2026-05-19

I appreciate time being allocated to statements on National Biodiversity Week. I sincerely thank its organisers, the Irish Environmental Network, for putting on so many incredible events the length and breadth of the country. It really puts biodiversity at the forefront and gives it a platform, which is something we do not do often enough. Considering the crisis we are in, we need to do more of it. I commend the Irish Environmental Network on doing that, supported by my Department. I urge everybody, right across Ireland, to go to a national park or nature reserve or attend one of the fantastic events taking place to learn about and appreciate nature. I guarantee that nobody who does so will regret it. National Biodiversity Week is an opportunity to showcase actions being taken to engage with some of the brilliant projects that are being delivered by groups large and small to promote biodiversity. Each of them has a positive impact. The breadth and scope of the activities is always breathtaking and it is heartening to see the list of events grow year on year. While my role as Minister of State has given me an increased insight into, and appreciation of, the challenges that have yet to be overcome, I have also been honoured to see at first hand much of the fantastic work that is being done all across the country. I have great hope for what can be achieved. I have had the opportunity to visit towns, villages and groups and see the projects and programmes being undertaken. I have been humbled and inspired by what I have seen, heard and learned from them. That work can only be achieved with support and I am proud the Government has backed and continues to back environmental ambitions. The work delivered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, is key to supporting biodiversity in Ireland. Through successive budgets, Government investment in the NPWS has increased year on year, with the core budget allocation for 2026 rising, for the first time, to more than €100 million. That increased investment has enabled substantial recruitment across all levels of the NPWS. Its staff are part of the community across the country. They are a visible team working tirelessly to achieve the mandate of the NPWS, which is to protect nature. It is a simple statement but a complex ambition to achieve. The NPWS can achieve practical results through front-line engagement on restoring habitats, raising public awareness, tackling wildlife crime, improving the condition of protected sites, tackling invasive species - the NPWS tackles invasive species on approximately 750 ha in the national parks annually - and building the capacity we need to meet the EU nature restoration law. Government funding has allowed the continuation of work at a large and small scale. I will now offer a quick summary of just some of what has been delivered. Our national parks and nature reserves are perhaps what people think of most when considering nature. They are invaluable resources for biodiversity but also for a myriad of other reasons, including well-being, employment, health, community and tourism, as well as nature. Work continues apace across all of our sites. In Glenveagh National Park, success in the delivery of the park woodland strategy is becoming evident as the natural regeneration of oak, birch and other woodland species gives life to woodland layers, which is a clear indication of habitat response to our efforts. Last year, I released a number of white-tailed eagle chicks back into the wild at Killarney National Park, marking the end of the current phase of the successful reintroduction project. These magnificent birds, once a striking element of Ireland's natural landscape, were driven to extinction on the island in the 19th century as a result of human persecution. Restoring this lost species to our skies is a significant step in restoring Ireland's natural heritage and will bring great benefit to Irish biodiversity. In Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, lreland's newest national park and our first marine park, the NPWS has already undertaken a biodiversity review and various ecological studies, including a review of seal population dynamics within the park, as well as surveys of various taxa, including fungi, lichen and seabirds such as puffins. In Wicklow Mountains National Park, our long-term biodiversity project, focused on the Glenasmole Valley, is using a suite of land management techniques, including extensive native woodland planting in deep gullies, blanket bog rehabilitation to restore heather and vegetation management, to increase biodiversity while also providing measurable benefits such as increased carbon storage, reduction in soil erosion, improved water quality and reduced flooding risk along the River Dodder. In the Burren National Park, we launched the NPWS discovery van, bringing nature, education and information directly to the heart of communities, schools and protected areas. It will be used as a year-round outreach tool, enabling NPWS guides to visit primary and secondary schools, offering environmental education linked to habitats, species and conservation. It will also attend festivals, community events and national fairs, raising awareness of NPWS's mission and supporting national campaigns and educational programmes around the country. In Wild Nephin National Park, we completed 220 ha of bog restoration at the Bangor Erris natural heritage area. This was completed in collaboration with an adjacent private bog restoration project, making it the largest blanket bog restoration project in Ireland to date. In Connemara National Park, the NPWS revealed a new and unique cultural and visitor experience - the Connemara Pony Heritage Centre. For generations, the much-loved Connemara pony has been recognised as Ireland’s native breed, and this exciting new experience will pay tribute to the Connemara pony’s valuable contribution to Ireland and Connemara’s heritage. In Brú na Bóinne National Park, work on the preparation of a masterplan for the new national park in Dowth is almost complete. The plan will enable strategic development of the park over the coming years and will adopt a holistic approach to developing a sustainable and innovative visitor experience and community resource while recognising the key remit of the NPWS to protect nature and promote and enhance biodiversity. In Glengarriff nature reserve we are working on a 100-year strategy for the Glengarriff woodlands to ensure its protection into the future. In the Glen of the Downs nature reserve the recent strategic purchase of more than 100 acres will see the conversion of commercial timber forestry into native woodland over time, utilising local seed sources, invasive species controls and techniques such as continuous cover forestry to enable a sensitive transition that protects vulnerable soils. The project will serve as a valuable example of best practice to support the delivery of key objectives under the nature restoration law to expand rare old sessile oak woodland - a priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive - on public land. In Coole Park, the recent opening of a new bat roost on the grounds of the park, to protect the lesser horseshoe bat, involved the renovation of an old apple store on the grounds of the nature reserve. The renovation allowed for original features of the house to be retained, including its unique stonework and beautiful limestone slab floor. Alongside these conservation works, through funding approved by Government, my Department has also worked to maintain and upgrade a range of visitor services and trails across the national parks and reserves. These included the completion of a sensory trail in Connemara National Park; trail upgrades in Wicklow Mountains National Park, including at the hugely popular Spinc trail; footbridge upgrade works at Knocksink nature reserve; the redevelopment of the car park at Ballykeeffe nature reserve in Kilkenny; trail maintenance works at Diamond Hill and Ellis Wood nature trail; upgrade works at the education centre in Connemara National Park; funding towards the redevelopment of the car park and replacement of the roof at Coole park visitor centre; improvement works at Tóchar Daithí Bán trail in wild Nephin; reroofing of the visitor centre and a complete refit of the auditorium at Glenveagh National Park; and works at Dinis Cottage and Lord Brandon’s Cottage in Killarney, as well as fencing and trail maintenance works. The list goes on. That is a small sample of what National Parks and Wildlife Service does. The NPWS engages in strategic land acquisition both to support the continued growth and expansion of the network of national parks and nature reserves, as well as for conservation purposes. In 2025, the NPWS acquired more than 800 ha of land, including the acquisition I mentioned earlier of land in Wicklow, which will support the expansion of the Glen of the Downs nature reserve and the purchase of an additional 249 ha at Tievebaun, adjacent to Connemara National Park. I have spoken before about the publication in January 2024 of Ireland’s fourth national biodiversity action plan, NBAP. This plan represents a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to the governance and conservation of biodiversity. Reporting outputs have been significantly modernised through the launch by the NPWS and the National Biodiversity Data Centre of a biodiversity action plan progress tracker. This public-facing tracker dashboard provides transparency and data-driven insights into delivery of actions for biodiversity. The 2025 implementation report on the national biodiversity action plan shows that almost 80% of actions are either in progress or completed, with clear pathways for further action. In 2026, the peatlands and Natura community engagement scheme is continuing to expand and offer support to communities by providing funding of over €1.1 million to 53 community-led projects. The NPWS conservation measures programme continues to support projects on special areas of conservation and special protection areas in the Natura 2000 network, addressing threats and pressures to the qualifying interest habitats and species in these sites. One example being the Le Chéile don Dúlra - Together for Nature - biodiversity week festival in Glenveagh. The NPWS farm plan scheme continues to grow, engaging with farmers and landowners to support nature on the land, through encouragement, advice, and financial supports, with a goal of more than 500 farm plans in progress by the end of 2025. The local biodiversity action fund, LBAF, operated by the NPWS, continues to deliver funding fora wide range of projects across all 31 local authority areas. Many local authorities now have a biodiversity officer, thanks to the Heritage Council’s rollout of the biodiversity officer programme, and these officers are making a huge difference. Biodiversity is not just a topic for those directly involved in nature; it is interwoven with everyday life and decisions. It impacts people's lives. Getting this right means a positive impact for everyone, with green spaces for us all to enjoy, sustainable and healthy food systems, healthy ecosystems for flora, fauna, invertebrates, and cleaner air. I am glad to have the opportunity to publicly reaffirm my commitment, that of my Department and of Government, to continue working with colleagues across this House to ensure that due consideration and supports are given to biodiversity. Scientific monitoring and data analysis is required to inform national priorities, statutory functions and lreland’s engagement with EU nature policy and legislation. The NPWS continues to strengthen the scientific evidence base that underpins policy advice, regulatory decision-making and conservation delivery. We will obviously have the Biodiversity Conference of the Parties, COP, which will be a very important part of Ireland’s European Council Presidency, and we hope that the theme of our Presidency from that point of view will be nature restoration. Biodiversity Week is a celebration but also an opportunity to recognise the importance of strong ecosystems and biodiversity protections. The NPWS plays a vital role in conserving the country’s natural heritage, biodiversity and protected landscapes. A key aspect of the work of NPWS in its mission to protect nature is combatting wildlife crime, including illegal hunting, habitat destruction, and the disturbance of protected species. Wildlife crime undermines decades of conservation work. These are not victimless crimes; they directly harm our shared natural environment. The NPWS plays a lead role in addressing this threat, working alongside other enforcement partners, and is committed to working with relevant stakeholders and enforcement partners in bringing those responsible for wildlife crime before the courts. Total financial sanctions for 2020-2025 amounted to almost €600,000, and this very important work will continue to have a positive impact on our wildlife conservation. The NPWS also monitors compliance with wildlife laws, investigates reports of offences, and works closely with An Garda Síochána which is authorised under law to enforce wildlife legislation and with other State agencies, enforce protections. Public engagement and use of reporting mechanisms helps tackle issues such as illegal poaching, disturbance of nesting birds, and destruction of vegetation during the breeding and nesting period. Through these collective efforts with agencies such an An Garda Síochána, we ensure Ireland’s rich natural environment is preserved for future generations. The NPWS is progressing with an accelerated programme of restoration on protected raised and blanket bog special areas of conservation, SACs, and natural heritage areas, NHAs. Restoring these bogs will provide multiple ecosystem services such as reducing emissions, water and air quality improvements, flood mitigation and enhancing biodiversity. Since 2018, restoration works have been undertaken or are ongoing on 30 raised bog SACs and nine NHAs, with preparatory actions under way across a further 12 sites. To date, restoration works have been delivered on approximately 7,000 ha of protected raised bog across the SAC and NHA networks. In 2025, active raised bog national extent was reported as increased by approximately 122 ha, that is, 7% since 2018. This is the first time increases in extent have been reported since Ireland commenced assessing the conservation status of this habitat in 2007. The NPWS raised bog restoration programme has been fundamental to this achievement. These rehabilitation and restoration efforts will assist Ireland in reaching its national conservation target, to restore raised and blanket bogs within the SAC and NHA networks to a favourable conservation status. To finish, I wish to talk about the way forward. I have highlighted what we have done and it is extensive across the board. I am very proud of the team at National Parks and Wildlife Service in particular for how it has delivered at such scale. We need to learn from our successes in order to find a pathway forward. We know that in Ireland, habitats, species and nature in general are not in good condition and we need to reverse that. We need to learn from the Programme for the Environment and Climate Action, LIFE, and European Initiative Projects, EIP, which have been so important in paving the way for restoration and saving species - things such as the breeding waders EIP. Waders, such as the curlew which breed, across Ireland are in peril. However, in the midlands in particular, through European funding and funding from my Department, they have discovered ways of protecting these nesting birds, whether through predator control or headstarting, in collaboration with Fota Wildlife Park, and we are seeing it work. Now what we need to do is scale that up and do it on a nationwide basis. The reason we talk about it a lot is that it has been an extraordinary success. In the five or six years of Corncrake LIFE, we have seen the population of corncrakes increase by 55%, which is down to the hard work of the conservationists, ecologists and amazing farmers, including well over 200 in Belmullet, County Mayo, in Donegal and Galway who have participated in this. They have taken on board new ways of farming. They have seen a massive increase in corncrake numbers, but they have been incentivised to do it and rewarded for it. We need to replicate that model across Ireland. It is the same with LIFE on Machair, which is on a stunning, unique Irish habitat. In restoring it, there has been an added benefit for many other species. There is also the Tóchar project, which is a bog restoration project and I will talk about the Wild Atlantic Nature LIFE Integrated Project for a few minutes because I see it as key to nature restoration on private land being done in a voluntary way. Any nature restoration on private land will be voluntary. The Wild Atlantic Nature LIFE IP has utilised development companies and LEADER companies in regional Ireland to administer farm plan schemes. For example, in County Galway there is the Dúlra Project. Farmers in the Dúlra Project might be in the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, or a farm scheme under which they are getting paid to restore peatland or help a species. On top of that, the same farmers and fishermen may be getting an additional payment by participating in the Dúlra Project. The same sheep or beef farmers in the area are being paid to remove invasive species like rhododendron or restore peat in national parks or on private land. That is a key model because everyone wins. Farmers might be getting paid under ACRES and might also be getting paid directly by the LEADER company to participate in the removal of invasive species or in peatland restoration. It is money going to the local economy and being spent in the local shops and the biggest winners are wildlife and habitats. That model needs to be replicated across Ireland. It is the future of Ireland's nature restoration plan and informs it. I fully support and am aligned with the recommendations of the independent advisory committee on nature restoration. We must start on our land first in our national parks and on Coillte and Bord na Móna land. We must support farmers, fishermen and foresters across the board to ensure that, if they volunteer to participate in nature restoration, they are paid. Fundamentally we must fund nature restoration. I have always committed to doing that and we will do it. Education is probably the most important tool we have for the future of Ireland's wildlife. I visited Knocksink in the Wicklow Mountains recently and the education facility there. I also met some of the NPWS team who go to schools to teach children about nature. It is extraordinary to see the response. Children are the best hope for the future of nature in Ireland. David Attenborough said that if children do not grow up learning and knowing about nature, they will not care about it. If they do not care about nature, they will not want to protect it and if they do not protect nature, who will? Our children are key. They are hungry to learn. I go to schools and visit classrooms. They soak up information, especially at primary school age. They know the length of a fin whale or the national distribution of curlews. They are hungry to learn and we need to tap into that because, if future generations care about nature, genuinely, the future of Ireland's wildlife and nature could be bright. I thank those who will contribute to the debate. I will not be here for the end of it, but I look forward to listening to views from across the House about what we can do this National Biodiversity Week to protect nature in Ireland.

