Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 118: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action his Department is taking to meet the EU target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11052/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The national biodiversity plan, which was adopted by Government and published in April 2002, sets out the framework necessary to provide for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Ireland over an initial five-year period. The plan details 91 actions aimed at halting biodiversity loss in Ireland. My Department has overall responsibility for its implementation.

The plan was developed having regard to the UN convention on biological diversity, to which Ireland has been a contracting party since 1996. The main target of that convention, as elaborated at its Sixth Conference of the Parties and subsequently endorsed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, is to secure a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Critically, the plan was also developed having regard to the European Community biodiversity strategy and its four strategic action plans. Since the EU Gothenburg Summit in 2001, the EU has set a more ambitious target of halting the decline in biodiversity by 2010.

Key structures have been put in place in order to oversee and assist in the implementation of the national biodiversity plan in Ireland. An inter-departmental committee was set up and is currently being revitalised to drive forward the implementation of the plan. A national biodiversity research platform has been established which is assisting in prioritising the national biodiversity research agenda, as has a biodiversity forum to ensure involvement of all stakeholders in the implementation process. Moreover, arrangements are in progress for the establishment of a national biological records centre under the aegis of the Heritage Council.

A key concept of the national biodiversity plan is the recognition of the importance of sectoral integration of biodiversity conservation. The plan makes it clear that the entire community, and not just Government Departments, local authorities and agencies, all share responsibility for halting biodiversity loss.

My Department is currently completing a review of progress in relation to all 91 actions under the national biodiversity plan, with the assistance of a separate comprehensive analysis which has been submitted to me, at my request, by a sub-group of Comhar, the National Sustainable Development Partnership. I expect to be in a position to submit this review to Government soon, after which it will be available to the Houses of the Oireachtas and to the public.

The most significant action which my Department has taken to assist in implementing the EU target has been the ongoing process of designation of special areas of conservation, SACs, and special protection areas, SPAs, for birds, which are areas of internationally significant scientific importance, as well as natural heritage areas, NHAs, which are areas of nationally significant scientific importance. To date, some 11.5% of the terrestrial area of the State has been or is proposed for designation under this process.

The plan also identifies the all-Ireland context as being of major importance. To this end, my Department works in co-operation with the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland on the management of shared biodiversity resources and, specifically, on developing a common approach to both threatened species and invasive alien species.

Moreover, personnel from the national parks and wildlife service of my Department engage actively at international and EU levels in the development of policies and initiatives aimed at combating biodiversity loss and meeting the 2010 target. In this regard, a major EU stakeholders' conference was held in May last year in Malahide, County Dublin, under our EU Presidency. Some 250 delegates and stakeholders from 25 member states and other European countries assembled to facilitate the completion of the review and audit of the EU biodiversity strategy. The very detailed message from Malahide, which was adopted at this conference, was an important step in allowing the European Commission to move towards drafting a communication on future EU priorities for biodiversity conservation and for meeting the 2010 target. It is expected that this process will be completed later this year.