Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)

I would like to be associated with the remarks of sympathy to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, on the loss of his sister.

It is very timely we are having this discussion today for biodiversity week as we face so many challenges in terms of biodiversity. We need a practical, future focused approach, one that respects our rural communities and values the role of farmers as stewards of the land. I say this with urgency because the evidence is now overwhelming. Ireland's biodiversity is under serious pressure.

Nowhere is this more evident and nowhere is both the challenge and opportunity demonstrated more than in The Gearagh, just outside Macroom in my constituency of Cork North-West. This ancient riverine woodland, a rare alluvial forest formed by the River Lee, is of European ecological significance.It is home to otters, kingfishers and many unique wetland habitats. However, decades of drainage, forestry and hydroelectric development have damaged what was previously a vast wilderness. There is now a massive opportunity to restore and protect what remains. That means working closely with local farmers and landowners, not against them. We have seen through the Gearagh management plan the start of a collaborate vision – one that includes low-impact farming, ecotourism potential and environment enhancement. These are the kinds of localised, community-rooted conservation models that we should be supporting.

At a national level, as has been mentioned, the CAP strategic plan is already funding biodiversity actions that work. Through ACRES, farmers receive payments for planting pollinator-friendly margins, preserving hedgerows, protecting water courses and supporting breeding habitats for endangered birds like the curlew and the lapwing. These are practical, measurable actions, and farmers are responding positively to them.

In Cork, the biodiversity regeneration in a dairying environment, BRIDE, project has led the way, offering results-based payments for tangible, visible improvements. Fine Gael has long championed results-based agri-environmental schemes, and it is time to expand models like BRIDE across more high nature value areas.

There is, of course, as I mentioned, room to improve, but there is always room to improve. We need more flexibility and regional targeting within ACRES so that farmers in areas like the Lee Valley in Cork and the Mushera mountains are supported to tackle their specific environmental challenges. We need stronger interagency co-ordination between the NPWS, Inland Fisheries Ireland, Teagasc and our local authorities across the country so that landowners can get clear, co-ordinated advice on biodiversity-friendly practices and there is investment in habitat restoration projects like the Gearagh, not through top-down directives but through bottom-up partnerships with those who know the land best.

I also acknowledge the role that local hunt, gun and coursing clubs play in conservation of our native wildlife. However, I want to be clear: illegal or out-of-season hunting, or disturbance of protected species, undermines our conservation goals and cannot be tolerated. While there is a close partnership between the NPWS and An Garda Síochána in this regard, we need to see more done to stamp out illegal hunting through the establishment of a wildlife crime unit. Enforcement must be fair and firm but, equally, it is vital that we include gun clubs and games associations in species monitoring, invasive control and habitat protection because this is partnership in action.

While we are undoubtedly facing a biodiversity crisis, there is also possibility and opportunity. If we get this right, Ireland could lead in Europe on farming and conservation working hand in hand.