Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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Happy Biodiversity Week everyone. It is significant that today this House is debating the topic of biodiversity action - not loss, but action - because that is what this Government is focused on. In 2019, the Dáil declared a climate and biodiversity crisis. The 2020 programme for Government contained stronger commitments for nature than any that came before it. Since becoming Minister of State with responsibility for natural heritage, which includes the birds directive, the habitats directive, the Wildlife Act, invasive alien species regulations, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the national biodiversity action plan, I have made tackling the issue of biodiversity, the factors driving its loss and the actions required to halt or reverse that loss my number one priority.

Before I summarise the key components of that work, I will take a moment to acknowledge the scale of the disaster we face. A total of 85% of our most rare and valuable habitats are in an unfavourable condition. Our gorgeous coastal dunes, panoramic mountain heaths, beautiful orchid-rich grasslands and soggy alluvial woodlands are all in trouble. An incredibly shocking statistic is that 30% of Ireland's species-rich grasslands have been lost in the past ten years. These are amazing places. Almost two thirds of our wild birds are at risk of extinction: our puffins, barn owls, kingfishers, kestrels and even starlings, swallows, sparrows and mallard ducks. One third of wild bee species are becoming extinct. Half of our rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters are in an unsatisfactory condition polluted with fertilisers and wastewater with the life taken out of them with weirs, culverts and dredging. This week, researchers from Queen's University Belfast published a paper that found that populations of almost half the world's animals are decline. This includes many that were previously thought to be safe.

So what are we doing? When we are in the countryside, we look over a lush green landscape and can be forgiven for thinking that all is well but it is not. Too often, the colour we see all around is a kind of camouflage - chemically altered and physically enhanced to maximise production at the expense of the wildness such production depends on. "Dependence" is the key word here. We seem to focus our impact on nature on the wider environment. We think about our footprint but we should really be thinking about what our hand print is - the palm and fingers outstretched to receive the food, water, air and other fundamental ecosystem services that our increasingly vulnerable species relies on to survive. Sometimes I think we forget that we are animals.

This is not the fault of the farmer, the fisher, the forester or even the suburban commuter, young people, old people, the rich or the poor. It is the fault of an outdated and unfit for purpose multi-decade policy direction that holds two contradictory positions in fractious and discordant harmony. One holds nature as something to be celebrated in our songs, stories, art or folklore as a source of great wonder and something bigger, older and more powerful than us. The other frames it as an obstacle to development and something to be grubbed out, mown down, chopped up, drained away or dug out in pursuit - paradoxically - of growth. Reconciling these two positions is the challenge of our generation. We need a new economic paradigm - one where ecosystem services are factored in and environmental destruction is not seen as an externality.

The work in government has begun but it will be for those coming after us to continue it because it is the kind of change that cannot be delivered within an election cycle. This is precisely why we need measures like the nature restoration law, which is a proposed regulation from the EU that has been the subject of much public discussion in recent weeks. I would argue that much of the public narrative has brought more heat than light to the matter with fear whipped up and misunderstandings bandied about. It is deeply disappointing that so many Irish MEPs have opted to reject it outright rather than amend and improve it as I and my colleagues across Government are seeking to do. I understand time will be made next week for a deep debate on the topic and I look forward to the opportunity to clarify the Government’s position in detail. In the meantime, let me say that notwithstanding the challenges any such far-reaching legislation brings, Ireland welcomes the nature restoration law not least because the provisions it contains will help us to tackle the multifaceted and deeply disturbing erosion of the web of life but also because people depend on nature and restoring it brings enormous value economically, socially and culturally.

This much is clear when we look at the results of work undertaken since I became Minister of State in 2020 to protect, conserve and restore nature. I will take a moment to outline our progress to date. My most immediate task was resourcing. We increased National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, funding by 50% in 2021 and again in 2022 to pre-financial crisis levels. In 2023, we increased programme funding by 85% bringing the overall budget for nature of €90 million in 2023. Other measures included staff resourcing and a complete organisational restructuring underpinned by an additional €50 million investment. This investment has unlocked a wealth of potential that will see its value multiplied right across the country. While it is fundamental, resourcing would only take us so far. We also needed to look at governance so we reviewed the NPWS, developed a strategic action plan to renew it and dedicated €55 million to fund its transformation into an executive agency with a full organisational restructuring and dedicated management team. The strategic action plan for the renewal of the NPWS is on track and on target as a press release from the Department over the coming days will illustrate.

We also committed to reviewing nature governance in Ireland more broadly with a view to ensuring the coherence and effectiveness of the State’s response with regard to biodiversity and climate action across the many actors with responsibility in these areas. We progressed the citizens' assembly on biodiversity loss, which published its wide-ranging and transformative set of recommendations recently, and will give us much to consider in this House in terms of the big questions around nature in Ireland and its future.

Ensuring sufficient staffing across the NPWS was another key priority after too many years of under-provision. We have brought staffing back up to pre-2008 levels with around 400 staff members now employed in the NPWS. This includes 85 rangers with provision to increase the number to 120 by the end of this year. This is in addition to the prioritised recruitment of 60 additional staff members through my strategic action plan as well as a further commitment to address staffing in light of the restructuring.

On biodiversity policy, we are making strong progress in the areas on which the NPWS leads. This includes the new national biodiversity action plan, which will set the agenda for nature across Ireland to the end of this decade. While the NPWS co-ordinates it, it is an all-of-government and all-of-society plan with actions, implementation and delivery for a wide range of sectors and organisations. The plan is currently being finalised in my Department and will soon be presented at Cabinet. With the Government’s approval, we will be moving to publish it as soon as possible. It also includes substantial efforts to ensure the nature restoration law works for both nature and people involving intense and extensive cross-departmental engagement and strong collaboration between myself, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. We remain committed to this. We cannot restore nature without farming and farming will not thrive without healthy nature.

The water section of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is finalising the river basin management plan and is beginning the development of a national restoration plan for our rivers contributing to the European Commission’s target of having 25,000 km free flowing by 2030 through the removal of obsolete barriers and restoration of wetlands and flood plains.

Meanwhile, the marine environment section is progressing legislation on marine protected areas at a rapid pace to help us meet our target of 30% protection in the marine by 2030. We hope to bring the legislation to the Oireachtas before the summer recess. In the meantime, we have increased Ireland’s protected areas in the marine from 2.1% when we entered Government to 8.3% following the designation of two very large special areas of conservation under the habitats directive. There will be more to come.

We are also working hard at international level to support global efforts on biodiversity policy. Following extensive work with colleagues throughout the EU to support a strong and unified European position on the world stage, I represented Ireland in Montreal at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to agree the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. We also ratified the Nagoya Protocol and, earlier this year, we led the OSPAR agreement to create one of the world’s largest high seas marine protected areas for endangered seabirds, covering 600,000 sq. km. Furthermore, motivated by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and our engagement at COP 26, we are progressing the concept of a European peatlands initiative along with others throughout the Continent. This initiative will support collaboration, knowledge sharing and co-ordination on peatlands conservation.

On legislation and enforcement, we are working hard to deliver on the wide-ranging programme for Government commitment to review protections and enforcement of legislation for natural heritage. We have redoubled efforts on wildlife crime, establishing a new internal approach, including a dedicated directorate, bolstering boots on the ground to tackle enforcement, and engaging on a memorandum of understanding with An Garda Síochána.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, has never been more focused or more effective on combating wildlife crime, and prosecutions have increased substantially. NPWS staff throughout the country successfully closed 32 wildlife crime prosecutions as of December 2022. This year, four cases have been closed to date and there are a further 63 on hand. We are bringing the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill back to the Oireachtas in the coming weeks. This will place a biodiversity duty on State organisations and give statutory teeth to the national biodiversity action plan. We have started a comprehensive review of the Wildlife Act and the birds and habitats regulations to make them stronger, improve deterrence and improve their enforcement. This is a seminal piece of work that will take a number of years. We are at the early stages but it is vital and we are determined to get it right.

As for our beautiful national parks and nature reserves, we have committed through the action plan to bringing legislation to clarify and underpin powers around their management. The legislation will provide updated and stronger statutory underpinnings for our national parks and the work of the NPWS in protecting and conserving threatened and endangered animals, plants and habitats in the State. We have also increased the resources available to them and restructured staffing within them as per the action plan.

Enormous efforts are under way in all six national parks to tackle the key pressures on habitat condition, namely, fire, overgrazing and invasive species, with management plans, new technologies and techniques, and strategies to address them all coming on stream. Learning and collaboration between the parks is also being improved. I saw this first hand on my visit to Killarney National Park last week. I am more hopeful than ever for the future of biodiversity in these incredibly special places. Just this week, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and I launched a biodiversity restoration project across 2,000 ha in Glenasmole, the seat of the River Dodder which flows through Dublin. The public reaction to this was overwhelmingly positive. People want this and they want more of it.

Another key area for us is the delivery of measures to support the strategic management and conservation of Ireland’s EU-designated protected habitats. We have established a new dedicated conservation measures directorate that is underpinned by the necessary resourcing to deliver on our objectives under the habitats directive. Its work is already having an impact on protected habitats and species throughout the country. In addition, we are making great progress to restore protected peatlands, and the NPWS is a regulator on Bord na Mona’s 33,000 ha scheme to rehabilitate post-industrial cutaways.

To support this work and much more besides, we are also working to improve biodiversity data collection and management, as outlined in the programme for Government. The strategic action plan for the NPWS outlines a much-needed ICT modernisation strategy, which is just getting started and will continue over the coming years. This will underpin work throughout the entire organisation and beyond. We have also secured almost €34 million in EU co-funding for our blanket bog, corncrakes and machair programmes with farmers under the EU LIFE programme.