Another biodiversity week is coming and after all the accolades we gave the Minister of State last year on his appointment, there is a lot his Department still has to address in the twin crises of climate and biodiversity we face. The longer we wait to finally move on this biodiversity crisis, the worse it will get. The biodiversity emergency declared in 2019 was recognition by the State of our rivers, natural habitats and the ongoing extinction of many different species. Little action has been taken to seriously address the twin crises. In the 1980s, about 500 Irish rivers were classed as the very best of quality. Today, there are only around 20, which is a 96% collapse in the space of 40 years. The Environmental Protection Agency’s, EPA's, Water Quality in Ireland 2019-2024 report found that just 52% of our surface waters meet minimum legal standards, meaning that 48% are failing. Those figures were in a piece written by Ella McSweeney in The Irish Times a few weeks ago in which she rightly claimed: "It is a shameful failure of governance and policy and a collective acceptance of shockingly low standards." She also highlighted some of the language that is used when discussing water quality and how it can alienate people from understanding just how poor the standard of water is in our country. Terms like "achieving water framework directive objectives” and "river basin management plan” can be off-putting for ordinary people. What does a river with a moderate status mean? McSweeney offers an alternative measurement. Can we drink from our rivers without vomiting? Can we swim in them without getting diarrhoea? These are simple things we should be able to do to judge whether a river is healthy. The truth is our rivers are becoming less drinkable every year. One need only look at last year’s EPA report on the state of Lady’s Island Lake in Wexford, which the climate committee visited last week. It is designated as both a special protection area and a special area of conservation, but an ecological disaster is unfolding there, according to experts. The deterioration is due to an excessive growth of algae blocking the sun from reaching the lake bed, which has been attributed to agricultural run-off entering the lagoon. This lagoon is a place of pilgrimage for many and is one of the crown jewels of tourism in the area, but it cannot be swum in, and certainly not drunk from. These issues were first identified as far back as 1983. What have successive Fianna Fáil- and Fine Gael-led Governments done to address the issue? Nothing is the long and short of it. They have left much of the important work to keep our local areas clean to the likes of local authorities and Tidy Towns committees. The committees do huge work nationwide, incredible work in promoting biodiversity and keeping our towns clean. They help to bring the importance of biodiversity down into communities. It can be seen in how areas are now left to go wild. There is the No Mow May campaign. People do not pull up dandelions the moment they see them any more and it is making a difference, but they alone cannot fully tackle this crisis. Recently, the British Government published a national security assessment of the risks of biodiversity loss to water, food, clean air and critical resources. The impacts of biodiversity loss will range from crop failures, intensified natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks to conflict within and between states, political instability and erosion of global economic prosperity, the report said. Increasingly scarce natural resources will become the focus of greater competition between state and non-state actors, exacerbating existing conflicts, starting new ones and threatening global security and prosperity. Critically, it claims that ecosystem degradation or collapse will challenge England’s food security. We share a climate with England so it is something this State has to get serious about as well. Some 40% of our food comes from overseas too, meaning we are currently unable to be food self-sufficient at present. Collapse of production in two or more breadbasket regions would have detrimental impacts. I have written twice to the Minister about this security assessment asking if it has been seen by his Department and whether any action has been taken in acknowledgement of its findings. Can the Minister of State confirm whether his Department is across it? Finally, ahead of World Bee Day tomorrow, it is important to mention their importance to biodiversity and our quality of life. As pollinators, they contribute significantly to producing fruit, vegetables and crops. The Native Irish Honey Bee Society is urging the Government to pass the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021, which would drastically help their dire situation.

Biodiversity may sound like a buzz word but the reality is that it means all life on Earth - from the smallest micro-organism to the largest mammal and the tallest tree. It covers all ecosystems and habitats which shows how all life is connected and dependent on each other for survival, including us humans. Humans are the biggest threat to biodiversity. It is said that over 30% of habitats in Ireland are in decline. We know that agriculture is a significant contributory factor but all the blame cannot be put on farmers. Farmers are doing their bit to help biodiversity and have shown that they will adapt their farming practices to help protect ecosystems and habitats. I and others have been critical of the ACRES, for instance, but my criticism is of the Minister and how the Department has made a shambles of implementing the scheme. The basis of the scheme is good and there is a lot of good work being done by farmers to improve biodiversity through the scheme, which is building on the work of previous schemes like GLAS and REPS. I also want to mention another project that is taking place in my constituency in County Leitrim - the EU Horizon wetlands conservation project is taking place on Cuilcagh-Anierin mountain range known local as Sliabh Anierin and Bencroy. Until the 1990s coal was mined in Bencroy. I know some old men in my community who still talk about the coal mines there. The coal was used to run the Arigna ESB power station, which was nearby. It is fitting that we are now giving something back to the mountain by helping to restore the peatlands on top of the mountain, which were devastated throughout that time, and the forestry since then as well. Thousands of acres of bog on top of the mountain were planted with Sitka spruce. The Cuilcagh-Anierin is a special area of conservation, SAC, and one of Ireland's largest upland blanket bogs. Pressure stemming from erosion and drainage have damaged the SAC site that encompasses more than 9,700 ha, 11 habitats and seven protected species. The restoration project includes three main actions - erosion control, drain management and invasive species removal. The main invasive species is Sitka spruce trees. The aim is to help vegetation to grow on the bare peat, helping to reduce carbon loss and restore the natural habitat. This mountain is grazed by sheep. It should be noted that sheep are part of the habitat. They help to keep the vegetation in check so that one species does not take over, thereby contributing to the biodiversity in the area. I commend the work that has been done by the farmers in this area and I wish them well as the project continues. I want to mention two other issues that have a big impact on biodiversity. The first is flooding. I speak to farmers all the time who are in areas that get flooded. When flooding happens, every septic tank and town and village water treatment system is washed out across the land and into the rivers. I have also spoken to farmers who told me they were in conservation projects to conserve rare birds in the Shannon Callows and when the floods happen the nests are just washed down the river. All the work that has been done to preserve biodiversity is destroyed when we have flooding. That is a major problem. The second issue relates to landslides. We had a major landslide in County Leitrim on Shass Mountain. It washed thousands of acres of peat down the mountain, flooded farmland and destroyed the whole area. All of that was because of the wrong type of forestry on the top of the mountain. The bog land on the top of the mountain was drained and it created a mess.

I thank the Deputy.

That mess continues to this day. The actions of the Government on the one side can often damage biodiversity on the other side.

