Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)

I am glad of the opportunity to speak on this issue today. The protection and restoration of biodiversity across Ireland is of critical importance. It is an all-island issue. The border does not exist in the context of biodiversity. We are facing a biodiversity crisis. Over 60% of Ireland’s native species are in decline. Our bogs are drying and our rivers are polluted. The River Tolka comes through the middle of my constituency. It is heartbreaking to see the hard work by fisher groups and the young lads fishing all the way down to Finglas, and then to often see fish kills as a result of pollution. It is dreadful.

Hedgerows are being lost. My constituency is a very large urban area but 20 or 30 years ago when I moved out to Dublin 15 it was all farmland and fields. Much of that biodiversity has been lost. Thankfully the new county development plan has a very strong emphasis on protecting the existing hedgerows. Some 85% of Ireland’s habitats are inadequate or in a poor state. Many of our native species are under threat from urbanisation and the destruction of their natural habitat. We have the lowest tree cover in Europe, at just 11%, compared with an EU average of 35%. A couple of hundred years ago there was a massive wooded area called the Scaldwood in what is now Dublin 15. It is now reduced to small pockets in Clonsilla, just across the road from me, in the Millennium Park and around Tolka Valley. I commend Fingal County Council for the work it is doing in trying to encourage the planting of more trees. Only this week, as I walked through the park I saw the operations department planting new indigenous trees.

We recognise that real environmental change must begin locally. Local councils are on the front line not only in protecting biodiversity but also in creating the conditions for it to thrive. I commend many of the local environmental groups such as Tidy Towns Blanchardstown, Clonsilla Tidy Towns, Castleknock Tidy Towns and Riverwood Biodiversity Group. We had a really interesting seminar last week in Dublin 15. There is really important work being done by local communities and it is important that we continue and support that work.

I will mention one simple thing we can do for biodiversity and that is hedgerows. There are hedgerows throughout the State, which can be seen whenever you drive down any road. A very simple thing we could do is to help and support farmers by paying them to plant right beside existing hedgerows. We could double the number of hedgerows. It can be imagined the biodiversity we would create if we did that. It is something we should really think about in moving forward.

It is great to get an opportunity to speak on this because it is very important. It is not just a rural issue; it is an urban issue as well. We care about it as well.

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