Anyone who works in this area knows that communities are at the heart of biodiversity conservation. This is why we are doing everything we can to support them as owners, managers and advocates for nature. Through our partnership with the Heritage Council, the County and City Management Association and the Local Government Management Agency, we are helping local authorities to equip themselves to respond to the biodiversity emergency in their areas and support the implementation of the national biodiversity action plan. There are now biodiversity officers in almost every local authority, which is a key programme for Government commitment.

We have grown the local biodiversity action fund to more than €2.7 million this year to support local authorities and communities on nature projects. Details of the successful projects will be released on Monday. We are also continuing our partnership with Community Foundation Ireland on the environment and nature fund, which support communities to work with ecologists to develop their own biodiversity action plans. We have also doubled funding for the community wetland forum, which is co-ordinated through Irish Rural Link. We have increased the peatland community engagement scheme allocation to €500,000. We have supported farming communities by massively increasing investment in the NPWS farm plan scheme to pay farmers to manage their land for nature. Our wild Atlantic nature LIFE project, which is targeted at improving the condition of blanket bogs, is growing and expanding. Just this week it announced payments amounting to €2.4 million to 820 farmers in the north west who are farming for nature. This is an average payment of €3,100 on top of regular incomes. This is an enormously valuable economic injection into this rural region.

Building on this community engagement, we know that we need to promote biodiversity at all levels of education and work with children and young people to ensure their voices are heard and are reflected in national policy. I commissioned what we believe is the world’s first children and young people’s assembly on biodiversity loss, a sister event to the main citizens' assembly. More than 40 young people spent two weekends learning about the challenges facing nature and delivered their recommendations to me. Their perspective on the value of nature is instructive in terms of what we as adults need to do now to protect it for future generations.

I am aware that while this work over the past three years has undoubtedly moved Ireland as a whole into a better place for nature, we need to go significantly further to meet the requirements under the EU biodiversity strategy, the proposed EU nature restoration law and the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. We have made good gains in catching up but we have to continue this at pace in and beyond the NPWS and beyond the Government if we are to deliver on our obligations for nature and achieve our wider ambitions. I am speaking to the Opposition specifically. If Opposition Members are in my position in the future, they will need to continue this trajectory. Addressing the legacy of a decade of neglect will take more than one term, and I am calling on them and all in the House to commit to building on the work the Government has done to turn the tide. The alternative does not bear thinking about.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the opportunity to speak on biodiversity action and I welcome the fact we are having this debate. Nature is under threat everywhere. We are in the midst of a global biodiversity crisis. Our life support system, the interconnected ecosystem that is the beating heart of our societies and economies, is being degraded, homogenised and destroyed. The figures are stark and they cannot be denied. In 2019, a biodiversity emergency was declared in Ireland. It is an invisible tragedy on land and water that is getting worse every day.

What does this mean in practice? Natural habitats are being eroded. A total of 85% of Ireland's protected areas are in an unfavourable condition, with 46% demonstrating ongoing decline. Almost half our freshwater systems are in a poor and deteriorating condition. Our forest cover is being eradicated. At one time Ireland used to be dominated by a lush green landscape. Despite the romantic imagery of our island, this is far from the case. Ireland has only 11% forest cover. The European average is 35%. This makes us one of the lowest on the Continent. Even more devastating, only approximately 2% of Ireland is still covered in native forest. This is one of the lowest rates in Europe. Species are becoming extinct. A total of 43% of all protected species are in an unfavourable condition. More shockingly, of the groups that have undergone formal conservation assessment, more than one in five species are threatened with extinction. Devastatingly, 63% of Irish bird species are on a list of concern, with 37% on the amber list and 26% on the red list.

This is the complex web of nature that supports all of life on earth and it is facing an existential threat. The dangers this poses to us are all-encompassing. It brings with it increased global health risks, including further pandemics.

Moreover, any ability to tackle climate change will be in peril and it threatens the very agriculture systems we rely on. Therefore, without intervention, food security is under threat. By 2050, it is projected that only 10% of the Earth will be in a near-natural state and, in the next 100 to 150 years, 13% of all species will be threatened with extinction.

These are the dangers facing current and future generations. This is a critical juncture. Our ecosystem will collapse without intervention and without reform. We must choose to protect nature because it is a means of protecting all life on earth. Is ar scáth a chéile a mhairimid.

As overwhelming and devastating as these statistics are, we must not lose hope. We can take steps to reverse biodiversity loss and prevent an ecological tragedy on a massive scale as well as the sizeable economic losses and damage to our societal well-being that will accompany it. We can find our way back to a healthier ecosystem. However, all of these efforts must be just. No one should be left behind as we work to restore the healthy and diverse web of nature that supports life on our planet. As with climate change, Sinn Féin is committed to delivering a just transition, a principles-based approach that incorporates the concerns of all, including farmers, who are the traditional custodians of our land. They have an essential and vital role to play and they must be adequately supported. These are incredibly complex and difficult problems that impact us all. We must talk and listen to one another and build trust so we can move forward.

The question cannot be about “if”; it has to be about “how”. Staying still and carrying on as usual is not an option, nor is failing to be inclusive of voices that are impacted, nor kowtowing to wealthy vested interests that have powerful influence. There will be no action without an acknowledgement of the scale of the problem, and there is a growing recognition of this internationally and at home. The 2021 Global Risks Report identified biodiversity loss in the top five risks by likelihood and impact. The UN declared 2021 to 2030 as the decade of ecosystem restoration to prevent, halt and reverse. At an EU level, the crisis in biodiversity is firmly on the agenda. Sinn Féin is supportive of urgent action. It is a question of how, not if. It must be a case of pathways, not cliff edges.

At home, we recently held the landmark Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, which published its final report in April of this year. This report demonstrates the remarkable breadth and depth of understanding of this complex crisis which threatens our prosperity, well-being and survival. The assembly demonstrated that when we come together and really engage with each other, we can achieve progress. Ninety-nine members, 60% of whom were from rural Ireland, listened, asked questions and deliberated for more than 55 hours. They must be commended on this crucial work and we extend our thanks to them. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir. Their recommendations are a call to action for all of us.

The response to the biodiversity crisis requires effective leadership, clear vision and an enabling environment for action. However, the citizens’ assembly makes clear that decades of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael-led governments have had a disastrous impact on our biodiversity. They have failed to adequately fund, implement and enforce existing national legislation, national policies and EU laws and directives. The report also points out that there is a complete lack of clarity and accountability when it comes to the implementation and enforcement of biodiversity-related legislation. The deficiencies in monitoring are also made clear. How are we supposed to get anything done when we do not know who is responsible for what? Even if we got to that point, we need to track what is going wrong and where, and, we hope, where things are getting better. The Government either acted in ways that were grossly incompetent or, even worse, purposefully obstructive. Either way, it is not good enough and it goes a long way to explaining why we are in the middle of an emergency now.

The overwhelming message of the assembly report is that the ambition of the State needs to be significantly increased. The assembly also argued that local leadership and local communities need to be part of this process, and that they should be resourced to do so. This is essential. The same is true of NGOs. All stakeholders require a seat at the table. Significantly, they have called for an all-island approach to be considered in response to the crisis. The biodiversity crisis knows no borders. The citizens’ assembly has also called on the business community to engage with the decline in nature. They cannot continue to act as if this is a problem that does not concern them. Those with the least should not be asked to shoulder the burden while those with the most continue to act as if it is business as usual. This transition has to be just and equitable or it is no transition at all.

The report also highlights important international and regional tools, such as the Natura 2000 sites and the EU biodiversity strategy. Part of this strategy is the EU's nature restoration law. This is a landmark attempt to get to grips with the biodiversity crisis. The nature restoration law has the potential to be an important tool that aims to provide protection and save nature. That is in the interests of everyone, and with the necessary reforms and amendments, we can do that. This is a challenge we must rise to in order to protect all of our futures. Farmers will be at the heart of this process. It is critical the value we place on our ecosystems is reflected in how they are resourced to manage this transition – how, not if; pathways, not cliff edges.

The State has to lead from the front. The Government cannot expect families, farmers, rural communities and ordinary workers to make changes the Government is unwilling to make itself. Any nature restoration law must allow flexibility for member states to ensure fairness and equity, and to lead by example. In Ireland, the State and its agencies must give that example. To do this, we must update the mandates of Bord na Móna and Coillte and amend the Forestry Act. These were also recommendations of the citizens’ assembly. Significantly, the citizens’ assembly expressed particular concerns about the blatant conflict of interest in State agencies, in particular Coillte, and in the Forestry Act 1988. Profit cannot take precedence over the protection of nature, positive ecosystem services, benefits to the community and meaningful employment. There is no doubt there is a huge challenge that stands before us but we can and must find a way forward.

Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein)
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It has been four years since a biodiversity emergency was declared in Ireland and the gradual destruction of our native landscape is showing no let-up. We must take bold steps to put a stop to this destruction and start the process of restoration. We are towards the bottom of the EU ranking when it comes to levels of forest cover among EU states and our UNESCO biosphere sites are neglected. The Minister of State indicated he was in Killarney last week and he would have seen for himself the challenges with regard to Sika deer and rhododendron, and that it is becoming increasingly bare. A strategy must urgently be put in place to remove invasive species from the biosphere.

Our other UNESCO biosphere site, Dublin Bay, is subject to frequent abuse, with high volumes of raw sewage flowing into the bay. Earlier this month, David Turner from Sandymount sent me shocking footage of raw sewage being released straight onto Sandymount Strand, and scores of sanitary products and tissues were left on the beach. Not only is this doing harm to the biosphere of Dublin Bay, it is creating a health risk for many of the hundreds of people using that beach each day. It is demoralising for those involved in projects to support our biosphere. Dublin City Council has many of those projects and it is a very active and engaged participant in developing and protecting the biosphere.

