Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I love the Minister of State's passion for nature. You can tell it is a huge part of who he is, and I look forward to working with him over the term of this Dáil to see what we can achieve in this regard. It is absolutely needed and I know he wholeheartedly knows and believes that as well. In his statement he spoke about how this needs to deal with nature and how our biodiversity crisis needs to be a grassroots exercise involving communities. I absolutely agree with him on that, but the Government has a huge role to play in this. We need a government that is a role model for nature. The Government and the State are the biggest landowners in the country, so there is a real responsibility and a real onus on the Government to use that land for nature and to be very active and conscious of its responsibility in that regard. I am referring specifically to the lands of Coillte and Bord na Móna and the practices of the OPW. The Minister of State was on the previous Oireachtas committee on climate and environment with me. One of the main recommendations that came out of one of our reports was that the legal remits of Coillte, Bord na Móna and the OPW need to change. They need to reflect the need to protect biodiversity. There has to be a public interest element to what they do, and the protection of biodiversity should be at the core of what they do. Unfortunately, at the moment, they are on a purely commercial basis, and that really ties the hands of these entities in many regards. A lot of the time when we look to the likes of Coillte and ask why it is not doing more for nature, a large part of that is because the State has not given it the legislative framework to do more for nature. We could see that recently with Coillte Nature being quietly abolished earlier this year. No one really seemed to know about it. It happened very quietly and under the radar. That was a bad move and it should be revised, or certainly the legislative framework. If that were done, I think that would make a huge difference.

As regards Bord na Móna, I have heard recently that a solar farm is to go up on two lands that Bord na Móna own which are the exact site where we have a pair of breeding cranes. As the Minister of State knows, those cranes have tried to breed in Ireland for a few years. They have managed to produce fledglings in the last year or two. They have not been in Ireland or bred in Ireland for hundreds of years. I would have major concerns about any potential plans for a solar farm there. I have asked for more details from Bord na Móna on it, but I will certainly be keeping an eye on it and I ask that the Minister of State do so as well.

Not only have the Government and the State been the role model for nature, but we also need to protect and enhance what we have. We have some fantastic sites but they are not being managed properly and there has not been enough focus on enhancing and expanding what is there. I refer specifically to our national parks and many of our SACs in that regard.

I am sure the Minister of State expects me to mention the Glen of the Downs in Wicklow. It is a place very close to my heart, as it is to many people not just in Wicklow but on the east coast because it is such an iconic ancient woodland. There is an opportunity for the State to purchase land there. I know the National Parks and Wildlife Service is looking at that at the moment. I ask the Minister of State to expedite that process because I fear that that land could be sold and that that opportunity would be lost. Many areas like that are coming up for sale. Under the nature restoration laws, there will be a requirement on the State to purchase land and protect it for nature. We have Lugnaquilla. There is 1,500 acres going up for sale in Wicklow at the moment as well which is really in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains. Again, if we were to use that €3.6 billion set aside in the climate, biodiversity and nature fund to purchase sites like this, it would be a really good thing to do, not just for our current need to meet our nature restoration laws but for generations to come and for nature restoration. We need to grasp these opportunities when they arise.

I will also mention Our Lady's Island. I was down there recently. I do not know if the Minister of State has been. It has huge potential to be a fantastic site for birds and it is absolutely dying. When I was down there, I saw problems with the site. There was what looked like sewage being pumped into the site. I contacted the council, the EPA and the National Parks and Wildlife Service - I was ringing around everyone. No one, not one single entity, is taking responsibility for that site. Many entities are responsible for different elements of it; no one has taken responsibility for it on a whole. Again, I ask that the Minister of State look into it. It is a special area of conservation that has huge potential.

I also want to mention badgers. This matter is in the news at the moment. It is another instance where a species that is protected under the Wildlife Act is also being hunted or killed under that Act. I ask that the Minister of State speak to the Minister for agriculture. The evidence is clear that the culling of badgers is not impacting on or reducing the incidence of bovine TB on farms. I understand how difficult it is when farmers get the result. It is devastating for them, but we need to work with them to make sure that the solutions that are put forward are actually working. They are not working at the moment.

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