Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 529: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his Department's plans to celebrate international biodiversity day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19597/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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International Biodiversity Day, which was celebrated yesterday, 22 May is an annual event designated by the United Nations with the objective of promoting public awareness across the globe of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Ireland ratified this convention in 1996.

The world relies on biodiversity, which represents the variety of life on earth and is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, for many human needs including food, fuel, shelter, materials, medicines, soil fertility, crop pollination, soil stability, cleansing of waters and climate regulation. The current rate of loss of the world's biodiversity is therefore a matter of serious concern, and International Biodiversity Day provides an opportunity to re-emphasise our shared responsibility to safeguard this precious heritage for future generations.

In helping to mark International Biodiversity Day, my Department arranged a series of events and activities in our National Parks and Nature Reserves. These events included guided walks and tours, displays, self-guiding family Biodiversity Packs, and expert talks. While most of these events were focused on International Biodiversity Day itself, Wexford Wildfowl Reserve has arranged a series of nature walks and other events throughout the month of May on the specific theme of biodiversity, while Coole Park Nature Reserve, County Galway, is organising a Biodiversity Week commencing last Sunday, 21 May.

My Department also worked closely with the Heritage Council, which operates under my Department's aegis, on the production of a dedicated eight-page Biodiversity Supplement, which was published in one of the national dailies on Wednesday 17 May. The Supplement was specifically published to mark International Biodiversity Day, and emphasised the importance of the conservation and sustainable use of Ireland's rich biodiversity.