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Environmental Challenges and Priorities
139
to our well-being. Ecosystem services
tend to be public goods with no
markets and no prices, so their loss is
often not detected by our economic
systems. However, recent research
has estimated that biodiversity and
ecosystems contribute €2.6bn to the
Irish economy each year (Bullock et
al., 2008).
The status of many of our habitats
and some of our species is judged
to be poor or bad. While progress
has been made in the designation
of EU protected areas in Ireland,
the European Commission still
considers Ireland’s list of designated
Natura 2000 sites as incomplete.
Addressing the challenges to protect
biodiversity and to meet international
commitments will require more
concerted effort and greater
integration of biodiversity across all
sectors. Of particular importance
is that the actions identified in the
National Biodiversity Plan 2011−2016
be delivered by the relevant public
bodies (DAHG, 2011). Strategies and
action plans are also required to deal
with high-priority issues including
invasive alien species and protection
of species of highest conservation
value. Improved information,
including indicators on biodiversity, is
needed to facilitate evidence-based
decision-making on biodiversity
issues at national and local levels.
The soil of Ireland is an immensely
valuable national resource which
supports the growth of both plant
and animal life while providing
foundations for human habitats and
structures. The general consensus is
that soil quality in Ireland is good,
although this is based on limited
information. The large percentage
of permanent pasture land has
protected Ireland’s soils from serious
degradation, with the notable
exception of peatlands. A National
Soil Protection Strategy, including
the identification of soils at risk and
addressing the need to establish a
soil monitoring network, is required
to ensure the protection of this
vital national resource. A joint EPA
and Teagasc initiative is currently
underway to develop an Irish Soil
Information System including a
national digital soil map. This will
address significant knowledge gaps
on soils in Ireland and support
evidence-based assessments for
policy and decision makers.
Agriculture remains the largest use
of land in Ireland with two-thirds of
land devoted to it. The majority of
this land is under grass for pasture,
silage or rough grazing. Forestry
and food production are projected
to be the main drivers of land use
change over the coming decade
and careful management will be
required to prevent adverse impacts
on the environment arising from
expanded or increased production as
envisaged under
Food Harvest 2020
.
Almost one-fifth of land in Ireland is
categorised as peatland; this includes
raised bogs, blanket bogs and fens.
Peatlands are Ireland’s last great area
of wilderness and must be protected.
Issues of spatial planning, land use
and soil quality are intertwined and
interdependent, and this should
be reflected in integrated policies
and plans at national, regional and
local levels. The proposed National
Landscape Strategy for Ireland and
the proposed National Peatlands
Strategy need to be prepared and
fully implemented. The relative lack
of heavy industry in Ireland means
that Ireland has had fewer land
contamination problems than most
other EU countries. However, there is
no overall national policy framework
for the identification, management
and remediation of contaminated
land in Ireland. National legislation
dealing specifically with soil
contamination needs to be
developed, including a mechanism
for remediation of sites.
Sustainable Use
of Resources
Resource efficiency is a powerful
driver for mainstreaming
environmental considerations across
the range of economic sectors.
By focusing on raw materials
such as fuels, metals and biomass
and also the air, water and soil
ecosystems that support them,
resource efficiency reduces inputs
and minimises waste in economic
activities while also addressing
environmental objectives.
The EU’s Europe 2020 strategy for
smart, sustainable and inclusive
growth sets out concrete targets to
be achieved within the next decade
in order to overcome the impact of
the financial crisis and put Europe
back on track for economic growth.
A resource-efficient Europe is a key
part of this strategy and aims to
boost economic activity while also
reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and protecting ecological assets such
as fisheries and agricultural soils.
The use of resources and the
generation of waste are different
sides of the same coin. Improving
waste management provides
opportunities to reduce the
extraction and use of materials,
open up new markets and at the
same time lessen pressures on the
environment. In addition to new
markets, businesses are becoming
increasingly aware of the financial
savings and competitive advantage
that arise from adopting an
environmentally sustainable and
resource-efficient approach to their
own activities. This advantage comes
by focusing on reducing energy
costs, raw material costs and supply,
and waste management costs. The
EPA’s National Waste Prevention
Programme (NWPP) is part of a
national family of programmes,
including those run by SEAI,
Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland,
which are designed to promote