Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the protection and restoration of nature and the need to make progress in Ireland. Sinn Féin completely supports and prioritises the need to protect, restore, and enhance nature. The scale of the crisis that confronts biodiversity cannot and should not be understated.

Sinn Féin's rejection last week of the nature restoration law was not a rejection of the intent and purpose of the law. We must work to protect the complex interconnected ecosystem that is the beating heart of our economy and society. However, without concrete funding measures, our efforts will fall short. We simply cannot afford to get this wrong. From my perspective, last week the question was framed incorrectly. For us in Sinn Féin the question of whether we should do this has already been clearly answered. Rather than asking whether we should do it, instead we should be asking how we do this. We know that the Government's propensity to set targets without a dedicated, detailed and resourced roadmap for how to get there is no way to do business. It is certainly no way to ensure success. This was made abundantly clear by the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, which pointed out that the Government has comprehensively failed to adequately fund, implement and enforce existing national legislation, national policies, EU biodiversity-related laws and directives. Simply paying lip service to something in theory at a multilateral level far removed from the lived realities means very little when it comes to translating these lofty ambitions into practice. It has to work in reality. It has to work on the ground and with the people who will be charged with carrying out these measures.

Now that the nature restoration law has been passed by the European Parliament, it is incumbent on legislators to ensure the right supports are put in place to aid the achievement of our nature and climate targets. We therefore believe that a dedicated, ambitious funding stream should be put in place at European and national level to support the delivery of these vital biodiversity targets while protecting and enhancing the incomes of workers on the front line of nature restoration. We need a just transition. In Sinn Féin, we believe it is critical that the value we place on our ecosystems is reflected in how we resource this transition. This is the reason we proposed the establishment of a dedicated nature restoration fund in our alternative budget, alongside a suite of other measures, including the expansion of publicly owned and accessible green spaces and natural areas, increased investment in afforestation and in urban green spaces, the expansion and restoration of national parks, and increased funding to develop skills and expertise in biodiversity at local and national level.

In addition, we support having increased funding for local authorities, the establishment of a fund for native woodlands, increased funding for the Irish Environmental Network and increased resourcing for environmental NGOs, the expansion and restoration of national parks and increasing the resourcing of biodiversity skills for staff in An Bord Pleanála and MARA. In addition, Sinn Féin would invest in horticultural farming and, as per the recommendation of the citizens' assembly, would establish a peer-to-peer scheme for farmers working to protect and restore nature.

Partnership, collaboration and engagement must be part of the process. Those who are impacted the most require certainty that they will not be the collateral damage in this process. The Minister acknowledged that many who have done a lot of heavy lifting in the past are bruised by that experience. The work of preparing the national restoration plan will be hugely important. There needs to be commitment in terms of funding and support.

The Minister referred to the climate fund. We heard clearly from farmers and rural communities that they are concerned that in the first instance the fund is away out in the future, post 2026, and only relates to capital investment. The detail of that must be spelled out. We must ensure that it supports practical measures to restore nature. In our firm opinion, it needs to happen now. It is incumbent upon us to bridge gaps and reach mutual understanding as we respond to this crucial challenge. We in Sinn Féin absolutely believe that restoring nature and protecting our indigenous industries can and must go hand in hand. Now is the time to work together and put in place a pathway to nature restoration that delivers for our workers and our planet.

Sinn Féin believes that the State has a key role to play and can lead the way. This Government cannot expect family farms and rural communities to make changes that the Government itself is unwilling to make. All in all, we know this is an urgent issue. It cannot be ignored. We need strategies that do not kowtow to wealthy vested interests that have powerful influence. It suits some vested interests to create a divide between rural and urban, but we must reject this false dichotomy because the evidence shows that regardless of where they live, people care about the environment and recognise the need to restore nature. We must be sure to have nuanced and informed discussions that are grounded in fact, science and the experience and knowledge of stakeholders. We must not be led by misinformation and by the pursuit of profit. What is needed now is collaborative and decisive action that encompasses farmers and rural communities as key allies. By supporting them in the transition, respecting their knowledge, grounding the process in science and fact and addressing the socioeconomic challenges that may arise, we can and will find a way forward. Our future and that of future generations depends on it.

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