating pathway action plans are five-year plans running from 2022 to 2027. The soil and spoil pathway action plan is still in draft. A full plan and synopsis brochure for these plans have been published on the National Biodiversity Data Centre website: Pathway Action Plans - Invasives.ie. These pathway action plans are aimed at preventing the introduction of invasive alien species and promoting and providing practical guidance on, among other things, protocols such as "Check, Clean, Dry" to mitigate the spread of invasive alien species through recreational water use.

The localised scheme the Deputy spoke about concerning mink was administered by the National Association of Regional Game Councils. I attended its annual meeting a number of weeks ago. The scheme commenced in 2012 and involved a bounty on mink as part of the wider effort to protect ground-nesting birds in western counties. I understand this scheme ran for three years until 2015 and is no longer in operation. As with any scheme, it might be supported by grant aid. Its renewal and expansion would need to be discussed. I commit to the Deputy that I will discuss this with staff. I will come back regarding the supplementary questions on cormorants.

See this speech in context