Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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108. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the actions being taken to protect and restore biodiversity through the national biodiversity action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24856/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) 2023-2030 was published in January 2024 and sets out Ireland’s vision for biodiversity, that by 2050 ‘Biodiversity in Ireland is valued, conserved, restored and sustainably used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people’. The Plan strives for a ‘whole of Government, whole of society’ approach to the governance and conservation of biodiversity. The aim is to ensure that every citizen, community, business, local authority, semi-state and state agency has an awareness of biodiversity and its importance, and of the implications of its loss, while also understanding how they can act to address the biodiversity emergency as part of a renewed national effort.

The 4th NBAP outlines actions within a framework of five strategic objectives:

1. Objective 1: Adopt a whole of Government, whole of society approach to biodiversity. Actions supporting this objective include capacity and resource reviews across Government; determining responsibilities for the expanding biodiversity agenda; providing support for communities, citizen scientists and business; and mechanisms for the governance and review of the Plan.
2. Objective 2: Meet urgent conservation and restoration needs. This objective sets out actions to address urgent national conservation challenges, with increased efforts to address freshwater, marine, agricultural and forestry challenges and to expand the protected area network to include the Marine Protected Areas.
3. Objective 3: Secure nature’s contribution to people. Actions under this objective highlight the relationship between nature and people in Ireland, recognising the tangible and intangible values of biodiversity, promoting nature’s importance to our culture and heritage and acknowledging how biodiversity supports our society and our economy.
4. Objective 4: Enhance the evidence base for action on biodiversity. This objective focuses on biodiversity research needs, as well as the development of the evidence base to underpin future decision-making.
5. Objective 5: Strengthen Ireland’s contribution to international biodiversity initiatives. Actions under this objective relate to adopting a coordinated, all island approach to biodiversity and to strengthening Ireland’s contribution to biodiversity enhancement measures on an international scale.