Ireland’s natural environment facing ‘devastating’ biodiversity loss, TDs told
Ireland's natural environment facing 'devastating' biodiversity loss ... The Irish Times
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Ireland Facing Biodiversity Loss, Urgent Action Needed
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Ireland has a wealth of natural environment but “is facing a devastating and enormous problem of biodiversity loss”, according to the chair of the recent Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss.
Poor State of Ireland’s Environment
- Freshwater
- Marine environment
- Grasslands
- Peatlands
- Forestry
- Hedgerows
- Wildlife
Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin said it was “surprising and depressing” to learn about the “poor state of our freshwater, our marine environment, our grasslands, our peatlands, our forestry, our hedgerows and our wildlife” during the assembly’s meetings.
Opportunity for Transformation
She told the Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action on Tuesday there had been a sea change in how people were valuing and looking after the environment around them.
She said TDs and Senators now have a unique opportunity to transform Ireland’s relationship with nature by implementing the 159 recommendations made in the assembly’s final report. She was joined at the committee by assembly members and those who provided advice through its expert advisory group.
Key Priorities for Action
- Full implementation and resourcing of laws, regulations, and policies
Asked by Fine Gael TD Richard Bruton what were the key priorities in the final report, Dr Ní Shúilleabháin said the most important was “full implementation and resourcing of laws, regulations and policies that already exist but are not being enforced”.
Humanity’s Dependence on Nature
“Nature can, at times, seem inconvenient to us. But, fundamentally, we as humans are only one part of nature and we rely solely on it to provide for us and protect us,” she said.
She added that “at the heart of the work of this citizens’ assembly is a realization that a breakdown between humanity and the natural world puts us all at risk”.
Concerns Across Rural and Urban Areas
- More than 60% of assembly’s membership from rural Ireland
Dr Ní Shúilleabháin noted that more than 60 per cent of the assembly’s membership was from rural Ireland. “While we hear much rhetoric on the ‘urban/rural’ divide in terms of care of the environment, I am glad that no such divide was apparent in the room.”
This, she said, mirrored research findings indicating people young and old and from rural and urban areas were worried about Ireland’s environment and want more to be done.
Rewarding Farmers for Environmental Protection
- State should acknowledge and reward farmers for protecting nature
The assembly called on the State to acknowledge and reward farmers for their vital work in protecting nature. Farming, however, had been governed by policies of production, Dr Ní Shúilleabháin said, “with subsidies and incentives promoting intense agriculture, resulting in the damage we now see in the statistics around our environment, water quality and biodiversity”.
“The work of the assembly points towards the fact that we can no longer focus on maximizing outputs from farming, but optimizing farm practices within environmental limits.”
Protection of Nature as a Human Right
The assembly recommended that Ireland adopt the UN human right to a clean, healthy, safe environment as a fundamental part of the Constitution.
“This is, perhaps, something we have taken for granted in this beautiful country of ours but, unfortunately, we can no longer presume it will be here for us to enjoy without protecting it,” Dr Ní Shúilleabháin said.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 14: Life Below Water | Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.9: By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies, and accounts | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.b: Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and increasing recycling and safe reuse globally | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers, and lakes | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | Target 6.a: By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programs, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling, and reuse technologies | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | Target 6.b: Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management | No specific indicators mentioned in the article |
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Source: irishtimes.com
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