As someone who comes from a rural community, the biodiversity crisis facing Ireland is not some abstract concern, it is a visible reality, one that I have watched worsen decade by decade. It is now seven years since a biodiversity emergency was declared in Ireland, yet we are still not acting with the urgency that declaration demands. All stakeholders across the sector - especially in rural communities - need to come together and work collectively on it. The Government must accept that rural Ireland is not just part of the solution. Rural Ireland must be the driving force in combating this crisis and pulling our habitats back from the brink of destruction. The findings make for grim reading. Some 90% of Ireland's habitats are now in an inadequate or poor state. When it comes to forestry coverage, we are far below the EU average, which sits at around 35%, while Ireland is barely over 10%. The Government has a duty to enhance the standing of our special protection areas. Let us take the Wicklow Mountains special area of conservation - in particular, Lugnaquilla. Despite being a hugely popular location, its conservation status is rated as unfavourable to bad. The Government had a prime opportunity to buy over 1,500 acres of land, including Lugnaquilla, for just €2 million. We can imagine what a national project that would have been. It would have been an opportunity to show ambition, restore biodiversity and show people what is truly possible. Calendar farming does not always work. In fact, it can be very risky. Farmers having to spread slurry in heavy rain just because of the date does not help our water quality. Dates need to be flexible. Slurry spreading should be set by weather conditions only. ACRES has, overall, been a positive step. It supports farmers to restore and strengthen biodiversity in their local area. However, issues relating to payment with long, unacceptable delays that left farmers out of pocket have damaged the willingness of farmers to sign up to the scheme. We cannot afford to lose their trust. The penny-pinching mindset of the Government when it comes to our natural environment needs to be called out. Ireland invests less than half the EU average of its GDP in nature. That is truly shocking for an island of such natural beauty. How we view the environment and biodiversity cannot be confined by political boundaries. Climate does not respect borders. We need to act collectively, North and South. We must ensure that those we engage with internationally, through trade agreements, are not doing untold damage to our shared environment. Everyone was shocked and horrified by the scenes of complete and utter devastation of the rainforest, which was cleared to create more agricultural land to produce more beef and food products for the EU, China, and the United States. The EU cannot turn a blind eye to destructive acts on the international stage-----

I thank the Deputy. She should conclude.

-----not when the cost is our collective well-being.

There is a crisis in biodiversity. We have seen a deterioration over decades, with bad planning and destruction on a huge scale during the Celtic tiger era and before it. Ironically, Ireland is known across the world as a green place, where trees, lakes, seas, beaches and countryside is pristine in terms of biodiversity but the facts do not bear that out. A substantial proportion of our EU-protected habitats and species are deemed to be in an unfavourable state. There is a 40% drop in the number of water birds since the 1990s and a 45% drop in the number of kestrels. Some 23 out of 24 species of nesting seabirds are listed as red or amber in terms of conservation concerns. Some 18% of native Irish butterfly fauna is under threat of extinction. A total of 56% of Ireland's native plants species are in decline, with native grasslands suffering. I commend residents of Porterstown village who called me and the NPWS when a developer went in with bulldozers to allegedly try to destroy two badger sets and rare grasslands on a site that was subject to planning conditions. This is a regular occurrence because the sanctions are such that it is a basic slap on the wrist but when they are gone, they are gone forever. I came from East Wall, an area in the north inner city that had zero public green spaces. There were no trees, no open spaces and no green spaces. I moved to Clonsilla 30 years ago and I was blown away by the biodiversity. There were fields, open spaces and parks everywhere. In every local area plan, county development plan, and planning application on greenfield sites, we fought hard for the protection of trees, hedgerows, canals and waterways such as the Tolka river. In this Chamber we are seen as dinosaurs and blockers of housing developments. We have been derided by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and others in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. We are not anti-development but we are for developments that protect our biodiversity as much as we can because as the advertisement says, when it is gone, it is gone forever. I pay tribute to all our Tidy Towns groups. Many are not just litter pickers or flower planters but have developed into community-led biodiversity champions. They turn patches of land into places for bees, small animals, nesting birds and planting for all kinds of insects that help sustain a living environment in an urban area like Dublin 15. I refer to groups like Castleknock, Blanchardstown and Clonsilla Tidy Towns groups. I give a shout-out to the groups in Tyrrelstown and Hollystown, which are newly organised, and are meeting this Sunday for a big clean-up. I am also part of the Royal Canal clean-up group. The place is teeming with life but it is constantly under threat from development, which is getting closer and closer to the banks. All we ask is that consideration is given to biodiversity. Many people are doing their best and showing that our biodiversity is a strength for those of us who live on this island for those who wish to visit as tourists. The Government needs to do better to support our nature, forests, rivers, lakes, parks and green belts.

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on the issue of biodiversity and to mark National Biodiversity Week today. This week should be not just a celebration of one of this country’s prized assets, including our natural environment, landscapes, coasts, wildlife and waterways, but also a call to action because while we market ourselves on the aesthetically rich, green environment that we have been blessed with, we do not do the best job of looking after it and nurturing it, at least at State level. Forty shades of green increasingly refers to the colour of the algae in our lakes. Often when we discuss the climate crisis in this House or elsewhere, we omit the fact that we have a corresponding and related biodiversity crisis. The evidence and the figures are pretty stark. As per the NPWS and EPA, more than 85% of Ireland’s EU-protected habitats are now in "unfavourable condition". Nearly half of our native species are experiencing declines. Likewise, the EPA found that almost half of our waterways are in unhealthy conditions. We heard last week that our newest designated bathing area in Dún Laoghaire will be off-limits to swimmers this summer because of water pollution. Pollinators are disappearing from our countryside, peatlands continue to degrade and species that were once commonplace in Ireland are becoming rarer and rarer. These are not just abstract environmental concerns. There are tangible economic and industrial effects to this sort of degradation. Pollinators, for example, are vital in food production. When they decline, that sector suffers. If marine ecosystems collapse, coastal communities will be the ones paying the price. Yet, despite the scale of this emergency, the Government continues to treat biodiversity and our environment as secondary concerns. Just last week, the Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026 proceeded to the next Stage in this House. Ministers presented it as a practical measure to speed up infrastructure delivery. Nobody denies that we need to speed up delivery of infrastructure in this country. We have been held back for too long by our apparent inability to get important projects over the line in a timely and cost-effective way. However, the remedies contained in the Bill are not only misguided; they are deeply troubling in the context of the climate and biodiversity crises. The ability of Ministers to effectively decide when environmental and climate protections apply and when they do not undermines the very foundation of environmental law. Environmental and biodiversity protections cannot exist only when it is convenient. The Bill completely misdiagnoses the issue. The delays in getting critical infrastructure over the line are not because of judicial reviews, JRs, being taken on environmental grounds. They are because of the consistent under-resourcing of our public bodies, planning authorities and courts and a lack of strategic development across our national infrastructure. As I pointed to last week, even if offshore wind projects make it through the planning process in the next couple of years, we are still way off actually building them because our ports are not ready for them, nor is our grid ready to take the energy being generated offshore. That has nothing to do with JRs or environmental or biodiversity concerns; it is an issue with the level of resources and expertise being made available to public bodies. The Government is simply looking for somewhere or someone to point the finger at for its own failings. Environmental safeguards are not bureaucratic obstacles. They are democratic protections for communities, ecosystems, and future generations. The Government has argued that these powers are necessary to accelerate projects of national importance but once a mechanism is created that allows Ministers to sidestep environmental scrutiny in the name of urgency, a precedent is established that can be expanded again and again. Today it might be one project; tomorrow it could be many. Let us be absolutely honest about the contradiction at the heart of this Government’s approach. On the one hand, Ministers speak passionately about climate action and restoring nature while, on the other, they pass legislation that weakens the enforceability of the very laws designed to protect our climate and ecosystems that are in crisis. One cannot claim to defend biodiversity while simultaneously hollowing out the legal protections that safeguard it. I was really surprised and disappointed that the Social Democrats, in particular, supported the Government on this Bill. Only 15 Labour Party, Green Party and People Before Profit, PBP, TDs voted against it. It is easy to say we want to protect and promote our biodiversity but we also have to vote for it when we have the opportunity. I have not even touched on the question of whether Ministers being able to selectively decide when a law applies or not to their favourite projects is constitutional. This Bill will likely end up increasing the delays in our planning processes. Nowhere is the failure of Government policy in terms of biodiversity and the environment more visible than in the condition of lreland’s waterways. We are a water-rich country. Our rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters are central to our sense of self. They support habitats, the tourism sector, farming, recreation and fisheries yet too many of our waterways are deteriorating before our eyes. The EPA has repeatedly warned about declining water quality in rivers and estuaries, particularly due to nutrient pollution associated with intensive agriculture and wastewater failures. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus are fuelling eutrophication, algal blooms and oxygen depletion in aquatic ecosystems. That is why the EU nitrates directive exists. It was introduced to protect waters from agricultural pollution and to improve water quality across Europe. lreland’s nitrates action programme is supposed to reduce the run-off of slurry and fertilisers into rivers and groundwater. However, year after year, we have seen the same pattern emerge. Warnings are ignored, water quality deteriorates further and political cowardice means nothing is done about it. The debate around nitrates has often become polarised but it really should not be. Farmers are not the enemy of biodiversity. Many farmers are among the strongest defenders of our landscapes and ecosystems. They understand the land better than anyone. The real failure lies in successive Governments that have forced farmers into a model of intensification without adequately supporting sustainable alternatives. We need a different path. We need a just transition for farming communities that rewards environmental stewardship, supports family farms, protects water quality and ensures farmers can earn a decent living while restoring biodiversity because the current trajectory is failing both our natural environment and farmers alike. The consequences are becoming more and more apparent. My colleagues on the climate committee witnessed the situation in Lady's Island Lake in County Wexford, one of Ireland's most significant coastal lagoons. I had the pleasure of visiting it last Friday with the committee delegation. It is internationally important for birdlife and protected under European conservation law. Every year, it supports migratory species and delicate ecological balances that have developed over centuries but like so many of our waterways, there has been a pattern of neglect for decades that is putting all of that at risk. Do not get me wrong; this is a really complex problem to solve. Nutrient enrichment, changing water conditions, agricultural run-off and climate impacts have all impacted on the ecological integrity of Lady's Island Lake. Conservationists and local communities have repeatedly raised concerns about the vulnerability of the site and the need for stronger protections. I commend the Save Lady’s Island Lake campaign and the EPA on their advocacy in this area. Lady’s Island Lake tells us something very important about biodiversity loss in Ireland; destruction rarely arrives dramatically. It happens gradually. Lady’s Island Lake has declined over the past 40 year, and because it has happened slowly, Governments and local authorities have not necessarily kept their eye on the ball. Because so many agencies and State bodies have had partial responsibility over the area, no one had taken overall responsibility for it until now That is perhaps the greatest danger of all - not active destruction, but complacency. That cannot be allowed to continue, but in fairness, I am pleased that Wexford County Council, alongside other relevant bodies, is taking responsibility and leading a strategic oversight group to ensure this vital habitat is restored urgently. The Oireachtas climate committee will work closely with the council to ensure this happens. This type of multi-agency approach could be a template to use in other lakes on the island suffering from similar issues such as Lough Neagh. More importantly and more generally, if we believe in biodiversity protection, nature restoration and ecological health, they can no longer sit at the margins of public policy. They have to be central considerations. That means properly funding the NPWS, investing in river restoration and wetland recovery, strengthening the enforcement capacity within the EPA, supporting farmers through sustainable agriculture schemes that genuinely reward biodiversity protection and restoring peatlands not only as carbon sinks, but as living ecosystems. That also means expanding native woodland cover, protecting marine biodiversity through stronger conservation measures and, crucially, recognising that climate action and biodiversity protection must go hand in hand. We have increasingly seen this framing from the Government that somehow environmental protections are barriers to progress. I cannot stress how much I disagree with that assertion. Nature restoration, clean water, healthy soils and resilient ecosystems are all economic policies. Biodiversity loss carries enormous financial costs through flooding, water treatment, agricultural decline, tourism impacts and public health pressures. Protecting nature is not anti-development; it is responsible development. If we are serious about building a resilient Ireland, then environmental law must be strengthened not weakened.

