Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan.

One of the commitments in the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 is to put forward a proposal for legally binding EU nature restoration targets. The proposed regulation on nature restoration aims to fulfil this commitment. This significant EU legislation will have an impact on all areas of society, and not just farming. It will introduce restoration targets across a wide range of land uses throughout rural and urban environments, including lands in agricultural use, forestry and the marine. There will be legally binding restoration targets for a broad suite of marine and terrestrial habitats including grasslands, woodlands, sand dunes, rivers, lakes, peatlands and other wetlands. This will inevitably have policy, legislative and sectoral implications across many Departments from housing and planning to energy, forestry, fisheries and water. According to the proposed draft regulation, restoration measures should cover at least 20% of the EU's land and sea area by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. Restoration of habitats does not necessarily mean cessation of current land use. Rather, it is an opportunity to work with landowners in order to reach restoration objectives.

On the concerns of farmers, I appreciate that there is uncertainty arising from Article 9 which concerns agricultural ecosystems and particularly the requirement to fulfil targets relating to the restoration of drained peatlands in agricultural use. Restoration of drained peatlands does not necessarily mean bringing the water table to surface level. Rewetting is just one of several tools available for restoration of target ecosystems. The broad definition will allow Ireland to determine for itself what rewetting means in our national circumstances. On the draft targets, a reduction in the original Commission proposal has been brought about by Ireland and other countries on foot of our participation in negotiations. The Commission has confirmed that restoration works under way at the time the draft regulation may come into force can count towards overall targets. This would mean that the commitment of over 77,000 ha of peatland rehabilitation using Bord na Móna lands in the Climate Action Plan 2023, for example, can count towards the overall targets if that work is under way by the time the regulation comes in. This will obviously reduce the demand on landowners.

Moreover, this is without counting the several thousand hectares of restoration works currently under way and planned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS. Any decision on how much State land is to be used will be a factor in the national restoration plan, along with other considerations such as non-peat extraction lands, such as Coillte lands; incentives and schemes for voluntary rewetting and so forth. Any additional measures needed will be introduced with landowners in mind and in consultation with them, which will be important. The impact of any measures on the landowners' ability to continue the economic use of their land will be considered and there will have to be engagement as part of any national restoration plan. It is important to flag at this stage that the undertaking of such measures will be voluntary and fully resourced. The current Swedish Presidency of the EU is seeking to establish an agreed approach in time for the Council meeting on 20 June. After that, negotiations at EU level - the Taoiseach spoke about this earlier - will continue with the next Council Presidency engaging with the European Parliament and the Commission in overall trilogues around potential agreement on the final text. Continued negotiations on this are needed over the coming period.

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