The complete lack of communication from Irish Water to the community is disgraceful. If an individual dumps sewage or waste like this, he rightly should face charges, but Irish Water seems to operate with a sense of entitlement that it is not accountable to anyone. As we approach the summer months, this lack of accountability must stop. We need to see meaningful engagement from Irish Water and Dublin City Council with the local community. How is it acceptable that in 2023 we continue to allow raw sewage to be released into this Dublin Bay biosphere? Dublin Bay has a vibrant community of users and sea swimming is immensely popular, with the Half Moon Swimming and Water Polo Club and, in Ringsend, two brilliant rowing clubs, Stella Maris Rowing Club and St. Patrick's, which are at the heart of the community.

Members frequently contact me about raw sewage in the bay and its effect on their training. We have seen in the past that Ringsend wastewater treatment plant has failed to inform the public of large discharges of sewage. For the sake of Dublin Bay as a biosphere and the local community, we need to see accountability. We need to see a short-term and a medium-term engineering solution to ensure that parts of Dublin Bay do not turn into no-go areas.

It is also important that we address the waterways of Irish Water and their condition. One does not have to go too far from here to see the Liffey, the Tolka and the Grand Canal and the condition they are in. It is hard to quantify the amount of waste that flows down those rivers and along the canal but thanks to Ringsend's Jimmy Murray, we do have some insight. Mr. Murray set up the Liffey Sweeper project. I am not sure if the Minister of State has heard of it but the aim of the project is to try to stop the waste that is flowing down the Liffey from reaching Dublin Bay. From just 11 sampling trips undertaken by the Liffey Sweeper project along the river, a total of 4,114 kg of debris was extracted, the vast majority of which could be recycled. Had the Liffey Sweeper teams not been out on those days, thousands more kilograms of waste would be out in Dublin Bay now. Projects like the Liffey Sweeper need to be supported and expanded so that they can cover more waterways and they need to be in place on a 24-7 basis.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I am delighted to have the opportunity to address the House on biodiversity during National Biodiversity Week. I have spoken previously about hearing, back in 2021, what was a very poignant programme on the BBC World Service, which will have been heard by other insomniacs who tune into the radio late at night. On that programme, a really haunting recording of the song of the ivory-billed woodpecker was played. It was haunting because at that point it was thought that this was a bird that had become extinct and that from now on, it was only going to be possible to hear its song as a recording. This bird had been widespread in the south eastern US and elsewhere. We have had some good news in recent weeks, with reports that this bird has now been seen again in some parts of the US. However, the very tragic threat of extinction faces so many species. In Ireland, the iconic song of the corncrake is no longer widely heard.

A paper published this week by researchers in Queen’s University, Belfast, finds that half of species on Earth are currently undergoing population decline. Furthermore, 33% of species currently considered safe by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature are, in fact, declining towards risk of extinction. This is driven by human behaviour. We know it is the result of human activity. It speaks to the arrogance of humankind that often we do not think of ourselves as living in an ecosystem, but as separate from the natural world. Of course, that is not the case. We rely on flora and fauna for our food, our way of life and our sanitation.

We know that ecological breakdown will have catastrophic effects for us and for other species too. That is why it is so important for the Government to urgently adopt the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. I pay tribute to all the participants and to the Chair of the Assembly, Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin. I am happy to back the call of the environmental pillar, a national environmental umbrella group, for an Oireachtas committee with all-party membership to consider the report of the citizens’ assembly, to make recommendations as to its implementation and to devise an action plan. This committee must be adequately resourced to bring in expert advisers and to move swiftly forward to ensure that we see concerted, cross-party consensus on action on biodiversity. I had the privilege of chairing the Joint Committee on Gender Equality last year. That committee showed how we can bring forward an action plan based on recommendations of citizen's assemblies. It is that sort of thoughtful process that is required for complicated and multifaceted issues like gender equality and biodiversity loss.

It is long past time that we started to view the success of our economy and our society as intrinsically linked with actions to tackle biodiversity loss. Discussions of environmental policy are often lacking consideration of biodiversity and we need to ensure more joined-up thinking on economic development, environmental sustainability and biodiversity. We need to see the sort of combined approach to the economy that President Michael D. Higgins spoke about recently when he talked about the need to bring together considerations of economy, ethics and ecology when we are talking about growth.

Returning to the Citizen's Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, when I saw the assembly's recommendations, I submitted parliamentary questions to each Department seeking to discover their plans to implement those recommendations which relate to their Departments. I wanted to ascertain whether there was concerted and joined-up thinking on the issue. A notable trend within the replies I received was a lack of preparedness to take on those recommendations. This really highlights the need for greater coordination across Government on biodiversity. Is the Minister satisfied that adequate action is being taken to implement the recommendations of the citizens’ assembly or even to see how they can be implemented? How does he propose to secure that implementation?

In the short time remaining, I want to speak on two other issues related to biodiversity, the first of which is forestry. It is not long ago since the Save our Forests - Save our Lands coalition, which the Labour Party is glad to support, gathered outside Leinster House to voice their outrage at the deal involving Coillte and Gresham House, which facilitated the putting of public money into the wallets of private investors and vulture funds. That development really highlighted what needs to change on forestry. The Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss was clear that State-owned woodlands should be managed as a strategic, long-term national asset for the common good. Yet, as we all know, Ireland's ancient native forests have been devastated by years of unsustainable mismanagement. The Government is now meeting just one quarter of its own afforestation targets and the licensing system is in disarray. I would be grateful to hear from the Minister what he thinks will transpire as a result of the Gresham House deal in the context of the citizen's assembly recommendations.

I want to talk about an issue relating to biodiversity in my constituency. It is close to my own heart. I have been pressing for some time now on the need to legislate for the creation of a statutory Dublin Bay authority to ensure that we have co-ordinated plan for the preservation and conservation of this great natural amenity on our doorstep. We know that pollution is a huge issue for this valuable amenity. It affects those of us who swim in the sea regularly, with outflows of sewage, but it also has a hugely detrimental impact on our marine life. Dublin Bay is a habitat for sea rocket, couch grass, sea lavender, brent geese, grey herons, seals and so many other types of plant and animal. Some mechanism to ensure greater co-ordination and joined-up thinking in order to protect marine biodiversity is essential.

I was glad to receive cross-party support for the Dublin Bay Bill, which I introduced in this House in December, but the clock is ticking. I am anxious that the Minister and the Minister of State would take the initiative on this, as promised, before the end of this Government's mandate. It is vitally important. We need a statutory agency with democratic governance and really effective powers to intervene to protect our bay. That need has actually become more urgent since the publication of Dublin Port's plans, which I know the Minister has been very critical of, and rightly so. Dublin Port has a particular plan for the future of Dublin Bay that relates to the commercial interests of the port but we need to see a broader public interest coming into focus here to ensure protection of the biodiversity in the bay.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Yes. Hear, hear.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Mankind has always sought to bend nature to its will, but what has changed, of course, is the global industrial scale on which we are now wreaking unintended damage, which is enormous. The way in which we meet our needs for nutrition, travel, shelter and comfort is doing huge damage. It is estimated that we are on course to use more materials in one year than nature can replenish in three, and you do not need to be Einstein to see the consequences of that. The impact of overstretched nature is everywhere to be seen: microplastics in our seas, climate warming, the decline of pollinators, species loss, habitat loss, pollution and so on. We know its consequences. The sheer complexity of those consequences, however, underline that it will be equally complex to resolve those damages. We need to work on how we will create a framework whereby that can be done.

Many people feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale of what is happening, and I find, listening to the debate, that sometimes the ecologists and the conservationists speak a language that the rest of us really struggle to understand - even the word "biodiversity" as opposed to the word "nature". I struggle to understand why we need to change the word. I also worry when I hear in the House increasing vilification of commercial involvement in the work to redress the damage to nature because the reality is that if we do not have commercial involvement at the heart of this, we are doomed to fail.

I commend the Minister on the progress he is making. He is strengthening capacity and budgets, creating better frameworks and creating better data. I welcome particularly the citizens' assembly, which has really underpinned the strategic importance of protecting nature for the citizens of this country.

I do feel, however, that we are in danger of committing to targets without really knowing whether we have the policy tools to deliver them, and the consequence of that is that there is a high risk of disillusionment, especially when people do not clearly understand the nature of the challenges here. We need to be more careful in how we approach this. Land use is a good case in point. The intention of the Government, as I understand it, is to halve the impact of land use on emissions. The reality, however, is that we have just discovered that the impact of land use on emissions is 60% higher than we had thought it was and it is heading on a trajectory that probably makes the 50% cut totally unachievable. There is real danger in putting in place targets where we do not have any credible pathway to deliver them.

In face of the bewildering range of change we have to mobilise here, surely it makes sense to seek to integrate the various strategies that are now evolving - the climate strategy, the waste strategy, the biodiversity strategy, the air quality strategy, and I am sure the list goes on - into some single context that ordinary people can understand, whether they be businesspeople or consumers. We have that to hand. The Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, is responsible for the circular economy. The circular economy goes to the core of looking at the entire way in which we design, the way we meet our needs, the materials we choose to use, the processes we choose and the way in which we handle them and used to prolong their life, the waste cycle and the end of life of those products. That is the context to integrate these things and to bring together the damage to nature and the damage that waste discarding causes. It is something we all understand. The citizens' assembly pointed to the fact that our grandparents did this in the past. They understood the need to protect nature and the need to be frugal in the way we use materials and the need not to throw away things before their useful life. It also has a tremendous moral appeal to people who struggle with the sheer complexity of some of the debate as to what needs to be achieved.

