Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department is preparing two sectoral adaptation plans, one addressing biodiversity and the other on the built and archaeological heritage. A draft climate change adaptation plan for biodiversity has been drawn up by scientific staff in the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, of my Department. That has been circulated to staff within the NPWS, external biodiversity and climate change experts, members of the interdepartmental biodiversity working group, and the biodiversity forum, which is represented by NGOs, academics and other relevant stakeholders. The draft plan also formed the basis of a stakeholder workshop, held on the 16 October. There were 40 participants at the workshop, representing various sectors, and included the regional climate change offices and NPWS staff. The workshop sought feedback and inputs on various matters, including climate impacts and consequences for the biodiversity sector, adaptation actions and cross-sectoral linkages. The draft plan is now being redrafted and reformatted to reflect the sectoral guidelines published in May 2018 and the feedback and inputs received from other sectors and actors.

We endeavour to ensure that this revised draft biodiversity sectoral climate change adaptation plan will go to public consultation in January 2019. The following climate change risks to biodiversity have been identified to date. The first is changes in species abundance. The second is changes in species distribution. The third is disruption of species interactions. The fourth is loss of species. The fifth is the arrival and spread of non-native species. The sixth is changes in the composition of communities. The seventh is the loss of habitat area. The eight is changes in the functionality of habitats. As well as the direct impact to biodiversity there may be consequences for the delivery of ecosystem services required for human well-being. As an example, changes in the functionality of habitats may reduce the capacity for water retention or the control of non-native species, which may be very costly to the Exchequer.

In terms of the built and archaeological heritage, expertise has been appointed in October to assist in the preparation of a sectoral adaptation plan. This will build on a background research study commissioned by my Department and completed in 2017. Stakeholder advisory meetings were held in February and October 2018 with discussion feeding into the preparation of a tender for the delivery of a climate change sectoral adaptation plan for built and archaeological heritage. Stakeholders include representatives from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, the Office of Public Works, OPW, the City and County Management Association, CCMA, the National Museum of Ireland, the Heritage Council, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, the Irish Landscape Institute, the Royal Irish Academy, the Discovery Programme, the Irish chapter of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS Ireland, and the Federation of Local History Societies. Contact continues with counterparts in the UK - Scotland, England and Northern Ireland - and further afield who are working on climate change adaptation of heritage sites with a view to exchanging information and ideas that will inform the sectoral adaptation plan.

Discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, ensured that built and archaeological heritage impacts were built into the climate pillar call for achieving resilience in the marine and coastal environment.My Department made a presentation to the national adaptation steering committee on 4 July of this year on the potential impacts of climate change on the built and archaeological heritage. There are some climate change risks to the built and archaeological heritage which have been identified to date. These arise from the potential for warmer and wetter winters, increased intensity of storms, sea level rise and coastal erosion and, of course, increased flooding. The effects may include: structural damage to monuments and historic properties; coastal erosion undermining structures or leading to loss of ground adjacent to the structure; the exposure and erosion of archaeological sites; the collapse of unstable masonry elements, such as chimneys and roofs; the loss of historic landscape features, such as trees; and the impact on building fabric, including increased saturation, mould and fungal growth to interiors and contents, as well as increased corrosion of metal elements.

It is the intention to have a plan launched and produced by summer 2019, including a period of public consultation. My Department very much welcomes the close ongoing working relationship with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment in regard to the development of both plans by autumn 2019.