This National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) is a nation-wide sectoral document providing a framework to track and assess progress towards Ireland’s Vision for biodiversity over a five-year period, from 2017 to 2021, according to which biodiversity and ecosystems are conserved and restored, delivering benefits essential for all sectors of society and that Ireland contributes to efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems in the EU and globally. To achieve the Vision, seven strategic objectives has been identified in the second National Biodiversity Action Plan “Actions for Biodiversity 2011-2016" as follows (i) mainstream biodiversity into decision-making across all sectors to raise awareness within the public sector of the implications of policy and decisions on biodiversity; (ii) strengthen the knowledge base for conservation, management and sustainable use of biodiversity by addressing outstanding areas of survey and research and inform decision-making; (iii) increase awareness and appreciation of biodiversity and ecosystems services enhancing training, communication, cooperation and concerted action between all relevant sectors, (government, landowners, business, farming, forestry, scientific and conservation communities, etc.) in support of biodiversity conservation; (iv) conserve and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services in the wider countryside; (v) conserve and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services in the marine environment; (vi) expand and improve management of protected areas and species; and (vii) strengthen international governance for biodiversity and ecosystem services. To make agriculture, fisheries and forestry more productive and sustainable, the present NBAP suggests (i) to develop and implement agri-environment schemes (AES) under the rural development programs; (ii) encourage horticultural nurseries to produce native species and varieties from appropriate native sources for public and private sector plantings; (iii) make the Irish countryside more pollinator friendly, raise awareness of pollinators and support beekeepers and growers; (iv) engage landowners, farming and aquaculture sectors to promote the benefits of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; (v) take concerted action to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; (vi) maintain and restore fish stock to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield, where possible, no later than 2020; (vii) adopt and implement provisions for the establishment of appropriate management measures (e.g. no-take zones) that conserve biodiversity and fish stock levels; (viii) implement measures to ensure that, taking account of climate change, there are no significant adverse effects from marine fisheries and aquaculture in and adjacent to protected sites; (ix) improve passage of migratory fish species and review effectiveness of existing passes and impacts of existing and potential hydroelectric dams and address other barriers to fish movement; (x) develop forest research programs on forest biodiversity, the delivery of wider ecosystem services (e.g. protection of water), carbon accounting and the interaction of climate change and forest systems; (xi) implement actions ensuring positive outcomes for biodiversity and ecosystem services and restoration of areas impacted by inappropriate forestry; (xii) investigate potential measures to prevent, minimize and/or mitigate deforestation due to non-wood imports; (xiii) implement legislation to control imports of illegally harvested timber into Ireland; and (xiv) facilitate exchange of best practice in private and public sector procurement policies favoring wood products from sustainable sources, including certifiable wood products. For increasing the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, the Plan considers the biodiversity awareness as a central element in wider efforts to combat loss of habitats and species across the planet and to combat the potentially devastating effects of climate change. In particular, it promotes (i) more catchment-wide and non-structural flood risk management measures; (ii) development of developments the area of Green Infrastructure, the planned network of natural and semi natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services such as water purification, air quality, space for recreation and climate mitigation and adaptation.
Ireland · 2017-01-01