The other merit it has is that it is not a finger-pointing framework; it is a problem-solving framework. It sees everyone in the challenge together. It does not point the finger at farmers or any particular group. It sees consumers, producers and those who design products as being all part of a way to meet this challenge. I believe that the way in which we can integrate this is not, as the citizens' assembly has suggested, having a single Minister for this, a single agency, a single Oireachtas committee, a single court; it is to integrate what is happening in each and every sector of our community and combining it to try to deliver circular thinking.

"Circular thinking" is not a great phrase but it is about how we meet the needs for nutrition, travel and all the basics. We must meet them in a way that does not damage nature, the climate and what we can pass on to the next generation. We need to think about how we are going to persuade people to come with us on this journey rather than have a vast range of targets and strategies that confuse people.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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As mentioned by previous speakers, it was timely for National Biodiversity Week that researchers from Queen's University Belfast published a report containing some of the clearest evidence that we are failing utterly in our efforts even to limit the damage we are causing to the planet. The populations of half the animal species on earth are declining. This means more than just a few species going extinct; it represents a genuine threat to how we will live and survive. Without preserving the biodiversity and delicate ecosystems we exploit so ruthlessly, we will have nothing left for generations to come. Fish stocks will dry up and disappear, the fertility of tillage fields will lessen, requiring more and more artificial and expensive fertilisers, and what little forest we have will end up quiet and empty. The report ends with the stark message that "now is the pivotal time to protect the future integrity of biodiversity and thereby the persistence of humanity".

In our effort to combat climate change, the role of healthy ecosystems and habitats is often overlooked. Without the resilience they provide, we are far more vulnerable to the severe weather events we see every year and whose number is increasing. Greed and the obsession with continuous growth have led us to this point. There is a complete disconnect between what the planet can provide and what we can squeeze out of it. Our current way of living is unsustainable and our current model of economic growth is too.

We have seen how the war in Ukraine has affected global food supplies. Our world is more precarious than we would like to admit. We slash and burn the Amazon and dredge the ocean floor and expect nothing to alter. We pour pollutants into our rivers and then wonder why fish kills, such as the one in Clare a fortnight ago, happen. I am referring to whole stretches of river, kilometres long, poisoned and full of dead, rotting fish. I remember this from my childhood on the River Dodder.

The proportion of forest cover in this State is among the lowest in Europe. At 11%, it is only one third of the European average. The trees we have planted are non-native spruces, planted for profit and utterly unsuited to protecting our natural biodiversity. Only 2% of this State is covered by native forest. This is a shocking figure and it shows just how drastically we have cleared the forests that once blanketed this whole island. We are still selling off forestry lands to foreign investors so they can continue with this cycle. Afforestation projects are simply too small and Government targets manage to be both unambitious and unreachable at the same time. The Minister of State might explain that when he gets a chance.

I believe we are too ignorant of the impact of relatively everyday actions on the environment around us and the flora and fauna we rely on. Most of us have got leaflets through the door on No Mow May, for instance. May, as the warmer weather appears, is a crucial time of the year for many birds and insects. What green spaces we have are routinely mown down to the soil by local authority crews. This creates huge patches of grass that you could play snooker on but that support very little light. We may have a lush, green landscape in Ireland but this does not mean we have not done massive damage to our native species, both plant and animal.

I was out at the weekend with a local litter cleanup group in Jobstown and came across the cuckooflower. It was once relatively common but is now an increasingly rare sight as we cut back and clear every green space. This particular flower is important to the orange-tip butterfly, which lays its eggs only on it. We clear out the flowers and the butterflies and pollinators die out.

I have given a small example of something that affects a butterfly and a flower that some would call a weed. The mass clearing of trees and so-called waste ground is an example of a more destructive practice. We see this on riverbanks and other such places, where the verges are shredded and left looking like a tornado has ploughed through them. The time for talk and debate has long since passed. Like those who denied climate change, those who claim they are not locked into a biodiversity crisis are on the wrong side of history. We need to rethink our forestry policy and turn it into one that delivers for the environment. The protection and expansion of our native woodland cover can help sequester carbon dioxide, enhance air quality and protect our biodiversity.

Unfortunately, the Government has completely abandoned its forestry targets. The number of trees we are planning is the lowest in 80 years. Government members might shout from the rooftops about the budget surplus but it is hard to see where it is of benefit to Irish people, whether it relates to the public service, as in healthcare, to capital projects, as with the mass construction of social and affordable housing, or to protecting the biosphere that has made Ireland one of the best places in the world for agriculture. We need to involve everyone in addressing this issue, not just the middle class, the young or the old, and we all have a role to play. We all need to do more.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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If nature were relying on sweet words, sweet descriptions and commitments made in this Chamber, we would not have an issue, one fifth of our species would not be threatened with extinction, and one third of our bee species would not be threatened with extinction, nor would half our rivers and lakes be in unsatisfactory condition. We would not have report after report telling us how decimated our natural world. If we were relying on the commitments made on both sides of this House on nature, we and nature would be pretty safe. Unfortunately, when it comes to the crunch, I am not sure whether nature will be able to rely on the statements made in the Dáil today. As a working-class girl who got involved as an ecologist when she was 17, I find that very upsetting, frustrating and anger-inducing. We know what we need to do and have known for years. Plans, policies, laws, NGOs and international organisations state what we need to do, yet our nature is still suffering.

I acknowledge the work the Minister of State has done. The work of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, in particular, is really positive. I am aware the Minister of State is putting the frameworks in place. It just takes time for those frameworks to take effect. I appreciate the Minister of State's point that the journey is not short but long and that whoever is in government in the next term will have to take the task on board and continue. However, there are things that could be done now that would have an immediate effect. I will focus on just one. Sixty-three percent of Irish bird species are in decline. Every year, licences are issued to hunters so birds of conservation concern can be shot. Fifteen species are amber-listed or red-listed by BirdWatch Ireland. I cannot understand how we can have all this talk about protecting nature and increasing the number of species while, at the same, the Department and Minister whose role is to protect species are enabling them to be shot or hunted.

I introduced today a Bill for the protection of the hare, a protected species. Again, the same legislation that is in place to protect the hare is used to facilitate and issue licences that result in the very opposite of protection. I do not understand it.

I welcome that the Minister of State has said he will bring heads of Bill to the Houses in a few weeks' time to amend the Wildlife Act 1976. I would ask that he make those two changes because they would both have an immediate impact on nature in Ireland. It would signal Government's commitment to ensuring biodiversity loss is halted, and we need it halted. When I look at both sides of the Chamber, I do not know whether any such Bill would get across the line. I ask that when we, as politicians, talk about biodiversity, we start taking into account the science and the evidence. I ask that we give those greater weight than the lobby groups and those few vocal voices that are stopping us and have stopped us for decades from protecting our environment. Nature cannot wait any longer to be taken seriously and science cannot wait any longer for that to happen. Our grandchildren will not thank us for not dealing with this now.

When I was younger you would frequently hear curlews and cuckoos. You would see these species everywhere but if you talk to any child now they have no idea what we are talking about. This is happening during our lifetimes. It is not some crisis that is overseas and is not tangible. We have seen it and each of us here knows what nature was like when we were younger. We know what has been lost but our children do not, and that is the biggest risk. The shifting baseline syndrome is the biggest risk because the next generation of politicians to come in here will not know what has been lost. We have spoken about this for so long.

I grew up listening to and watching Éamon de Buitléar, a Wicklow man who encompassed and knew what we needed to do in our environment. In 1997 he said:

We aren't realising what we stand to lose... our language, our culture, our countryside – it's all intertwined. It's us, it's what we are. If we don't look after it, who will?

That job is now on us.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We go to Deputies Matthews and Ó Cathasaigh, who are sharing time.

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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I read Silent Springby Rachel Carson many years ago and it was an eye-opener for me when I was studying planning and environmental management in Dublin Institute of Technology more than 20 years ago. It detailed humans poisoning nature for their own gain and I thought how ludicrous it is that we would kill and destroy in attempts to produce more. It makes no sense. How do we convey to everyone how serious this is? How do we make this the issue that everything must revolve around? The life support and complex ecological system we exist within is crumbling. If this was a personal health diagnosis we would react much more quickly but it seems distant so we do not.

I will read from a piece that was written a few years ago, in 2019, by one of our leading experts on nature and biodiversity, Hannah Hamilton, which is thought-provoking and addresses that issue. She wrote:

In our hyper health-conscious times, it’s hard to imagine anyone advocating a lifestyle that encourages people to smoke too much, drink too much, never exercise and gorge on junk food all week. Acts of deliberate self-poisoning, bodily degradation and organ destruction are more frowned upon than they have ever been. Meanwhile, the number of steps you are taking each day is a legitimate conversation topic and almost everyone ... is either on, or promising to soon be on, some form of health kick. It hasn’t always been this way. What happened?

The big thing, I think, is that we got informed. We learned about the effects of certain lifestyles and the ill health they set in store for us later in life, and a lot of us changed – or are trying to change – our behaviour. The benchmark of social acceptability on smoking and binge drinking at least has shifted substantially. How long will it be before a similar shift takes place for nature? [That is the important question.]

The most comprehensive triage ever undertaken on global ecology was released earlier this month by the UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). It told us in stark and unqualified terms that our land, freshwaters and oceans – and the species that live in, on and under them – are not healthy. They’re malnourished from exploitation, morbidly obese with fertiliser, poisoned with biocides and diseased with invasive alien species, and all the while trying to keep pace with increasingly unstable weather patterns.

The prognosis couldn’t be more serious. The organs of the Earth are showing signs of failure, and there is no transplant, no planetary dialysis machine, no intergalactic surgical wizardry that can fix them. Ecosystems and biodiversity are as important to human society as a heart, liver, kidneys and lungs are to you [and I]. Yet it’s us that’s causing this worldwide biological systems collapse, despite the fact that our own lives [depend on it] – our food, jobs, homes, governance, security and everything else – quite literally depend on their health.