I very much welcome this debate. It is quite apt that this month is the centenary of the birth of David Attenborough and the founding of Fianna Fáil. In many ways, the Minister of State encapsulates the best of both in his approach to this office. He has been very committed to this work and his advocacy is something that deserves to be commended. I echo Deputy Ahern's remarks with regard to Our Lady's Island and commend Wexford County Council on the work being done there. That multi-agency approach is certainly something that does work. As part of National Biodiversity Week, tomorrow is World Bee Day. We need to move very quickly towards protecting the native Irish honey bee and legislation in that regard should be expedited. The threat to the bee population should not be underestimated and I would encourage the Minister of State to visit Ireland's wild bee sanctuary, which was set up by Paul Handrick and Clare-Louise Donelan on the Wicklow-Wexford border where they set aside 20 acres deliberately with the purpose of trying to protect the world bee population. They would argue that if we can convert and incentivise lands to be used as meadows, that will do a lot for biodiversity. It has always been my view that farmers are our front-line workers in the battle against climate change and the biodiversity crisis and the more we can equip farmers and ensure that farmland is used effectively for that purpose, the better. This week one year ago, we had a gorse fire on Tara Hill, which obviously caused a lot of problems for people who live there but also damaged much of the ecosystem there. The Tara Hill Community Development Association has been doing enormous work to try to restore the uplands there so that flora and fauna can thrive again. Support for small groups like that makes a huge difference in terms of protecting the very important ecology in the area. I know the Minister of State visited the Blackstairs Mountains. He mentioned the importance of the national parks. We would love to see a Blackstairs Mountains national park on the Wexford-Carlow border. The Minister will be aware that Councillor Barbara-Anne Murphy in Bunclody has been a champion of this. We have a lot of people and habitats there, farmers are very committed and it is a special area of conservation but looking to move it to a national park would be very much welcomed by the community and would be a fitting legacy of the Minister of State's time as Minister of State. I certainly agree that it is important that we work with nature. In the Wicklow-Wexford constituency, floods were caused by a number of different factors, including heavy rainfall. It is critical that we work with nature to try to ensure that those issues are resolved and again, it is important that the Government works with community groups in places like Bunclody, Aughrim and Shillelagh to be able to address that. Like the Minister of State, I am fortunate enough to represent a coastal constituency with many of the finest beaches in the country - in the case of my constituency, beaches stretching from Brittas Bay down to Morris Castle - but we have huge problems with coastal erosion, which obviously has an impact on people's homes and where they reside. There is also a really serious problem concerning the impact of that on habitats and in our discussion around biodiversity, we should not forget about issues relating to coastal erosion. The importance of the role and potential of artificial intelligence in biodiversity should not be underestimated. We can use it to gather all of the ecological data that can be gathered, make assessments and use it to inform what measurable action should be taken in the community, for example, the use of drones, the intelligence gathered from that and using big data and AI to be able to inform it. I know some research is being carried out by some of our universities and I know Research Ireland has funded a lot of this but the role of AI in sustainable development is underestimated and I would encourage the Minister of State and the Department to explore it further.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to statements on National Biodiversity Week. Across the country this week, hundreds of free events are bringing people into contact with nature on their doorstep. These events include guided walks, photography competitions, scavenger hunts and farm visits. It is a chance to learn, enjoy and be reminded that nature is not a backdrop to our lives but the foundation. Fianna Fáil has an enduring legacy in this area. It was a Fianna Fáil-led Government with Charles Haughey as Taoiseach that introduced the Environmental Protection Agency Act, which established the EPA. Protecting the natural environment, air quality and wildlife was an issue that Charles Haughey championed in this House as far back as 1972 and we continue to take that legacy seriously. In budget 2026, the Minister of State secured a 20% increase in funding for the NPWS bringing its core funding above the €100-million threshold for the first time. Staffing at the NPWS has grown by 68% since 2020 and last December, the Minister of State published the Article 17 report on Ireland's protected habitats and species. Three weeks ago, he received 46 policy recommendations from the independent advisory committee on Ireland's natural restoration plan. That draft plan is due to go to the European Commission by 1 September. This is the most significant single act of restoration planning ever undertaken in this country and the work is being done from the bottom up. Farmers, fishers, foresters and local communities are all engaged and I welcome this progress but the Article 17 report is honest about where we stand. A total of 90% of Ireland's protected habitats are in unfavourable status while 51% are deteriorating. The Minister of State was right to say we cannot lose hope because where we act, we see results such as peatlands recovering, the otter and pinemartin thriving and hay meadows expanding through the all-Ireland pollinator plan but the gap between what nature needs and what nature is getting remains very wide and closing that gap is the test for all of us. In my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, that work is happening close to home. The council's second county biodiversity action plan is being delivered in partnership with BirdWatch Ireland, Coastwatch Ireland and others. As chair of the strategic policy committee many moons ago, I brought in the county's first pollinating plan so this is a very welcome new plan by the council. The tern project on Dalkey Island also helped protect breeding sea birds on one of the most important coast line sites in our constituency. The eco grazing project at Fern Hill is restoring a working wildflower meadow through which local children walk every weekend. Beekeepers are doing great work to support pollinating across the county and indeed the country. In Cherrywood, an orchid-rich grassland was translocated ahead of the development in that area and is now flowering again with over 200 stems of orchid recorded since then. Booterstown Marsh in my constituency continues to be studied and the county's invasive alien species action plan is treating giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed and the American skunk cabbage on roadsides and in our parklands. Our coast is also home to something that belongs to the whole country. Dublin Bay is a UNESCO biosphere - the only biosphere reserve in the world that contains a national capital city. Through the Dublin Bay biosphere conservation and research strategy, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council are working as one to protect the bays' salt marshes, the dune systems, Brent geese and the harbour porpoises and terns. Last week, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council launched a new project at Dún Laoghaire Baths called UrbanDip, which is a partnership with DCU that is fully funded by the European Regional Development Fund. UrbanDip combines low sensors with an AI model that forecasts bathing water quality in near real time. Traditional sampling takes between 24 to 48 hours as many sea swimmers would know but UrbanDip is trying to close the information gap and is one of only three pilot sites across Europe. When I welcomed the reopening of the baths in this House in 2022, I called for such real-time information for swimmers so UrbanDip is exactly the kind of innovation we need and I commend the council and DCU on getting it off the ground. Nature is not a problem to be managed. It is a system to which we belong. National Biodiversity Week is a reminder of that and the work happening in Dún Laoghaire is a reminder that responsibility is local as much as it is national.

Biodiversity is a key aspect in ensuring a sustainable future for all citizens of this country. Our continued prosperity and that of future generations depends on a vibrant natural environment. Our built infrastructure and the economy rely on a happy and healthy natural infrastructure supporting it underneath. This is by no means the reality in Ireland today. We are in the grips of a full-fledged crisis when it comes to Ireland’s biodiversity. Our unique habitats are diminishing left and right, our landscape is less green, our waters are polluted and native species are becoming extinct. A report published today by the EPA highlights a widespread issue with household septic tanks, with 60% State-wide failing inspections. As well as being a public health risk, human waste and chemicals spur algae growth in streams and rivers, killing other plant, fish and insect life. We need stricter enforcement of compliance regulation. Just last week, the newest swimming area in the capital failed a pollution test and will remain off-limits for swimmers this summer. Half of the popular spots in the State have had warnings because of pollution, with the number of warnings issued doubling over the past year. The destruction of our natural resources is having real-life effects in the here and now. This is a direct result of the State’s ongoing failure to recognise the core importance of natural infrastructure to national well-being. For years now, we have neglected to protect our resources, failing to value them as life-sustaining and essential for our own health and the health of the planet we live on. We have pursued economic development with zero regard for the implications for wildlife preservation. We need to think seriously, on a policy level, about alternatives to our current model of business and agriculture, and putting just transition mechanisms in place today, not later. We need commitment and ambition from the Government so that life remains liveable for my children and their children. We cannot simply keep reporting on ongoing and continued devastation; we need action and investment. We are nowhere near reaching our targets under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, which is coming into effect now. We need an all-island approach. Partition means we have an inefficient and incoherent way of managing wildlife on our island. Planning for unity must prioritise co-ordination in this policy area. We need innovative solutions, such as rejuvenation of healthy hedgerows, forest regeneration projects and permaculture initiatives. There are inspiring grassroots and evidence-based ideas out there and these must be supported by the State. Bímis uaillmhianach chun ár dtimpeallacht a chosaint do na glúnta atá le teacht. Cuirimis an bhithéagsúlacht chun tosaigh sa phleanáil náisiúnta.

