Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to support the motion tabled by the Green Party. It follows an amendment that my party tabled in the Dáil last year that made Ireland only the second country in the world to declare a biodiversity emergency. Without doubt there is an emergency. We all learn from the people around us and we have all learned a great deal from David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg, most recently, over the past few years. I learned from a man that I would like to pay tribute to the late Joe Lynch from Valentia and Rathangan. He was incredibly passionate about the biodiversity and heritage both of his native Kerry and Kildare. Not a week went by that without me receiving an email or a newspaper cutting of an article from him on biodiversity. I miss receiving those missives from Joe and we miss him in so many ways. His message always was, "This is getting too late and we have a crisis." He was correct because the statistics show that the change in nature globally over the past 50 years is unprecedented when we consider how nature across the world has been significantly altered by human activity. We must do different things to make this right. We must respect the diversity of life and our habitats. We must strike a sustainable balance between man, animals, wildlife, what we grow and the earth.

Regarding Ireland's biodiversity heritage, I am very lucky that Pollardstown Fen is within 5 km of where I live in County Kildare. The fen is a most beautiful place and I recommend everyone to visit it to see its biodiversity that exists with support. I also live very close to the Bog of Allen and, again, there are specific actions that need to be taken there and at Ummerus Bog.

The Curragh is an important place for heritage and biodiversity. I look forward to support in this House to help declare the Curragh a unique conservation area. It needs to be designated a heritage park. I thank Gaye Brabazon and Karen Tyrell for all of the education that they afforded myself and many others on walks across the Curragh in helping us to learn and understand its flora and fauna. We learn much from those who went before us regarding how they preserved and respected the land. It is time revisit this issue.I completely support, as this motion outlines, the programme for Government that has a number of additional actions. They are absolutely required over the lifetime of this Government to address the crisis. It is hugely important that these elements of the programme for Government are put in place.

I neglected to welcome the Minister of State back to where she sits and welcome her back to her own House. I agree with what Senator Pauline O'Reilly said, that is, the fact that the Minister of State comes from a farming background is very important in terms of understanding biodiversity. We need to strike a balance between supporting farming practices and the farming way of life yet protect biodiversity and, indeed, respect the many forms of life that exist in this country.