The million animal and plant species that are threatened with extinction – more than at any other time in human history – are the sharp pain down the left arm. The threefold increase in plastic pollution since 1980 is the nauseating dizziness. The global food system that eats up a third of the Earth and three-quarters of its available freshwater is the rapid heartbeat.

The three-quarters of the world’s land and two-thirds of its oceans that have been significantly altered by humans are the tightness of breath. It’s worth noting that “significant” is a word that scientists do not use lightly.

As the IPBES report soberly informs us, any response short of a major and transformative intervention is, to some degree or another, doomed. This statement also rings true for Ireland. It is no longer good enough to look out at our lush landscapes and assume they are healthy. Green is not always natural.

Take Ireland’s most recent ecological health check... [which was back in 2019] It states that about 30 per cent of our most precious species-rich grassland habitats – the “emeralds in the crown” of our landscape, which support a huge number of insects (ie bird food) – have been lost to either abandonment or intensification in the last decade alone. While abandonment is likely to have greater biodiversity benefit than intensification, it’s nothing compared to the diversity in a species-rich grassland. Either way, to the casual observer gazing out the window, abandonment and intensification both look green.

As far as I can tell, Ireland is the only country to have explicitly declared a biodiversity emergency. The UK declared an “environment and climate” emergency, which – if the terminology is anything to go by – should encompass air, water and soil as well as biodiversity. But Ireland was more specific, declaring a “climate and biodiversity emergency” and, calling for a Citizens’ Assembly to examine “how the State can improve its response to the issue of biodiversity loss”.

We have delivered on that citizens' assembly and we had the Children and Young People’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss and we must listen and act quickly on the recommendations. The people are often ahead of the politicians but we need to show bravery and determination because there is no time to spare in this crisis and there is no way we can continue this life-threatening business-as-usual model.

I agree with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, when he said this needs to have cross-party support but I do not see that here. I mention the hypocrisy of members of political parties who come here today speaking about protecting nature, while in Europe their colleagues vote to kill off the best chance of nature restoration. There are other parties whose manifestos declared a climate and biodiversity emergency and that they would act but when it came to the opportunity to go into government and act, they ran away. The people are not fooled. They know the Green Party leads - and always has done - on environmental protection. Politicians need to understand clearly that the people are way ahead of them on this one. They cannot fudge this and continue with business as usual.

Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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The Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss reported at the beginning of last month, having been convened in May 2022 in line with a programme for Government commitment. Over the course of seven months and under the direction of their chair, Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, the 99 citizens heard, weighed and considered the advice of experts, both in terms of where we are, and more importantly, where we need to go. After that careful deliberation, the citizens' assembly delivered 159 clear recommendations and in its first recommendation was an unequivocal message; that the State must take prompt, decisive and urgent action to address biodiversity loss and restoration and must provide leadership in protecting Ireland’s biodiversity for future generations.

The Children and Young People’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss was equally clear in its views, asking us, the legislators of today, to put biodiversity and the rights of nature at the heart of the decisions that we make. This is particularly striking when we consider that it is today’s children who will live with the consequences of those decisions we take.

I am sure those 99 citizens and those 35 young people who gave of their time to produce these outstanding reports are watching carefully to see whether we will provide the leadership they have asked for. I will be watching carefully during next week's debate on the EU nature restoration law to see which parties across this House will live up to these challenges.

I am sure we all learned at school the old song "A Place in the Choir". It begins: "All God's creatures have a place in the choir. Some sing low, and some sing higher". More and more of those creatures are singing more and more quietly, their voices tailing off into oblivion. The Bramble Cay melomys, the Chinese river dolphin, the western black rhinoceros; these voices have been stilled forever, thousands and millions of years of evolution snuffed out in the blink of an eye. Future generations can no more know them than I can know the dodo. Here at home, the calls of the corncrake, curlew or nightjar, song lines that have animated our landscape for generations, are heard calling in ever-decreasing numbers. How long can the choir keep singing? How far can we push the natural world before the music stops?

It is a grim irony that the two words "ecology" and "economy" share their etymology in the Greek word, oikos,meaning the foundational social unit, or more simply understood as "home". Whereas ecology is the study of our common shared home, the definition of economy has become twisted, especially when viewed through the dominant economic hegemon of our time, that of neoliberal capitalism. Kim Stanley Robinson, in his recent novel "Ministry of the Future", defines ideology as "An imaginary relationship to a real situation". This current economic orthodoxy seems determined to remain blind to the real situation, that infinite growth cannot be possible in a finite system and that economy must be a subset of ecology, not the other way around.

There are better ways for us to live together in our shared home. The sustainable development goals, SDGs, are one such lens that we can apply to our world view, through which we can ensure a better future for generations to come. We often consider the SDGs as something that applies to the developing world, far away from us and distant from here. However, let us look at the sub-targets of sustainable development goal 15, which relates to life on land. It commits us to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Sub-target 15.1 states:

By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

Sub-target 15.5 asks that we:

Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.

Goal 14 relates to life below water. Target 14.2 states:

By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.

How are we measuring up on these commitments? When we present our voluntary national report to the UN in July, how will we be able to stand over our record? The hour is late, but the day is not lost. The work of the citizens' assembly gives us a clear roadmap should we have the courage to follow it. Future skies, future rivers and future seas will be quieter and emptier places unless we act now with urgency. I want my children and my grandchildren to know: "The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas" of Yeats, as I did growing up. If we act now with bravery, that can still be so.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank Deputy Ó Cathasaigh for those words of wisdom.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We have formulated our society, industry and economies in a particular way, which it would not be unfair to say is anything but sustainable. It is about increasing what we can all get and use. There was talk about going back to the time of our grandparents. I can think of conversations had in the 1980s about "waste not, want not" and if we had more consideration for the likes of those things that we would have laughed at as kids we would definitely be in a better place than the consumer society gone mad that we have at this point in time.

If we look at anything over the last 40 to 50 years as regards biodiversity indicators, they were all going the wrong way. This week we heard that about a million species are in danger. We do not need to be an expert on biology, biodiversity or climate because if that is the case, it is easy to say that we are screwed unless we do something about it.

Let us pick a couple of other statistics. There has been a 40% drop in the number of water birds since the 1990s. Of 24 species of resident sea birds, 23 are now in the red or amber categories for conservation concern. None of that is good. We can probably pick any statistics on plants, trees or anything else, and whether we are talking about the environment or the world we live in as one giant ecosystem or multiple interconnected ecosystems, either which way we are facing into disaster. A million species face the chop. None of this looks like it is in an any way sustainable whatsoever.

The other view is that is grand. There is a truth in the fact that it is very easy to get up during a debate like this and say nice things; to say that we have to do what is necessary, and we have to work with all the others, including all the stakeholders. We love talking about engagement with stakeholders. The fact is we have no choice. We absolutely must do it.

It is a fair point that people make. We know targets have been set for trees and afforestation. We know that targets have been met. We all say the targets are not good enough. I have heard the question asked on the Government benches about whether we have the tools that are required to deliver what we need. It is fair to say we do not in any way, shape or form have those tools. Do we need to look at the mandate of the likes of Bord na Móna and Coillte? We could all talk forever about the madness we were heading towards as regards Gresham House, as if investment vulture funds were going to do the business in getting the best bang for buck for the Irish people or in delivering on necessary afforestation because it is the right thing to do. Of course, they will not deliver in that regard. We need to get real about what is possible.

There is nobody in this House who would not say we in Ireland have suffered from the fact there has been poor planning over many years. We can look at all the major crises that were caused during the Celtic tiger period. Now we are talking about afforestation and trees. There is not a town in Ireland in which a local authority ever considered planting the right trees. I am sure I am not the only person who has looked for trees to be replaced because what happens is we end up with utterly useless leylandii that do not nothing but block the sewerage system and are absolutely destroying the area underneath people's homes and all the rest of it. We need some sort of sensible facility for fixing these sorts of daft problems. I accept that people looked at trees from the point of view of thinking they looked nice. However, they look nice when they are 4 ft tall, not when they grow to 25 ft, above and below ground.

We really need to get serious about these issues. There must be engagement with agencies, local authorities and Irish Water. At this point in time, as we know, there are HR issues that need to be dealt with. It cannot be the case that sewage continues to be spewed into our waters. It does not make any sense whatsoever. We really need to get all these pieces together. We have been talking about renewables and all the rest of it. We have all seen decent projects that have operated in our local communities, including Tidy Towns competitions and so on. We all know they suffer from difficulties in securing the necessary funding.

I am out of time at this stage. I hope we are not out of time to do what needs to be done to ensure we have long-term biodiversity and the climate action that is required.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I am sharing time with Deputies Paul Murphy and Barry.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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What is the biodiversity crisis? It is the fact that the existence of life, human life and everything else, is dependent on millions and millions of plant and animal species in a very delicate balance, such that if we wipe out millions of those species we may not exist very soon or may not be able to exist.

This is what is at stake. We need to protect it.