I welcome the opportunity to mark National Biodiversity Week. I want to first set the baseline. Where we are at present when it comes to nature and biodiversity in Ireland is not a good place. A total of 90% of Ireland's EU-protected habitats are in unfavourable conditions, and 51% are deteriorating. Ireland has one of the lowest levels of protected land in the EU, with only 6% being designated as SPAs and 10% as SACs. Some 14.7% of Irish species are threatened with extinction, and 2.7% are already regionally extinct. One third of bee species are threatened and two thirds of our bird species are of conservation concern, with curlews being down by 98% since the 1980s and corncrakes down by 96% since the 1970s. Just 53% of our water bodies are in satisfactory condition, and 56% of our native plant species are in decline. We are in a bad place, but I recognise that some measures being put in place at present are seeing positive results. The Minister of State spoke about the corncrake and curlew projects that are in place. There are certainly good signs and positive movement coming from that. I acknowledge the Minister of State's passion in this area, in which he has worked for a long time. Certainly, a huge part of his life is spent enjoying and appreciating nature. Considering where we are and the difficulties we face, I think there is considerable work ahead. When the Minister of State spoke earlier, he referred to the national parks and the NPWS. I recognise the incredible work done by the NPWS. The people in there are very passionate about the environment, and that is why they are in that job. It struck me as I listened to the Minister of State's speech, in which he outlined and listed all the national parks we have in Ireland - indeed, we have seen some very welcome increases in the national parks - that I am not sure we have really defined or identified what role our national parks should play. That is a key problem. When people hear about a "national park", they think of nature, protection and a safe place for nature to grow and be enhanced, but I do not believe we have got to that place with our national parks yet. That our national parks do not have management plans is a major concern of mine, and I have been raising it for several years now. Our national parks need to be areas where biodiversity and nature protection are the top priority, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Many of our national parks are farms with no additional protections within them. They are just lines drawn on a map, given a title and a place on a very lovely website. I am not sure whether, from a nature perspective, they are actually helping things. We should be having a discussion not only about what role the national parks play, but also about the balance within the national parks and their role. Many of them have become and are designed as recreational areas for communities and people to enjoy, and that is very important. We need these educational facilities and places where people can go and connect with nature to understand and enjoy it, but they also need to be places where protection is involved. We need to have a discussion about whether we need highly protected areas within our national parks that do not have walking tracks, car parks or coffee shops, and are not purely for recreation. That discussion absolutely has to happen. I do not believe we have even begun to consider that. Many of the things the Minister of State has talked about when it comes to funding are looking at footbridge upgrades, trail upgrades and maintenance, and redevelopment of carparks. As I have said, these are important, but at present we are not getting the protection piece right. We are getting the recreation piece right, but the protection piece has not been considered sufficiently. I ask that this be brought to the Minister of State, because he has had to leave the Chamber. Much of this stuff is long-term and very complex. You have different landowners, competing agendas and competing needs. It is difficult, but there are some quick wins that the Minister of State could make in relation to protecting biodiversity that are within his remit. I know the Minister of State is a birder, and he is essentially responsible for them, so I am surprised that we still have red- and amber-listed birds that are hunted every year. The Minister of State signs the open hunting season order on those, but I ask that he consider not allowing any endangered birds to be hunted, because that is counterintuitive. The Minister of State also allows for the capture and coursing of protected species. Again, that should not be allowed. I heard him talk this morning about an invasive species bureau, which is a very good idea, but there are some very simple things that need to happen immediately. We cannot allow the sale of invasive species in this country, on the one hand, and then at the same time have these invasive species causing huge destruction in certain areas with the State spending millions trying to get rid of them. It does not make sense. Rhododendron ponticum should not be sold in this country, and anyone selling it should face sanction. Cherry laurel is another species that is causing incredible problems and difficulties and yet you can still buy it. It should not be for sale. I know there are a number of species that are actually illegal for sale in Ireland but which are still being sold. For any distributor or garden centre that is caught or found to be selling these, there needs to be sanctions. We have to protect what we have here. Identifying that a species is problematic and seeing the absolute havoc a species like that can cause down in Killarney National Park and still allowing for it to be sold does not make any sense to me at all. I have a couple of minutes left. I know Derek Mooney has been in the media a lot for not-so-positive reasons but I wish to acknowledge and mention his documentary, which I have been looking at this week, about urban nature. This is an area we tend to forget as well. I think we see nature as something that is separate from us, out in the country and is only a rural thing but nature is all around us. His programme was very interesting in looking at how we can incorporate and facilitate nature to be a part of our cities and towns. Over the past number of years, we have cemented it out and got rid of it. We have created homes and communities where nature is not welcome or it cannot find a place. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, on one hand, is doing fantastic work with retrofitting homes but, at the same time, that retrofitting seals a home so species like swifts can no longer find their little nooks and crannies. I brought that to the SEAI's attention previously and it said it would look into that. We have become very good at the engineering aspects of our lives to the detriment of nature and there are ways we can make our homes, schools, villages and towns a lot more nature-friendly - I refer to bee bricks and swift bricks - to ensure that when there are new developments, it is native hedgerows that go in there and not species that just do not belong there. There is so much we can do because I think we have become very isolated from nature, particularly in urban communities. If we see ants, our first instinct is to get rid of them. We go straight for the pesticides we can get down in the local supermarket. All that kind of stuff has to stop. We need to learn to live with these species. I go out into my garden and I see midges everywhere and I love it, because I know all those midges in my garden are feeding the bats and the birds. We need to have that understanding of the food web and the ecological cycle but we need to make our villages and towns open to nature. I ask the Minister of State to pass that on to the Minister.

I welcome the opportunity to speak during National Biodiversity Week and to recognise the incredible work being done by communities, volunteers, schools, farmers and local organisations across County Laois and throughout Ireland to protect our natural environment. Biodiversity is not an abstract idea. It is the hedgerow beside the road, the bees in your garden, the rivers and boglands that shape our countryside, and the birds and wildlife that are part of everyday life in rural Ireland. Protecting biodiversity is not just about nature; it is about healthier communities, cleaner water, stronger farming and the birds and leaving our country in a better state, which is very important for the next generation. National Biodiversity Week reminds us that real environmental progress happens on the ground and in local communities. In my own County Laois, we are seeing that leadership every day. One initiative that deserves huge credit is Portlaoise: A Town in a Garden. This initiative has completely changed how people look at public spaces and biodiversity in the town. Through pollinator-friendly planting, greener spaces and strong community involvement, it has shown that towns can grow and develop while supporting nature. This is about far more than appearance. It is about creating habitats, improving well-being and building pride in our communities. I want to acknowledge the excellent work done by Portlaoise Tidy Towns and all Tidy Towns committees throughout the whole of County Laois in driving this project. Across Laois, volunteers give up their time every week to improve their local areas. Tidy Towns groups today are doing far more than just picking up litter. They are planting native species, protecting habitats, creating pollinator corridors and, most of all, educating communities about sustainability. They are environmental leaders in every sense of the word. I recognise the work of the Laois Federation of Tidy Towns and the growing support for the “space for nature” approach. Sometimes the best thing we can do for nature is simply give it space. A wildflower patch, a native hedge, reduced mowing or restoring wetlands can make a real difference. We should also acknowledge the very important role farmers are playing. Farmers are the custodians of much of our landscape and many are leading by example when it comes to biodiversity protection. Across Laois, farmers are protecting hedgerows, restoring habitats and safeguarding waterways while continuing to produce high-quality food. They understand better than anyone that healthy land and healthy ecosystems go hand in hand. As legislators, we must back practical action. That means supporting local groups, supporting farmers and making biodiversity protection part of everyday life in every town, village and parish. People want cleaner rivers, greener communities and healthier environments for their families. People want to play their part. National Biodiversity Week is not just a celebration. It is a call to action. I thank every volunteer, community group, local authority worker, farmer and citizen who is helping to protect Ireland’s biodiversity. Their work matters, and County Laois can be proud of the example being set right across our communities. This is a good time for young people in our country. When I was a young person, there was very little about biodiversity. All we ever knew about was tadpoles and pinkeens. Today, there is huge education in all our towns and villages about the importance of keeping what we have and, for instance, the work that is being done now with our native bees, the corncrakes and the hen harriers. It was a pity that could not have been done maybe 15 years ago and there would be a lot more of those species.

I thank the Deputy. I call Deputy Ward.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank everybody who is doing it.

You are eating into Deputy Ward's time. I call Deputy Ward.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I join Deputy Aird in acknowledging the work that is being done by people. He mentioned a number of different projects; bees were one of them. That kind of apiculture is really important. We know how much danger there is associated with the native Irish bee. There is an organisation in my own locality called Open Hive, which not only locates hives in places where they might not otherwise be - on private land, on top of apartment buildings and other places like that to allow bees to thrive - but is also engaged in education with the local community to ensure that people interested in keeping bees will get the opportunity to do that. They are some of the many unknown heroes of biodiversity across Ireland. I think of Monkstown Tidy Districts as well, a local organisation. It does not just do the pick-ups on Saturday mornings that we all associate with Tidy Districts and Tidy Towns organisations. Monkstown Tidy Districts organises many biodiversity events to show people how they can foster biodiversity in their own gardens or on their own balconies if they do not have a garden, and to help them to sow different types of plants that give variety and foster the growth of various fauna in a biodiverse way. I am fortunate to live on the edge of Dublin Bay, which is a UNESCO biosphere. It is a hugely important place and part of that would be places like the Booterstown marsh, administered by An Taisce, which does enormously important work in providing spaces for birds and plants of all different types, both saltwater and freshwater, because it is tidal and the water comes in and out according to the tide. It fosters an environment where all those plants can grow. People who drive down Booterstown might sometimes complain about the smell when the tide is out but the people of the area have a close association with and attachment to the valuable asset the Booterstown marsh is. The archipelago of Dalkey Island is also an area where biodiversity and the restoration of habitats for animals that do not have other places to go have been fostered. I acknowledge the work done by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in the context of the Dalkey Island archipelago. The council, in fairness to it, is constantly working on its biodiversity space, working with local organisations such as the Irish National Sailing School, which has been equipped by the council with things that help it clean up the water in Dún Laoghaire Harbour and the adjacent areas. We have organisations like Flossie and the Beach Cleaners - Flossie Donnelly is a young girl who has pioneered the cleaning up of our coasts and beaches with groups of volunteers - which collect tonnes of rubbish over a period of years, picking up all kinds of things off the coast and beaches. They are organising pick-ups all the time, not just in our area of Dún Laoghaire but all the way up and down Dublin and the east coast. The work they do is hugely important. They do it in the face of the fact that there are other complicating factors. Even in Kilbogget park, for example, where we have a lovely attenuation pond, a family of swans had to be removed because of an oil spill. Even though we have all these local heroes constantly working to put in place facilities to assist with biodiversity, working against them we have litter and pollution. In the context of Dublin Bay biosphere, at the West Pier at the back of Dún Laoghaire Harbour, there is an overflow pipe from the West Pier pumping station. The sewerage collected in the south Dublin area is mostly pumped through the West Pier pumping station, through an under-seabed pipe to Poolbeg, where the sewerage is treated before being released into the sea. However, when there is a lot of rainfall there is a greater demand on the pumping station than it can cope with. When there is too much material going into it, it flows into an overflow tank or attenuation tank at the West Pier, which holds 70,000 litres. Even then, when that is full, for example when there is a lot of run-off from rain, there is nowhere for the waste to go but into the sea. All the work that is being done by the various groups I have mentioned is being counteracted by the regular pollution of Dublin Bay in incidents like that. There is an easy solution insofar as we could build a second attenuation tank that would prevent those overflows. It is an easy solution in the medium term and something we should be looking at if we are serious about biodiversity.

