Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

178 Chapter 7: Nature ■ pollinating insects – reversing the decline of pollinator populations by 2030, achieving an increasing trend in pollinator populations, and developing a methodology for regular monitoring of pollinators ■ forest ecosystems – achieving increasing trends in the amounts of standing and lying deadwood, the proportion of uneven aged forests, forest connectivity, the abundance of common forest birds and stocks of organic carbon ■ urban ecosystems – achieving no net loss of green urban space by 2030 and an increase in the total area covered by green urban space by 2040 and again by 2050 ■ agricultural ecosystems – increasing populations of grassland butterflies and farmland birds, increasing the stock of organic carbon in cropland mineral soils and the share of agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features, and restoring drained peatlands under agricultural use ■ marine ecosystems – restoring marine habitats such as seagrass beds or sediment bottoms that deliver significant benefits, including for climate change mitigation, and restoring the habitats of iconic marine species such as dolphins, porpoises, sharks and seabirds ■ river connectivity – identifying and removing barriers that prevent the connectivity of surface waters, so that at least 25,000 km of rivers are restored to a free-flowing state by 2030. As part of the EU Nature Restoration law, Member States are required to submit National Restoration Plans to the Commission within two years. Ireland's 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan 2024-2030 (NPWS, 2024) commits to the preparation of a National Restoration Plan by 2026 to contribute toward the ambitious EU restoration targets. Ireland’s National Biodiversity Action Plan Ireland’s 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan 2024-2030 was published in January 2024 (NPWS, 2024). The plan is an all-of-government document and sets out the national agenda for protecting and restoring biodiversity for the period 2024-2030. It aims to deliver the transformative changes required in how we value and protect nature with a view to proactively tackling the biodiversity emergency. Key objectives in the plan include: ■ adopt a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to biodiversity ■ meet urgent conservation and restoration needs ■ secure nature’s contribution to people ■ enhance the evidence base for action on biodiversity ■ strengthen Ireland’s contribution to international biodiversity initiatives. The objectives are underpinned by 194 actions supported by indicators (NPWS, 2024). The plan also takes account of EU and international biodiversity strategies and policies and relevant national policies. The plan recognises the critical importance of the compilation of a national restoration plan, which will support the ambition of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the restoration targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The fourth iteration of the National Biodiversity Action Plan also includes other actions (see NPWS, 2024) to address the recommendations arising from the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss (Topic Box 7.2), including increased resources, support for local action, engagement with business and putting the action plan on a statutory footing. NPWS will also explore ways in which the rights of nature could be formally recognised, including the potential for constitutional change (NPWS, 2024).