I believe the Government speaks with a forked tongue on these things because it is primarily corporate greed that is destroying biodiversity. Yet, time and again the Government submits to the agenda of corporate capitalist greed. I will give the House an example. In 2011, more than 500 sq. km of sandbanks were designated in this country, and under the EU habitats directives they had to be protected because they are very important places of biodiversity for spawning fish, for birds, for shellfish and so on. More recently, only half of those banks are now designated. With the flick of a pen, half of them were dedesignated. Why? It was because the offshore renewable wind industry, the climate industry, said it wanted to build loads of windmills on the Codling Bank and the Kish Bank in particular. This was even though the habitats directive says that only scientific reasons could lead to a designation or a dedesignation. It was not that, however. It was corporate pressure that led to the dedesignation. As a result, those very finely balanced ecosystems could potentially be destroyed. Consider what the National Parks and Wildlife Service has said over the years. The same point goes for forestry in this country. We talk and talk about forestry but in reality we want to team up with vulture funds to continue to expand a monoculture forestry model that is absolutely devastating biodiversity, water quality, soil quality and so on. We need to stop speaking with a forked tongue and put nature and biodiversity ahead of profit.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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The science here is not in doubt. We have countless reports to tell us how important biodiversity is, how threatened it is, the consequences of a continuation of the destruction of biodiversity for humanity and this planet, and even what to do to protect it. The issue is not that we do not know what to do. The problem is the political will and economic interest to do it. The appalling lack of political will from successive Irish governments around biodiversity is shown in the damning verdict of the citizens' assembly. In its second recommendation the assembly states as a matter of fact that the State has comprehensively failed to adequately fund, implement, and enforce the existing national legislation, national policies, EU biodiversity-related laws and directives on biodiversity. This is why one third of Irish species are threatened with extinction. This is why 85% of our supposedly protected habitats have bad or inadequate status.

Unfortunately, that lack of political will shows very little sign of changing under this or potential future governments. Only this week in the European Parliament, MEPs from Fine Gael and Sinn Féin voted against the crucial nature restoration law. They could have fought for a massive, long-term nature restoration fund that would guarantee a comfortable standard of living for small farmers to become custodians and restorers of biodiversity and to farm in ecologically sustainable ways. We have a massive surplus after all. Instead they caved, like they always do, to big business and the big farmer lobbying from the IFA and the agrifood industry, and they voted to sacrifice biodiversity completely on the altar of profit.

The Green Party in government has been ineffectual in countering this. Under the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan's, neoliberal managerialism we get shedloads of plans, targets and strategies but zero actual action whenever it comes into conflict with capitalism, which is all the time. It was revealing that the only Government speaker so far today not in the Green Party was Deputy Bruton, and his main point was to say we cannot be adopting targets that are unrealistic, not to recognise that science sets the targets and we must drive through the targets and actually achieve them, and he said we should ditch the targets. The only force that can stop this never-ending doom loop is an active, mass environmental and eco-socialist movement that actually challenges ecocidal capitalism.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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Planet Earth is undergoing its sixth mass extinction event. Biodiversity has dropped 68% globally since 1970, 50% of species that remain are seeing a decline in their population size, while less than 3% are seeing an increase in population size. Dr. Jonas Hein and Dr. Jean Carlo Rodríguez of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability said late last year, "Without fundamentally questioning our economic system, the success of the ... [global biodiversity framework] GBF remains highly unlikely." Like many other sustainability experts, they place the burden of blame on the capitalist mode of production and its permanent need for expansion. They do not have faith in market-driven initiatives to tackle the crisis.

Here in Ireland, the rewetting of bogland must be a key part of the State's sustainability campaign. The Guardianreports, "Peatlands are the superheroes of ecosystems: purifying water, sometimes mitigating flooding and providing a home for rare species." The EU nature restoration law would have 35% of land previously drained for agriculture rewetted by 2050. The Taoiseach says this goes too far. In truth, there are strong arguments that it does not go far enough. If it keeps carrying on down the road it is on, the Government will find itself on the wrong side of history, prioritising the interests of farmers and landowners above the interests of nature and society.

Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party)
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In his contribution Deputy Murphy referred to Deputy Bruton's words earlier. It might surprise Deputy Murphy that I would agree with him on the point that we are in such a serious situation with regard to nature collapse in this country that we cannot look at targets, dismiss them and say we do not know how to get there. It is such a serious situation we must set the targets and we must then figure out how to get there. I disagree with my colleague on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, Deputy Bruton, on this particular point.

I will speak to the decline in nature in my home county of Limerick, with gratitude to Dr. Tom Harrington and Mr. Tom Tarpey, who gave a presentation to the local branch of the Green Party just last week. I will refer extensively to the painstaking research they have done over the years. Through their research we can see the passion they have for nature. Through their lives they have seen the incredible decline in biodiversity and nature in my home county. The collapse in bird species especially is utterly alarming. There has been a 52% decline in 30 years of the shoveler. The pochard has had a 77% decline in 30 years. The red grouse has declined in numbers by greater than 50% in 30 years. The kestrel has had a 53% decline in 20 years. The golden plover has had a 44% decline in 20 years. The dunlin has declined by 62% in 20 years. The snipe has declined 78% in 30 years. The woodcock has declined by 73%. The list goes on and on. The barn owl has had a 50% decline in 20 years. The swift has had a 56% decline in 20 years. The grey wagtail has declined 50% in 20 years. This is only a snapshot of what was quite a harrowing presentation to the party members and the public who attended last week in the Strand Hotel in Limerick for this talk. We are seeing a total collapse in nature. This should utterly alarm everybody in this House and in the Upper House. We are not taking it seriously.

Just this week, members of Irish political parties with larger European representation, namely, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, sought to torpedo the nature restoration law at the European level. This is an utter crime against nature. I listened to Deputy O'Rourke, for whom I have great respect and who is a valued colleague and tireless worker on the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action. The Deputy talked about the decline of nature under way. At the same time, he sent a signal to the intensive agricultural community that this is about pathways and not cliff edges. What the Sinn Féin representative in Europe did earlier this week was to go to the cliff edge and throw the nature restoration law over that edge. This is what the bigger parties in this country are seeking to do and it is unconscionable. In biodiversity week, this is utterly unconscionable. It is unconscionable following the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss.

I urge colleagues whom I respect all across this House in all parties, because I believe they are serious and here to do a good job for this country, to understand the crisis we are in and to seek to stop this collapse that is under way. This is not a time for doublespeak, and that is what we are hearing. It is total and utter doublespeak, and not taking this issue as seriously as it is. This will come back to haunt us because these very systems are those that support food production and life itself. If we look to the short term and are politically expedient, then we will lose these systems and the very existence of our species will be threatened if we see total nature and biodiversity collapse. This is where we are going now.

I look at the map of the rivers at risk in my home county. Those rivers in green on the map have good quality water, those in amber have water quality at risk and those in red have water quality that is very much at risk. This map is one that primarily shows rivers and watercourses in red throughout County Limerick. There is an absolute correlation between that deterioration in water quality and the growth of intensive agriculture. If I can borrow Tom Tarpey's words, the livestock industry has completely captured the political process in Ireland. It is the tail wagging the dog. It is a throwback to times when agriculture was the dominant economic force in the country and intense lobbying has happened in the interim. Agriculture now accounts for just 1% of gross domestic product, GDP, while it produces 37% of our emissions. It is inextricably linked with the nature collapse very much under way here.

The sector has a completely disproportionate influence on this Parliament and we must stand up to this. I point out to Deputy O'Rourke that this is about pathways. The nature restoration law is the pathway; it is not the cliff edge. The nature restoration law is the regulation from Europe that would seek to get us on the pathway to turning the course of this nature collapse back onto the right path. I urge Deputy O'Rourke to urge his party colleagues, just as I will urge Deputy Bruton and any colleague in this House, to persuade and influence their colleagues to get on board and to be on the right side of history, because currently so many of us are on the wrong side of history and this is not good enough.

An Cathaoirleach Gn?omhach:

I call Deputy McAuliffe. The Deputy will be sharing time with Deputy Costello, if he comes to the Chamber. They have five and six minutes, respectively.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I have been surprised by the running order of speakers, particularly as some people ahead of me on the list did not contribute.

Regarding the issue of biodiversity, certainly from my experience, it is a process of education. Some of the best ambassadors I have seen for the issue of biodiversity are the local Tidy Towns groups around the country. These also demonstrate how, when we invest in educating the public on the issue of biodiversity, it not only becomes an issue they can get behind but also one they can significantly champion. This message of education and persuasion and of informing and empowering the public is also rooted in how we persuade the wider public regarding the issues concerning the biodiversity crisis.

In the context of many of our local constituency offices, it is the active volunteers, the Tidy Towns groups and the environmental groups who would be the first onto us if a patch of grass had not been cut by the council or if an area of land had been allowed to become overgrown. Yet in the context of work undertaken by Dublin City Council by virtue of significant training and investment, those Tidy Towns and environmental groups have been brought together and have been informed and educated about the benefit of biodiversity and why, in some cases, planned biodiversity, which is the phrase I will use, is important and necessary. I do make a distinction between planned biodiversity and neglect or withdrawal of services by a local authority. These are very different things and we do a major disservice to biodiversity by dressing up a withdrawal of service in that guise. I will return to this point in a moment because this is one thing that has happened in Dublin City Council. Biodiversity is being used as an excuse to withdraw services.

In a broader context, I believe it is at the grassroots level, to use that phrase, that we can ensure we can gain the political support Deputy Leddin spoke about in respect of biodiversity. My local Tidy Towns group in Finglas has many biodiversity projects that have greatly enhanced the village. One of them is the woodland biodiversity garden, which was recovered from disuse with the support of Dublin City Council. It has been transformed into a great biodiversity area for young children, with many different amenities for them and ways for them to engage with the ecology of the area.

In Ballymun, the biodiversity group, led by our current Lord Mayor, in conjunction with the Ballymun Tidy Towns group, launched its strategy in March 2022. I was privileged to attend that event. The group carried out a survey between 2019 and 2021 to enable the development of a biodiversity action plan for Ballymun. Remarkably, in an area with much urban development but also fields, scrubland, hedgerows and so on, an exceptionally rare stonewort was found at the very bottom of a drainage ditch near the M50 during the process. Apparently, and I am leaning on the experts here, this species is of interest to botanists internationally and had not been recorded in the Dublin region since the 1800s. This is positive news for many reasons, one of which is that the survey also identified 77 other species of plants and animals as being officially endangered.

