EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 STEP UP TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND US AS IT IS UNDER INCREASING THREAT The interim review of the implementation of the National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2021 has reported on areas where progress has been made and also on areas that need more work (Biodiversity Working Group, 2020). The review also notes that in relation to the decline in EU protected habitats, the main drivers of decline are agricultural practices which are negatively impacting over 70 per cent of habitats, particularly ecologically unsuitable grazing, abandonment and pollution. Areas identified in the interim review where progress has been made include the LIFE projects and the European Innovation Partnership projects, which are local-led projects, developed with farmers and communities and covering areas such as habitat and species protection (including hen harrier, freshwater pearl mussel, corncrake) on a range of farmland types. The review also reports on progress of raised bog restoration arising from funds from the Climate Action Plan. The interim review identified areas within the current biodiversity plan that need more emphasis including building on the success of the Burren Programme, developing new farming models to aid both the diversification of agriculture and an appropriate reduction in intensification in some areas, developing management plans for protected habitats and species, developing restoration plans for species in severe decline, and accelerating the establishment of Marine Protected Areas. Nature protection work needs to be linked to public information and engagement campaigns that actively involve and engage citizens and foster a better appreciation of nature and its benefits to society. Data about species trends are collected not only through the NPWS, but also from citizen science projects such as those operated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre and Birdwatch Ireland. Resourcing of citizen science work is important for nature protection and needs to be further developed. This citizen science work provides an important evidence base on long-term trends in species. It gets people involved locally in nature protection and in recording changes about species distribution and breeding success. It is not only protected areas that are at risk. Local impacts are evident too. For example, the excessive cutting of hedgerows, the overuse of herbicides and the infilling of small wetlands place multiple pressures on local environments. The functions of hedgerows, ponds and field drains as ecological reservoirs and corridors in the countryside need to be better understood, appreciated and protected. Adopting biodiversity buffer distancing measures on farms by keeping activities back from hedges for field margins, leaving space for wildflowers and leaving space alongside streams and rivers could all help to protect our local wildlife. Overall, Ireland needs to prioritise actions to achieve the transformative change required to bend the curve of biodiversity loss. The Intergovernmental Science- Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services has recommended five interventions or levers (IPBES, 2019). These levers are: incentives and capacity-building; cross-sectoral cooperation; pre-emptive action; decision- making in the context of resilience and uncertainty; and environmental law and implementation. Action across these levers and other areas is needed now to address the challenges facing biodiversity in Ireland. 440