Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)

I understand the Minister of State, who has special responsibility for nature, heritage and biodiversity, has particular interests and b'fhéidir grá, even, for biodiversity. As Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy I really hope we can work together to ensure our habitats can be protected and the tools and mechanisms that delivered those protections for them can be strengthened.

This week provides us with a unique opportunity to appreciate all aspects of nature around our areas. I am aware of a few events taking place in Dublin Bay North this week, including a tree walk and talk through St. Anne’s Park in Clontarf and an ecological field trip to Bull Island. In 1981 UNESCO recognised the importance of the bay by designating North Bull Island as a biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife. To support sustainable development UNESCO’s concept of a biosphere has evolved to include not just areas of ecological value but areas proximate to those areas and the communities that live and work within those areas. There have since been additional international and national designations covering a lot of Dublin Bay, parts of St. Anne’s Park and other areas to ensure the protection of the bay’s water quality and biodiversity.

I was a member of Dublin City Council for 20 years. The Dublin City Biodiversity Action Plan 2021-2025 highlights the importance of biodiversity as a key indicator within the city’s ecosystem. During Covid people’s awareness and appreciation of biodiversity also went up a lot, especially as they were spending a lot of time outside. The National Biodiversity Data Centre reported a 60% increase in voluntary records being submitted compared with the same period in previous years as people got more involved during the lockdown. I chaired the environment SPC on the council and one of the policy actions we took was to move the city council away from the general use of glyphosate, also known as Roundup. This did not receive universal acclaim from residents but it was definitely the right thing to do. We have seen more and more ground-up initiatives take hold that are helping with biodiversity. They are coming up from the community, which is great to see. There is no-mow May, pollinator-friendly areas and community groups like Raheny Tidy Village group launching its own Raheny biodiversity action plan only a few weeks ago.

I do not know much about the National Biodiversity Data Centre. I understand that the Minister of State’s predecessor Senator Noonan was very involved in putting it on a solid footing. I was just looking at the data it has and it is fantastic. Long may the centre continue because the more data we can collect accurately, the better the policy decisions we can make. I only know the ground-level stuff. I have a lot to learn about what can be done through the national frameworks to protect and enhance nature and biodiversity. I look forward to learning all that in the term of this Dáil.

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