Ireland is facing a national biodiversity crisis that is entirely entwined with the climate crisis. We are a country that is known internationally for our landscapes, nature and lakes. These are threats that pose a risk to our own environment and well-being, as well as our local economies, especially in areas that rely on tourism. It requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. In my county, Monaghan, the local council has been to the fore, leading on many initiatives such as the first county hedgerow survey in 2010, which has been replicated by a number of other councils over the years. Recently other projects, such as the Sliabh Beagh PEACEPLUS nature peatland recovery and the hen harrier management programme, have been great initiatives coming out of Monaghan. Farmers across this island have been to the fore in responding to the climate and biodiversity crises. They are doing so in a context where they are consistently being asked to do more, while getting paid less, because that is how it works. Newly mandated regulations are usually either production reduction measures or measures that increase production costs. The problem is this. While there can be good money to be made in food production, farmers' margins are already simply too tight to absorb the ever-rising standards. I am not disputing that measures are necessary. The question is how we fund them. Bringing more transparency to processors' and retailers' margins is needed, as is enforcement of unfair trading practices. So too is paying our farmers for the services they provide as a part of the Common Agricultural Policy. I hope all Members will recognise the scale of the challenge we face and row in behind our farmers in the months ahead as the EU budget is agreed and, in particular, that we will be united in demanding a larger CAP budget and more funding for our farming families. I will touch on an issue related to the use of lead gunshot and the REACH committee. This goes back to the previous Dáil term. I am aware that at that time, there was an issue in terms of engagement between the Department and stakeholders. I do not want to dwell on that, and we have a new Minister. Is the Minister of State willing to give a commitment to engage with representative countryside, conservation and rural stakeholder organisations on this matter?

I am sharing time with Deputy O'Gorman. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue of biodiversity. There are a lot of aspects to it. One that is directly relevant to my own area is the issue of marine protected areas. I have raised this point many times. The Government has failed to adequately protect sensitive marine environments. The EU biodiversity strategy 2030 and the UN biodiversity framework require that 30% of our marine area should be protected. Currently, we are at less than 10%. In the meantime, there is another imperative, namely, the development of offshore wind, which is an absolute priority. There is a need to synchronise these two things in a way that doing one does not undermine the other. This has not happened. The private developers of offshore renewable wind have got to select sites. They have chosen sites that are likely the most ecologically sensitive from a biodiversity point of view, but that are cheaper and more profitable sites for the developers to develop offshore wind. Off the east coast, we have development at very close proximity to the shore, on sandbanks which are ecologically very sensitive as they are the spawning ground for shellfish and many species of fish. They also provide livelihoods for fishers off the east coast. The fishers estimate this involves, directly and indirectly, about 800 jobs. The developers have decided which sites should be selected, rather than us deciding which are the marine areas that need to be protected. This is a problem. Groups like the South East Coastal Protection Alliance say there has been significant damage to the marine environment and marine biodiversity off Arklow from the wind farm off the Arklow bank. Now there has to be decommissioning after 20 years, another important factor. The turbines have to be decommissioned after 20 years and then built again on a bigger scale, when there is already significant evidence of damage to marine biodiversity. Ultimately, this can undermine the climate imperative for which renewable energy is being developed in the first place, namely, to prevent damage to the wider climate, as these environments are particularly important for carbon capture. They are potentially being seriously damaged. The point is that we should have the legislation on marine protected areas, we should have the 30% necessary, and we should ensure that the most ecologically sensitive marine areas are protected before we let developers decide where they want, for profit reasons, to develop the offshore renewable energy which we absolutely need. I note that most of the rest of Europe does not put offshore wind at anything like the proximity being proposed on the east coast. They put it 20 km, 30 km and up to 60 km off the coast in these sensitive areas, not 10 km as is proposed here. We need to understand that biodiversity is critical, as is the protection of sensitive marine protected areas, and it should not be the poor relation when we talk about protecting our environment.

I am sure that, like me, the Minister of State has been out knocking on doors in Dublin Central and Galway West over the past number of weeks. One of the things I have been struck with in the many conversations I have had with voters is the deep connection that people in our country feel with nature. This connection applies irrespective of where people live, be it in urban or rural communities. Whether they are planting trees along streets in Stoneybatter or growing on the land area protected by Connemara National Park, people across Ireland want to see action taken to protect the nature around them. Many Irish people are taking this action themselves. We can look at how communities around the country have embraced the all-Ireland pollinator plan. Everywhere we see signs on roadsides and in parks stating areas have been left aside and allowed to go wild. This scheme is very much driven forward by the Tidy Towns groups around the country. The Tidy Towns movement itself has changed and evolved in many ways over recent years. There was once a time when the local clean-up involved a war on weeds but now local Tidy Towns groups are very much making space for nature, wildness and a bit of messiness in towns and villages. Community gardens, local authority allotments, the slow food movement and seed savers are manifestations of communities' desire to get closer to nature. This passion has to be matched with Government action and funding. In 2019, the Dáil declared a biodiversity crisis in Ireland alongside the climate crisis. The Dáil recognised that the two were deeply interlinked. Right now Ireland sits 13th from the bottom of countries worldwide in a biodiversity intactness index. Maybe this is unsurprising when we consider that Ireland spent the lowest share of GDP on nature of all EU member states. My colleague, Senator Noonan, has said a reframe is needed when it comes to nature and that it should be treated as critical infrastructure in its own right. What the Government fails to see is the link between our future financial sustainability and our environmental sustainability. It needs to shift its thinking towards one of investment in flood prevention, resilience in our farming system, community well-being, restoring our rivers, abundant seas and cooling our urban centres. This reframe should mean this and future Governments do not view nature restoration as a financial burden. Since last year, I have raised in the Dáil the status of Lady's Island Lake in Wexford on a number of occasions. Last weekend, members of the Oireachtas climate committee travelled to Wexford to see the condition of the lake. I acknowledged in the Dáil earlier this afternoon that an initial tranche of funding provided has allowed baseline and scoping work to begin there. Lady's Island Lake could become a beacon for nature restoration across this island but it will require the State to step up with more funding and support actions on the ground that will turn the story there around. It is worth reflecting that the biggest potential source of funding for restoring nature, and particularly for paying farmers for actions they agree to undertake on their own land, is gone with the raiding of the Climate and Nature Fund last year by the Government to plug holes in existing infrastructure funding. Hundreds of millions of euro had been put aside in the Climate and Nature Fund, money taken from the annual surpluses that were available to create new revenue streams, particularly for smaller farmers on marginal land. From where will we replace this money that the Government took from the Climate and Nature Fund, which would have financed nature restoration? So much of the rest of what the Minister of State and the Government say about nature protection hangs on this question of where the money will come from. Unfortunately, until the Government can demonstrate a clear funding source for the scale of the nature protection we need to address the interlinked nature and biodiversity crisis, pretty much everything the Government representatives say today will ring hollow.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute during national biodiversity week and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, who I appreciate had to step out, for his continued commitment to biodiversity projects, nature restoration and engagement with rural communities. I say this to acknowledge a visit he made with me to Cloughjordan in my constituency last November. This visit involved a number of stops, one of which was Scohaboy Bog, which is a rewetting project in north Tipperary. It is extremely successful and it is Tipperary's leading peatland restoration project. It involves a lot of community work and engagement with the Cloughjordan Community Development Association, which engaged with keen stakeholders to make it happen. It is on the topic of engagement that I will speak. An issue I will raise is stakeholder engagement structures in the wildlife and conservation sectors. As the Minister of State knows, this is an issue I have raised previously in the House because I believe meaningful stakeholder engagement is crucial if we are serious about delivering biodiversity objectives. The most recent NPWS strategic action plan committed to establishing a stakeholder forum. Subsequently, there was a further commitment to establishing a countryside forum for nature. I understand this is now not to proceed. At the same time, a separate forum for sustainable hunting of wild birds was also recently suspended. Stakeholders involved in this process have expressed frustration at the lack of clarity around the decision and uncertainty as to when any forum may resume its work. I raise this simply in the spirit of ensuring constructive engagement between the Department and rural stakeholders. I would appreciate if the Minister of State would speak to officials in the Department to better understand whether there is a timeline for the reinstatement of the forum. Another issue I want to raise relates to the review of the memorandum of understanding agreed with the National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC. I last raised this issue in the House in October. It was announced that a review of the memorandum of understanding with the Department would take place at that time. It is my understanding that to date the NARGC has not yet been contacted by officials in relation to this review process. From my point of view, when I raised it in the House at the time I was quite surprised to hear the review was taking place to begin with, considering a memorandum of understanding had been undertaken. My understanding is that the NARGC was not informed in advance that a review was taking place and has not received clarification from the NPWS as to what the process will involve. I fully appreciate that reviews have to take place. They make sense in terms of spending public funding. However, where organisations have engaged with the Department, it is important that there is open communication and ongoing engagement throughout the entire process. At a time when we are all asking more of rural communities in terms of biodiversity delivery, conservation and nature restoration - I know these communities will step up to the plate because they are already doing so - it is important these same communities are included in national policy discussions. Collaboration with stakeholders will be essential in ensuring consensus on major measures, such as the nature restoration law, in the years ahead. Earlier, I mentioned a very successful nature restoration project in a bog close to me. This was possible because of strong engagement and clear communication, and getting a group of people together who, it would have been assumed at one time, would not have pulled in the right direction. They proved it is possible with engagement and constructive work. I would appreciate if the Minister of State engaged with officials and the Department to ensure communication with all parties remains constructive and transparent as these processes move forward and that the original ambition behind these engagement structures can still be meaningfully progressed. Rural Ireland wants to engage constructively on these issues. I believe it is important that this continues in a spirit of partnership and good faith. I know this because I live in rural Ireland. I represent rural Ireland and I know these communities will engage if there is a positive benefit for them and if they are brought along the process. In order for this to happen I believe the two forums I mentioned earlier are absolutely essential. There are groups that want to be part of the conversation. These groups are interested in rural Ireland, rural pursuits and rural ways of life, and this includes conservation as part of their work. If we have engagement and meaningful conversation, I believe this can happen.