Over the past 50 years, we have seen that wetland species in particular have declined by nearly 80%. The Santry Tidy Towns group has done incredible work in this area. It has received funding from Pobal for its diversity action plan and the group now wants to turn this strategy into actions to implement many of its recommendations. One specific measure concerns floating islands for shrubs in Santry Park, which is one of the group's key projects.

I certainly welcome the fourth national biodiversity action plan, which will be published later this year. We talk about climate action and biodiversity. Deputy Leddin made a good point concerning wetlands. It is a process of explanation. I say this because I was not aware of this aspect. I refer to the idea that dry peatlands are, in themselves, emitters of carbon and that by reintroducing water to those areas we can reduce carbon emissions. In a carbon budget where we are examining every part of society and making reductions, rewetting boglands seems like one way in which we can reduce emissions without significantly making changes to our lifestyle.

That poses huge challenges for farmers and agriculture, but it is incredibly important that we take the easy opportunities to reduce carbon and not leave ourselves with the difficult ones.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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I thank Deputy McAuliffe for speaking as fast as he could in order to fit it all in and leave me with a bit of time. I too will try to speak as quickly as I can. We have very serious work to do. Many people have spoken about the silence of our forests and emptiness of our rivers now and in the time to come. There is serious work to do if we are not going to leave ourselves on a sterile planet that barely supports life, let alone human life. The end destination of the road we are on is quite terrifying. Due to that fact, it can often be very hard to focus on the challenge and task ahead.

The second recommendation from the citizens' assembly states:

The Assembly believes that the State has comprehensively failed to adequately fund, implement and enforce existing national legislation, national policies, EU biodiversity-related laws and directives related to biodiversity.

I want to focus on the important elements of enforcement. Our enforcement in this country has in many ways been light touch in nature, and we have suffered for that. We are doing the same again here. We are not implementing or enforcing the laws that are already in place which would help us get off the road we are on and on to a more sustainable and balanced pathway.

There are challenges with the courts in the context of their being overburdened and under-resourced. The citizens' assembly recommendations called for better judicial structures in terms of the environment and planning and for specialist environmental courts, not just at the High Court level but also in the Circuit Court and the District Court, and sufficient funding for relevant bodies to enforce EU laws, directives and policies. There is a real challenge in that the court structures are not good enough. There is also a challenge in getting people into court to be held accountable for the destruction and damage they have caused and enforce these rules.

Recommendations 28 and 31 refer to citizens being empowered with legal standing to protect biodiversity and nature in court and to a referendum to amend the Constitution with a view to protecting biodiversity. The latter can enable the former. If we are reliant on the funding that is being given to the NPWS, it is no wonder we are in the position in which we find ourselves. Before we start looking at initiatives to improve things, something we have to do, we need to invest in what we are doing now.

I welcome the comments of the Minister of State on the strengthening, building and enforcement of capacity. One of my neighbours is a tour guide. He spoke about bringing people all around the country . Everywhere he goes, he sees gutted hedgerows and sterile environments and landscapes. He is in pain and wants to do something about this, but not does not have sufficient legal standing. There is no point in creating a new court list with specialist judges if we are not broadening the standing and power of the average citizen to protect nature.

When enforcement happens, it is often pathetic. The fines are meagre. They are factored in as the cost of doing business. Time and again, they have been shown to have absolutely no preventative impact. The Minister for Justice spoke recently about increasing the sanctions and tariffs on people who are convicted of assaulting gardaí or front-line workers in order to disincentivise the carrying out of such acts. That logic needs to apply to nature and nature protection. Just like those assaults, attacks on nature are an attack on society as a whole. We need to recognise that we are only exist on this planet because of nature. It is where we get our food and how we stay alive. If we are killing that, we are ultimately killing ourselves and life on this planet. That may sound dramatic but, as has been shown time and again in report after report, that is the reality of what is happening. I agree with some of the previous speakers that none of the lofty words in this Chamber will achieve anything. We need to see real action.

I welcome the funding, enforcement and strengthening of capacity, but we need to do more. It is incumbent on people who are standing here to do something and get their colleagues in Europe to support this. It is frustrating to hear high rhetoric being uttered in this House and to see the hypocrisy in Europe whereby people are voting against the very laws we need to enforce in respect of nature. I will finish by repeating the quote from the assembly with which I started my contribution:

The Assembly believes that the State has comprehensively failed to adequately fund, implement and enforce existing national legislation, national policies, EU biodiversity-related laws and directives related to biodiversity. This must change.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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As the Minister of State will be aware, the recommendations contained in the Report of the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss have not been met with universal approval despite the glow and spin that has been given to them. That also comes within the context of fears around the mandatory rewetting of drained peat farmland and the annihilation of many farmers' capacity to sustain a livelihood on the land or to pass a farm onto the next generation.

Only two weeks ago, I hosted a cross-party briefing on this very issue, which was well attended by Deputies and Senators, whom I thank for their attendance. I also acknowledge the attendance of the Minister of State and thank him for attending. At the briefing, as he is aware, farmers expressed their genuine and well-founded concerns and fears. They also stated quite clearly that there had been little or no consultation or dialogue.

Farmers are custodians of the land. They have always taken care of the environment. They have passed their farms down to the next generation in good order. It is wrong to scapegoat farmers in any way. There needs to be fairness, respect and dialogue. The Minister of State will have heard about the IFA meeting in Tullamore, in my county, Offaly, which took place last week. Farmers spoke about their concerns which are well-founded. There is a tendency to expect farmers and rural communities to take everything lying down. As we know, there are two sides to every story.

People want to play their part, but if we are to bring everybody along collaboration is key. We must also admit that not every proposal will be correct. We all want to do our bit for the environment; that goes without saying. However, not every proposal will be suitable or appropriate. There needs to be a realisation that sometimes there is overzealous ambition which ignores the voices of those who are affected. That is fundamentally wrong. In this case, the voice of the farming community is being ignored.

I welcome moves during the week in Brussels by the European People's Party to reject the nature restoration law because it sees the flaws in the proposal. As I said, very often the flaws are not seen in time and then there is a disaster or an issue that is made worse by actions that are taken. We do not need that. I commend farming organisations for raising issues and representing farmers. The ICMSA and IFA have been very vocal on this issue.

In respect of the biodiversity report, it is clear from even a cursory reading that attempts are being made to consolidate and normalise an essentially elitist form of environmental ambition. Thankfully, as I said, there has been pushback in the European Parliament in respect of the nature restoration law.

The flaws are seen in the Parliament. The tide may be turning, as more people wake up to the reality of what is happening and the impact these EU laws will have on farm incomes and food security. Is anybody thinking about food security? We saw the vulnerabilities during the outbreak of the Ukrainian war. Certain food products were becoming less common on the shelves because of that war; mainly grain products. Is anybody thinking ahead about food security? I will raise that point strongly, because it is valid.

The report before us today, however, is plain bogus, with a number of assumptions barely reflecting reality at all. Farmers are already moving heaven and earth to be environmentally compliant, because they have to be in the majority of the schemes. In the majority of cases, they are doing more to nurture and nourish the soil and the land than all of the eco-NGOs combined. Many of these people have never set foot on a farm. They are academics behind desks. They have never set foot on a farm. It is wrong to ignore the voice of the farming community in this regard and yet, what does this report recommend? It recommends more financial support for eco-NGOs, but more levies and fines for farmers and for agri-exports which will destabilise our economy. It would be laughable if it were not so dangerously absurd. I have rarely read a report more in thrall to the idea of overzealous environmental regulation. This report reads like a wish list of punitive recommendations dressed up in the fuzzy and childish language of those who have not got a clue about what it takes to keep a financially stable agriculture sector going. We need collaboration. We do not need to be dictated to in rural Ireland.

The report did not mention, in any shape or form, the ash dieback situation. I found that very peculiar. I attended a well-attended meeting in Thurles a number of weeks ago. It is a very serious issue affecting thousands of acres across this State, but it is also affecting wildlife. There has not been one mention of that issue in this report, where we have a rotting crop that is not being dealt with. It would appear there are gaps in this report. I was disappointed not to see the ash dieback situation, which is a serious eco-disaster, addressed or mentioned in any shape or form. Forestry was mentioned, but ash dieback was not. I call on the Minister to make recommendations that the ash dieback situation would be included in the report.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I had the opportunity to speed read the Minister of State's presentation. I acknowledge his work to date on it and the very low base from which he takes the work. We are here making statements about climate change on biodiversity week, again. It is four or five years since we declared a climate and biodiversity emergency. The Minister of State has outlined some of the reports that highlight the crisis we are in. I represent a city and a rural area and I am absolutely in favour of rural and regional development. We are developing the cities out of proportion. I represent a rural and island area. However, many of those areas are operating in a vacuum. I might not have time to come back to them, but we have no island policy. We have not taken up the opportunities offered by seaweed and wool - I have mentioned this repeatedly - which would provide sustainable work in rural and coastal areas.

The Minister of State has mentioned some of the reports, including the report on the state of biodiversity, which found there were more losers than winners. It is the report by researchers in Queen's University Belfast to which almost everybody has referred. Some 48% of the more than 71,000 species included in the researchers' analysis are undergoing population declines. The report states that global biodiversity, that is, life on earth, is entering its six mass extinction. Deputy Bruton talked earlier about scientists not using clear language. I cannot think of any clearer language than that of global biodiversity - life on earth - entering its sixth mass extinction. The report states "this mass extinction is the first directly induced by a single species — humans" and some 28% of life on earth is currently threatened with extinction.

