Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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21. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide an update on the mid-term review of the national biodiversity plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16827/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s 2nd National Biodiversity Plan, entitled Actions For Biodiversity 2011-2016, was approved by Government and published in 2011. Its broad objectives are to mainstream biodiversity into decision-making; to improve the biodiversity knowledge base; to increase awareness; to conserve and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services in protected areas, in the wider countryside and the marine environment; and to strengthen the effectiveness of international protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

My Department is very close to finalising the mid-term review of the implementation of the National Biodiversity Plan, which was undertaken throughout 2014. The review has found that, of the 102 Actions in the Plan, 24 are implemented, 67 are on-going and, for 11, substantial further action is required. It should be noted that 40 of the 102 actions are of an on-going or open-ended nature.

The final text of the review will be agreed in the coming weeks and the report will be published soon after that.