It is great to be here to acknowledge and mark National Biodiversity Week. It is clear in this House that there is huge interest in this as an environmental issue. It is all around us, in our hedgerows, boglands, rivers, coastlines and the native trees that have shaped the story of this island for centuries. Biodiversity is our national heritage, particularly our native Irish trees. That is not just for their environmental value, but for the history, folklore and identity attached to them. That interest has led me to start Míle Crainn Na hÉireann. That was an initiative encouraging communities, schools and families to plant native Irish trees and reconnect with their ecological heritage, spreading the knowledge and the importance of our native flora. Growing up I always loved the stories attached to our trees. One that stayed with me was that of the holly tree. Associated with strength, sportsmanship and champions, in ancient Ireland the holly symbolised endurance and leadership. It could symbolise the Fianna Fáil party as well. Cú Chulainn carries a sprig of holly and Lú the warrior god, after whom County Louth is named, made his spears from holly. It is not only attached to Fianna Fáil but to County Louth. There is something Irish about the idea that true strength is steady, protective and deeply rooted. I also think of the lone hawthorn trees standing in fields across rural Ireland. Many farmers would sooner move a road than interfere with one. Some people dismiss these traditions as superstition but there is wisdom in them. The hawthorn is one of the richest native trees we have for biodiversity. Hundreds of insect species depend on it for food and shelter, while its blossoms feed pollinators and its berries sustain the birds through winter. Long before biodiversity reports existed, communities understood that protecting those trees meant protecting life itself. Under Brehon Law, native trees were protected because they were understood to be a central part of society. Today, modern science is confirming what our ancestors already knew. Healthy ecosystems protect communities, agriculture, climate resilience and human well-being. We cannot speak honestly about biodiversity without speaking directly to our pollinators. Our native honey bee and wild pollinators are under enormous pressure of habitat loss, pesticide disease and invasive species. Without pollinators we do not have functioning ecosystems, secure food production and healthy biodiversity. That is why I call for the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill to be progressed and passed through the Dáil. This legislation is necessary. It is about protecting Ireland's native honey bee population from further decline and safeguarding biodiversity before irreversible damage is done. If we are serious about it, we need to protect pollinators. We must also recognise the importance of supporting farmers and local communities who are custodians of landscapes like the Cooley Mountains. They cannot be expected to protect biodiversity without being given the proper tools, training and financial support to do so. In places across the Cooleys, bracken is growing out of control, choking the natural growth of our native heathers and slowly changing the character of the mountains. Anyone who knows the Cooleys knows they should carry a distinctive purple plume across the hillsides in late summer. The beautiful bell heathers are unique to these uplands and so important to pollinators, wildlife and the identity of the area. If we lose that habitat through neglect or lack of support, we lose something culturally and environmentally irreplaceable. We also need to be far more serious about how we deal with invasive species. I welcome the establishment of the new invasive species bureau, but it cannot become another strategy to sit on a shelf. It has to come with proper enforcement. We need tougher inspections, stronger regulation and meaningful fines for those who continue to sell invasive plant species that damage our ecosystems and waterways. Prevention, as we all know, is cheaper than restoration and once invasive species take hold, communities are left fighting the consequences. County councils and governments are caught paying the bill. National Biodiversity Week should remind us that nature is not separate from us. It is part of who we are as a people. If we fail to protect it now, future generations will not forgive us.

I thank Deputy McGreehan for mentioning Cú Chulainn, obviously Louth's finest hurler. Hopefully we will see his type again in the near future. It is much needed. I agree with much of what previous speakers have said. We are in an absolute nightmare with regard to biodiversity and the crossover point with climate change. A huge amount of work is being done by communities. Many have mentioned Tidy Towns. The danger with naming one group is that you offend those you do not mention. I will mention Dundalk, Blackrock and Dromiskin and the huge body of work done in those areas. I have to mention Muirhevnamor Community Gardens where there are allotments and community gardens in the middle of a major estate in Dundalk. The connection with community and nature is fundamentally a brilliant thing. A huge amount of work is done and sometimes people underestimate the clean-up. From that comes a connection with what needs to be done in relation to management of biodiversity, combined with ensuring we live in clean communities. I welcome the work done in Bay Estate where I live. Occasionally, I have shown up. In the past number of weeks, I have used the excuse of canvassing and other things not to be at it. I will not bother mentioning any candidates or anything. I am very good like that. I commend the work they do. The Cooley Peninsula Marine Litter Project is a fabulous project. It is quite like Ronseal. I do not think I need to get into what it does. I have been lucky enough to be alongside many of my Sinn Féin councillor colleagues on clean-ups. Even our Toirleach showed up at the last one and probably did a bit more work than I did, but that can happen from time to time. I also welcome the work done by the Bee Kind Project, which engaged Louth Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council from the point of view of planting native fruit trees, and engaged with community groups on that. As I am nearly out of time I was going to get into the ins and outs of the impact on our habitats of those species that are facing extinction and the fact that we need to work alongside farmers. We need to make sure funding is derived from outside of the CAP to make the moves that need to be made. A huge amount also needs to be done from the point of view of energy, whether we are talking about biogas or wind energy. We also need to deal with the infrastructural disaster in the area of wastewater, which has a huge impact in Louth.

Earlier this year, the Minister launched an important report in Clonakilty on wintering waterbirds. It highlighted the important good data habitat protection and the work being done by local communities. However, we also need to deal with the gaps. We still do not have a national bag data collection system. That has been an issue for years. The National Association of Regional Game Councils, which represents thousands of people in rural Ireland, has repeatedly offered to work with the Department to provide that data. It is willing to help and be part of the solution but there has been no real progress. I raised this with the Department through parliamentary questions last week, including the review of the memorandum of understanding and the suspension of the stakeholders forum. The responses I received did little to ease the concern. There is still too much uncertainty and not enough clear communication. That is not how to build trust or encourage people to engage. When we talk about biodiversity we have to look at what is happening on the ground. These are the facts. In parts of west Cork, we still have raw sewage leaking into beautiful rivers that were clean at one time, and coastal waters. That is the reality for the people of Rosscarbery, Shannonvale, Dunmanway, Ballydehob, Goleen and all these communities. I have raised this issue time and again, but it has still not been properly addressed. We cannot talk about protecting biodiversity while allowing that kind of damage to continue. Clean water is the most basic requirement for protecting habitats, wildlife and local ecosystems. People in west Cork are frustrated. They feel left behind while these issues drag on. If we are serious about biodiversity, we need to get the basics right. That means proper wastewater infrastructure, real engagement with the stakeholders and delivery on the ground. Rural communities have the knowledge and the willingness to play their part, but they should not be left on the sidelines.

The debate is on biodiversity and nature restoration but there is nothing here about the protection of human life. I am from a farming background and live in rural Ireland. I talk about people trying to get safely to school or the bus network or trucks trying to get to the shops with goods from the farmers, people trying to get to work and people trying to walk the roads. All the roads in Ireland are closing in. There is talk about the protection of wildlife, which pulls the mirrors off trucks, buses and cars and puts people in danger. A solution has not been put forward to getting wildlife off the sides of the roads and safe passage for humans on the roads. It is not only safe passage for people on the roads but it is also saving nature. However, this is ignored and it is decided we must let all the roads in Ireland close in and put people's lives at risk. I love wildlife and I want to protect wildlife but I also love humans and want to protect human life. Unfortunately, there is no joined-up thinking when it comes to governance. You can only cut the hedges at certain times of the year but if the hedges were cut properly once - 1 m up and straight up - you would protect everyone. You would protect wildlife and you would protect human life but it is not looked at in that way. How many people when driving come around the bend and are met by a vehicle in the middle of the road because it cannot keep to the side of the road as everything growing out from there? This is all due to policies by government rather than joined-up thinking which would allow the hedges to be cut back properly once and then be maintained from then on to protect wildlife and human life. However, it looks like human life comes last when it comes to this Government. We want to protect nature and we want biodiversity but we also want to protect human life. That might be something for the Government to think about.

The Government has a habit of signing up to laws and targets, making announcements and slapping itself on the back before walking away. It walks away without a plan, without any ring-fenced funding for the targets it has set out to achieve and really without any plan to deliver what is proposed. The EU Nature Restoration Law is a perfect example of this. We are now legally obliged to restore at least 20% of our land and sea by 2030. That is not just a target or an aspiration but a legally-binding obligation with fines attached. My questions for the Minister of State is how we achieve this without any ring-fenced funding or plan and ultimately who will pay the fines that are attached. On the one hand the legal obligations are intensifying while on the other the funding is being pulled away. The committee drafting Ireland’s nature restoration plan has already raised concerns about the absence of the nature funding within the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund. The principal investment framework for this State, which runs up to 2035, does not even adequately support the objectives the Government has signed us up to. Instead, and quite incredibly, the bulk of the funding is actually being diverted to the Dublin MetroLink. To be clear, we signed up to the Nature Restoration Law and then the Government diverted the money away from nature restoration into MetroLink. This is not the only area where we are basically sleepwalking into European fines. Ireland is already falling significantly short of our EU emissions targets and the gap between what we have committed to and what is happening on the ground is widening. It is farmers, rural communities and ultimately ordinary people who will pay these fines.

Things have got worse since I spoke about this last year. I had a few more minutes then, so I have to rush. The 2025 Article 17 habitats report has come out since last year’s debate and it shows we are sliding backwards. There have been improvements in a small number of habitats and targeted conservation work by volunteers has helped some species but overall we are neglecting our country and basically spitting in the face of our many volunteers. The report shows 90% of Ireland’s EU protected habitats remain in poor condition and more than half are still deteriorating. This Government and its predecessor has allowed the majority of our most precious ecosystems to continue deteriorating. It is not rocket science. What is causing the problem is unsustainable land use, drainage, pollution, overgrazing, improper development and especially the shameful way we reneged on our responsibilities to sustain biodiversity. We still allow raw sewage into our rivers and seas, which is absolutely absurd. Putting animal excrement on our land and allowing it to pollute our waterways is plain wrong. We have nitrogen-fixing alternatives like fava beans, and a policy promoting more organic farming rather than over-intensification could help massively but instead we trumpet our achievement with the derogation on the nitrates directive. I believe in our farmers. I believe they will do more if their incomes are protected and they are given guarantees and incentives, along with the communities they live in. There is surely a way to adhere to the nitrates directive while protecting farm incomes. In dealing with our problem nationally we need meaningful incentives and enforcement where incentives do not work. Above all, we need political will as opposed to plámás.

This being National Biodiversity Week it is really important we acknowledge the enormous positive work at the local level within our communities by schools, farmers, environmental organisations and especially volunteers and Tidy Towns groups. They do extraordinary work to protect and enhance biodiversity. If we are serious about protecting biodiversity we also need to be serious about confronting invasive species and this is what I will focus on in my contribution. In towns and villages in County Tipperary and across the country communities are increasingly dealing with invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed. These are no longer isolated environmental concerns but public safety issues, infrastructure issues and indeed major financial liabilities for local authorities, landowners and communities. In recent weeks I have been dealing with a particularly concerning case involving the reported presence of giant hogweed in a public park in South Tipperary. This is a busy public amenity used daily by families, walkers, sports clubs, schools and children. This issue was reported many months ago yet there appears to have been uncertainty about who is responsible for co-ordination. Questions arose about who exactly is responsible for responding on the ground. Is it the council district office, the environmental section, the biodiversity officer, the National Parks and Wildlife Service or the Department of agriculture? While these questions remain unanswered the people continue to use these public spaces every day. That points to a much wider national issue. We do not have a sufficiently clear, consistent and co-ordinated approach across local authorities when it comes to invasive species management. Who takes operational control? Who co-ordinates the response? What happens when the infestation is on public land? What happens when it is on private land beside public infrastructure? How quickly are public safety measures implemented and what guidance exists for local authorities to ensure a uniform response nationwide? In the case of giant hogweed the dangers are very real. Contact with the plant can cause severe burns, blistering, long-term skin damage and eye injuries yet in some instances areas remain accessible to the public and without barriers or warning signage. Japanese knotweed presents another enormous challenge. It damages roads, footpaths, walls, drainage systems and property. It can severely impact development land and places huge costs on homeowners, councils and taxpayers alike. Communities often feel powerless when infestations spread across boundaries between public and private land, with no clear framework for enforcement or co-ordinated treatment. We need a national strategy that provides clarity and consistency. That means clear lines of responsibility within every local authority, proper co-ordination between biodiversity, environmental and district operations staff, national guidelines for treatment and containment, public awareness campaigns and, most importantly, adequate funding for early intervention because early action is far cheaper than long-term remediation. Biodiversity protection is not only about preserving what is native and thriving but also about managing what threatens it. If we truly value biodiversity, we must equip our local authorities and communities with the structures, resources and accountability needed to deal effectively with invasive species before these problems escalate even further.

