Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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1271. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding supports available to local communities to help maintain and or acquire local wetland areas in order to protect their habitat and ecosystem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11609/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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My Department is focused on reducing emissions from land, protecting the environment and maintaining biodiversity, as well as ensuring farmer’s livelihoods and the family farm model of agriculture is protected. My Department supports a number of initiatives, including Ireland's flagship €1.5 billion-euro agri-environmental scheme ACRES facilitates the provision of a suite of landscape actions, some of which specifically target active peatland restoration.

However, there is no funding mechanism available to communities seeking to acquire local wetland areas.

Contact should be made with NPWS within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and also the Department of Rural and Community Development.