The report published in March 2023, Ireland's Changing Flora, which was the result of 20 years' research, found that non-native plant species now outnumber native species. Globally, 40% of plant species are threatened and biomonotony is taking over from biodiversity. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services issued a stark warning in 2019 and things have deteriorated since then. In 2019, it said nature was declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history and that the rate of species extinction was accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world. Of course, the grave impacts are on people who have less. That has always been the way; those most vulnerable suffer. The National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, report 2019 found that 85% of Ireland's EU-protected habitats have bad or inadequate status. The BirdWatch Ireland census, published every six years, shows that 63% of Ireland's 211 regularly occurring wild bird species are categorised as red or amber. These are all the figures. I am not inclined to read speeches, but I could read the same speech as last year. Some 70% of birds alive are poultry; mostly chickens. That might tell us something.

I agree with the Minister of State's two colleagues who were here earlier. I will be rushing off afterwards. However, it is indicative the Dáil is empty for statements on a biodiversity crisis. I have an excerpt from the Taoiseach's speech on 9 May, Europe Day, which reads:

Climate change is the single greatest threat facing humanity. We must be the generation that turns the tide on climate change and biodiversity loss.

We have an empty Dáil. I apologise in advance, because I will run off after this to catch a bus, but it is symbolic. We are talking to ourselves really, and the Minister of State is being left isolated, physically and metaphorically, with regard to the progress of a crisis. That is part of the problem. The Minister of State acted last year on the NPWS review, carried out by Dr. Stout and Dr. Ó Cinnéide. It found a considerable increase in NPWS responsibility, without matching reserves, and a lack of political champions at all levels.

After we declared a climate and biodiversity emergency, two things happened. A Supreme Court judgment said the mitigation plan was vague. The plan that was passed was vague and the citizen was entitled to know what was in it. The plan was quashed. More recently, An Bord Pleanála agreed the order granting permission for the outer bypass in Galway should be quashed, because it failed to consider climate change. A fantastic policy on sprat was brought in by the Government. It went to court and four years later, we have no policy on sprat. We have unsustainable catching of sprat in our waters. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine failed to communicate properly with the UK and Europe on one little thing. The point is we have a vacuum and the big boys are going in.

The Minister of State's colleagues said the people are ahead of us and made another point I agreed with. The people are way ahead of us. They showed us what to do in Galway years ago. Government policy has created the crisis. The point Deputy Boyd Barrett made was on the model we keep pursuing and how it is absolutely leading us to extinction. I disagree with Deputy Bruton. Of course, we need commercial activity, but it must be based on policy and it has to be matched by non-profit development for the sustainability of our planet. We cannot keep going on like this. Any of us could stand up here and talk about all of the warnings we have got. I will talk about the possibilities.

There is no need to use divisive language of "Them" and "Us" or "Farmers" and "Us". I represent a broad base. There is no need for that. Farmers are part of the solution, but the Government is repeatedly failing to deal with the threat we are facing and to reward people and bring in sustainable policies.

None of them has been acted on to date. We are now going down the road of exploiting our waters once again using the exact same model that has led us to this point of no return.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I thank all Deputies for their contributions. I agree with Deputy Connolly that it would be great to have a full Chamber for these debates or at least more participation, but I welcome the contributions made by all.

The most significant topic raised was the nature restoration regulation. I know we will have a debate next week, but it pertains to agriculture. It is far wider legislation than just agriculture. It relates to our coastal ecosystems, our rivers and our urban areas, and our protected annex 1 habitats. It covers a much broader sphere. Agriculture and the piece that people are getting exercised over is an important component of it. The amount of misinformation I have heard in recent weeks is shocking - particularly from politicians which I find very disappointing.

Deputy Nolan raised the issue of food security. All we need to do is look at Emilia-Romagna under water this week. The richest food-growing region in northern Italy has been completely devastated and destroyed because of climate change. We need to be responsible about this.

There is a change coming; the nature restoration regulation is happening. The MEPs who voted against it will be on the wrong side of history. They have also locked themselves out of improving it for Ireland when they had an opportunity to improve it. I urge all political parties to engage in a positive way. If it collapses in Europe, the Irish Government should embark on its own nature-restoration plan. We are already doing considerable work around the country, including life projects and the blanket bog-restoration project which are leading on restoration. We should continue to do that. I agree with the comments that have been made. It is not them or us. It is not farmers versus NGOs. We should all be in this together. I wholeheartedly support the comments that have been made on that.

Deputy Andrews raised the invasive and problematic species such as deer and rhododendron. We are working on finalising an invasive species management plan. We have been working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on some proposals on deer management.

Regarding the Dublin Bay biosphere, which was also raised by Deputy Bacik, a huge amount of work is ongoing and it is an improving situation. I attended the launch of the Acclimatise project, and INTERREG programme between Ireland and Wales which is looking at the water quality in Dublin Bay. The deep bay is actually in very good condition. Interestingly, dog faeces is probably the most significant issue relating to pollution in the bay. There is a huge responsibility on us all as well as on Irish Water to ensure the bay is there for recreational use. Our bathing water quality, as we have seen in the recent report, is generally good.

I also note the points made by Deputy Bruton and the complexity to resolve issues. Many of these issues will be resolved with collective action and nature responds positively. I appreciate that, as he said, people feel overwhelmed. It is not “either or” as Deputies Boyd Barrett and Paul Murphy mentioned regarding corporate greed. Corporations have a very important role to play here and they are playing an important role. We are partnering with Intel on a planned restoration projects in the Wicklow Mountains. Corporations want to play a part. If we are serious in discussions about developing a fund for nature, it should involve the corporate sector. It should involve private finance.

Private support for that would go a long way towards addressing the fears that farmers genuinely have relating to the lack of information about that. We want to pay farmers to do the right thing. It is critical that they have long-term viability and certainty that their payments will be in place for doing the right thing for nature. Farming in this country will not thrive if nature does not. It is critical to be mindful of that for next week's debate.

Deputy Whitmore referred to the open season order and the birds of conservation concern. We are addressing that and I am in the process of reviewing it. I have met the gun clubs and the National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC. They also do valuable conservation work on our behalf.

I will not have time to get to all of the issues raised. I thank all the Deputies for their contributions. It has been a good debate and it is not taking place in a vacuum. It is important that these issues are read into the record of the House showing that we are having a very lengthy debate on nature in Ireland.

There has been mention of No-mow May. The all-Ireland pollinator plan is fantastic, but on its own it will not cut it. We need to look at the issues that have been raised by other Deputies about what we consume making the connection with our economic system, what we waste and the loss of space for nature because of the exploitation of natural resources. President Higgins was criticised by a columnist for having the gall to raise questions about our economic growth system and the economic model we have. He was right to raise it. It is a conversation we should have in this Chamber around ecological economics and ecosystems services, and not seeing nature and the destruction of nature as an externality.

As I said, nature responds positively and sometimes very quickly to good interventions in terms of restoring habitats. I have seen that throughout the country in recent years. I take this opportunity to thank all the champions for nature, our volunteers, our land owners, our farmers, Killarney meitheal, the group in Maharees, the NGOs, our fishers and our activists. Some amazing people are doing amazing work for nature. I want to make particular mention of the staff in the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the general operatives, the park rangers, our scientific staff and right up to our director. We have an amazing team of people who are working tirelessly day and night to help to save nature.

All of us involved in trying to restore and save nature, we are all waiting, our lapwings nesting in electrified closures are waiting. Our little terns nesting in rocky beaches in Kilcoole are waiting. They are under 24-hour guard by BirdWatch volunteers. Our captive-bred natterjack toads, our corncrakes, our curlews and their keepers in Fota Wildlife Park are waiting. The 35 members and nine young advisers of the Children's and Young People's Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss are waiting. We are all waiting for those of us here to show leadership, to show courage and to show that we can work together to restore nature, to open the cages, to lift this surveillance and release the iconic Irish species into connected species-rich diverse habitats where they can once again thrive alongside productive farms with clean rivers, teaming oceans and climate-proofed cities and towns. That is all critically important.

I will leave the last word to the children and young people of the assembly. This is the letter they wrote at the start of this report:

It is so important that children and young people in Ireland can have their say on biodiversity loss because we are the ones who are going to have to live with whatever happens. Whatever changes are made, we are the ones who will feel the impacts and live with the results, whether they are good or bad.

The Children and Young People's Assembly on Biodiversity Loss has been a special journey for all of us. Although everyone came from different backgrounds and some did not know much about biodiversity at the beginning, we were of there because we wanted to make a difference. Many of us felt we were participating in a unique, democratic moment for nature.

Making friends with each other at the Assembly helped us to work together, and to listen to each other. There was a warm atmosphere of closeness and respect throughout the whole process so that everyone felt heard. The empathy sparked from these feelings was the driving force behind the calls to action that were made,

Many adults don't think children are capable of achieving something like this, but this proves that we can do anything and we have amazing ideas to share. Children and young people should be involved a future citizens’ assemblies because we are part of society and everyone deserves to have a say. Our voices need to be heard, especially about issues that are as important as this. We think differently to adults. Our thoughts and ideas should be included if adults want to use all chances to solve the biodiversity crisis. We need to, and want to, be part of the solutions to these problems.

So, what happens now? We want the Assembly’s recommendations to be taken on board and taken seriously so it has immediate and long-term impacts for the issue of biodiversity loss in Ireland. This includes the government implementing the Assembly's ideas into policy

We want the Assembly to be remembered, and for there to be more opportunities for children and young people to share our views and ideas. This is a historic moment for Ireland’s climate and nature action and shouldn't just be forgotten.

When reading this report, we want you to feel everything that we... felt during the process. But instead of feeling despair about the situation, we want you to feel inspired and determined to be part of the solutions, and full of hope because we can all make a difference.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is a good way to conclude the debate.