Across Ireland, we can see the absence of a lot of wildlife, nature and biodiversity that was commonplace when we were all growing up or even 20 years ago. Rivers that were teeming with fish are now polluted and butterflies are a rare occurrence. We are witnessing the destruction of natural habitats. The warning signs are there and clear for everybody to see. One third of Ireland’s 99 bee species, the main pollinators of all plant life, are now threatened with extinction. I pay a particular tribute to the Irish beekeeper and writer, Bruce Copeland, who lives in Tinahely. He is publicly advocating for the enactment of the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill in this Oireachtas. We need to pass this Bill during this term. The World Bee Sanctuary is near Coolafancy, which is close to the Wicklow-Wexford border, run by Paul Handrick and his wife Clare-Louise Donelan. It is particularly commendable. I am also proud that Wexford and Wicklow were the first two counties to declare a biodiversity emergency, recognising that urgent action is required to protect wildlife and natural habitats for future generations. I also commend Wexford County Council on its efforts to clean up the heavily polluted Our Lady’s Island lake. In both counties, we are very fortunate to live beside some of the most beautiful landscapes in Ireland, from forests and mountains to our beaches, from Brittas Bay down to Morriscastle, Curracloe and beyond. We are also home to some of the truly special national and natural treasures in Ireland, such as the last remaining oak forest at Tomnafinnoge near Tinahely, close to where I live. There are also two wonderful deciduous forests in Courtown and Ballyfad, which are vital rich habitats for birds, insects, fungi and wildlife found nowhere else. These ancient woodlands remind us of what Gaelic Ireland once looked like before it was plundered and pillaged and why protecting our natural environment matters so much in terms of reclaiming the Irish nation. I commend voluntary groups such as those behind the 100 Million Trees Project, the Mulcahys, who live close to where I live. The aim is to have 110 million trees planted throughout the ancient island of Ireland, including at Kilmichael Point, Kilpatrick, Castletown, Moneygarrow, near Arklow, Servier Industries in Arklow, Clogga, and Gorey district park. Unfortunately, our Government has the worst record in Europe for developing deciduous forest cover and this has to change. We have the beautiful Blackstairs Mountains overlooking Bunclody, with unique biodiversity. We should take the opportunity to develop this as a national park. I would like to see that happening during this term. We have a beautiful gem in Tara Hill, close to the coast near Gorey. The local development association, which is encouraging biodiversity on the hill, needs to be given every support possible. The Government missed a huge opportunity with the recent auction of Lugnaquilla, the highest mountain in Leinster and County Wicklow. The State could have bought the mountain and developed it as a national park with real benefits for biodiversity. It is still not too late. Hopefully, the declaration of an emergency will focus our minds on enacting policies locally, which will help to tackle the crisis in our midst.

Bhí mé ag éisteacht le gach duine agus aontaím le go leor rud a dúradh. I will start with the area I represent, Dublin Bay North. I have mentioned previously that Bull Island, in my constituency and a part of the Dublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere, is one of the best places to go to clear the head. Sadly, we have lost the native Irish hare on the island. The last time it was seen was in 2016. The golf club on the island, St. Annes, still has the hare on its crest. I was talking to the club's greenskeeper recently. The Irish hare should be returned there and I am asking for a funded reintroduction programme. I have spoken in the climate and energy committee about this issue. It would be brilliant. Even when we look at the etymology of the Irish word for the hare, giorria, from gearrfhia, it means a small deer. The Irish language and the Irish hare have been hand in hand since we have been growing on this island, and it is sad to see the hares gone from Bull Island. I remember seeing the hares when I was growing up. Hares are actually good for golf clubs because they do not burrow. They do not mess up the courses and loads of golf clubs actually love them. I also want to talk about the red squirrels. I have only seen two in my entire life, in the Dublin Mountains. We need to look at the example of other countries. Research from the University of Galway has shown that the recovery of pine marten populations can cause grey squirrel populations to collapse. Just as the Irish native hare population grew on the island, so too did the red squirrels. Red squirrels can get to branches that the grey squirrel cannot, and red squirrels have grown up with the pine martens. This is something that should be looked at as a nature-based solution. As a beekeeper, I also want to speak about the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill. I welcome the contribution from the previous Deputy. My parliamentary assistant, Tracy, was working when the legislation was introduced in the Seanad. She did a lot of work on it. I actually spoke at the agriculture committee, possibly the first time ever for a Dub, supporting the Bill. I love being a beekeeper. I have been stung worse in politics. It was mentioned that there are 98 or 99 species of bee; it depends on who you asg. The honey bee is being well looked after but it is a solo bee. It is the bumblebee that we need to protect. No Mow May needs to be used and the Irish public needs to get out and reintroduce those bees.

I just want to inform Deputy Heneghan that I welcomed four young hares into my field the other morning. They were grand specimens. I thank the local community groups, the Tidy Towns committees and the rural development companies for the great work they do enhancing our environment around all our towns and villages in the county of Kerry. We are facing a massive challenge with our wastewater treatment plants. Our local authorities and Irish Water have been starved of funding to deal with these plants. We have towns in Kerry that are over capacity. Castleisland has been looking for an extension to its treatment plant for 40 years. I found documents belonging to my father in the garage, where he was working on it. One third of the town is dealt with using septic tanks. The Minister of State knows this is not the way to go. Villages like Scartaglin and Currow are all very close to each other and they have no treatment plants. Scartaglin has none and Currow just has a holding tank, which is drawn out of constantly to the treatment plant in Killarney. Moyvane is a satellite village of Tralee, and not another house can be built there because the sewerage system will not take an extra house as it is over capacity. Many of our towns and villages need improvements in this regard. There are 32 or 33 now on a list to be dealt with. That will not happen without funding, and Irish Water will not have access to funding unless the Government gives it to the company. I am appealing to the Government now. It must start on the ground, and maybe people do not like talking about sewage, but we cannot build houses if we do not have waste treatment plants and if places like Kenmare are still waiting for water. These are the things that have to be dealt with and have to be funded. I appeal to the Government again from this seat here, and I have been directing my requests across the Chamber since I came up here in 2016. I am asking for this funding. The other thing I am asking for is to clear out our rivers. Our rivers are overshadowed by trees, and salmon or trout will not thrive in them. I am asking that the rivers be cleaned out like was always done. That is why the fish numbers are depleting. We need to start doing those things.

It is good to get an opportunity to mark National Biodiversity Week in the Dáil and to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to the protection and restoration of Ireland's natural heritage. A wide range of issues were raised and highlighted by Members. I acknowledge the great work being done in communities across the country but also that some areas need more attention and focus. Just this morning, I joined the Minister of State, Deputy O’Sullivan, at the National Biodiversity Data Centre in Carriganore in my constituency of Waterford where a memorandum of understanding was signed between the NPWS and the National Biodiversity Data Centre to strengthen our approach to dealing with invasive species. There is no doubt that there is a growing recognition of the importance of biodiversity across the country. Threats to biodiversity are not something that can be addressed by any one person or organisation and I am heartened to acknowledge the cross-party interest and support displayed in numerous statements. National Biodiversity Week gives us a snapshot of the sheer variety of ways we can interact with nature and biodiversity. I congratulate the Irish Environmental Network and the NPWS for their great work in co-ordinating this year’s programme. I also want to acknowledge and pay tribute to the individuals, community groups, and organisations who have organised and participated in events across the country because without their passion and energy, these events simply would not happen. There were some lovely events in my constituency last weekend, including a walking tour of Waterford Harbour with experts on hand to help participants identify flowers, birds and insects. These everyday things are all around us and we do not ordinarily notice them but they are building blocks of our environment. The National Biodiversity Week programme is evolving year on year, reflecting the growing awareness across all sectors of the importance of biodiversity but this is not just about one week in the year. The work being carried out by all participants day in, day out throughout the year shows what can be achieved when local knowledge, State support and citizen interest come together. These are the kinds of efforts that make a difference and are driving real change and I commend everyone on their efforts. These events have helped to shine a light on the everyday places that matter from small local initiatives right up to our national parks and nature reserves as well as everything in between, including green spaces in our towns, villages and cities, our rivers, hedgerows, harbours, back gardens, and boglands. These are not just habitats; they are homes for wildlife and places of well-being for us all. The Government has made a clear statement of intent with record levels of investment in nature and heritage. A sum of €100 million in core funding was provided to the NPWS in 2026. This funding enables collaborative, locally-led projects through initiatives such as the local biodiversity action fund. It also supports the protection and restoration of vital habitats, conservation of threatened species and enhances monitoring and research. It also strengthens enforcement capacity, which is crucial to protecting our habitats. It is a whole-of-society, whole-of-government approach and one to which we are strongly committed. Our young people are key to the future. Through initiatives like the green schools programme and youth biodiversity networks, we are supporting the development of an informed and engaged generation, passionate about biodiversity and we owe it to them to keep investing in these projects. As a Minister of State in the Department and someone from Waterford, it would be remiss of me not to mention a few planned events in my home county that everyone is welcome to participate in, ranging from walks in the Comeragh Mountains and Gracedieu Wood to whale watching off Heilbhic Head. There will also be a cycle along the fantastic Waterford-Dungarvan greenway on Saturday. These events are suitable for the whole family and are an opportunity to get out into nature and to learn about it. With just a few days remaining in National Biodiversity Week, I encourage everyone to check out the website, find events that are of interest or that are local, join in and get a new appreciation of what is right on their doorstep but to do so in a safe and responsible manner which leaves no trace on our landscape. The daily efforts made by farmers, public servants, conservationists, environmentalists, volunteers and members of the public all combine to make a hugely positive impact and we should celebrate that during this National Biodiversity Week. I thank all Members for their contributions.