Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Kelly was right to point out this is not just a green issue or a Green Party issue. This affects all of us, and every single one of us in this House. Nature has been going into reverse and into decline for 50, 60 or 70 years and we have all had a contribution towards that. This is an opportunity to reverse and turn it around. While it is not just a green thing, the Greens will always lead on this; we always have done and we always will do. I have been knocking on doors for over 20 years to highlight the degraded environment and the impact that is going to have, not just on us now but also on farmers and future generations.

This provides us with the best opportunity. Most of the good stuff we have ever done for our environment, water quality or anything to do with climate has come from Europe, and we should listen to it. We should take the opportunity to embrace this nature restoration regulation and to protect the environment. It is not just about farming and is about urban environments as well. I recently introduced a Private Member's Bill that will put some power into the hands of local councillors to be able to identify pockets of nature and spots within urban centres that are locally important for ecology. It is important that we do that in the urban centres as well.

This is about our marine environment too. When we came into government, about 2.5% of our marine area was protected and it is now up to about 8% and heading for 10%. The marine protected areas legislation is coming in and it will enable us to achieve that objective and commitment that we have of 30% of our marine area being marine protected areas. That is what nature restoration law is about as well.

It is also about our water quality. Look at the constant deterioration we have seen of our rivers and lakes. We cannot ignore it and we cannot ignore the reasons it is happening. It is because the wastewater treatment plants that we are not investing enough money in are discharging into water courses. There is agricultural run-off and it is part of the problem, no matter how many people want to deny it. It is part of the problem.

There is the legacy of forestry from the past: planting forests in the wrong places, clear-felling, acidification of water courses and contamination of water courses. These are all the opportunities that we have to take. The nature restoration regulation pulls that all together. The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, covered it very well and he is leading nature restoration in Ireland with the investment we have seen in the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the progress on the marine protected areas legislation.

I ask all Members in this House to be honest and not to engage in scaremongering. I listened to Fintan Kelly outside Leinster House, talking about the scaremongering that is going on. Of course, people are going to be scared because they trust what is said in this House, and it has to be honest. People look up to and elect the Deputies in this House to represent them. If they hear that scaremongering and fear out there, of course, they are going to react to it. I would ask everybody in this House to be honest and to ask what nature restoration regulations are going to provide for Ireland for now and for future generations. Most of the measures in it are voluntary. Nobody is going to be forced or frogmarched up to rewet land. It is only a very small part of it. What is being proposed here is going to be beneficial for all of us for now and into the future.

Last week, we had people in here talking. If tea and sympathy were going to save biodiversity, it would have been saved last week. We need to see that with actions. When I see the likes of Fine Gael and Sinn Féin vote against this in Europe without taking the opportunity to make amendments, it makes me ask: do they really have any commitment?

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