Position Paper on Biodiversity Overview Scientists Have Warned That the Sixth Mass Extinction Event, Labelled the ‘Anthropocene Extinction’ Is Currently Under Way

GREEN PARTY

Position Paper on Biodiversity Overview Scientists have warned that the sixth mass extinction event, labelled the ‘Anthropocene Extinction’ is currently under way. The World Wildlife Fund estimate that in the past 40 years global wildlife populations have declined by 40%. Experts believe that the current rate of extinction is between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural rate.

Ireland is contributing to this global pattern. Half of Irish bee species, which are critical for natural pollination, are in decline and one third are at risk of extinction. Two thirds of our native birds are on the red or amber conservation lists, including the curlew, corncrake and barn owl. In addition, 18% of our butterfly species, seven species of freshwater fish and eleven species of cartilaginous fish are endangered or vulnerable. Following an amendment pressed by Green Party leader Eamon Ryan TD, Dáil Eireann declared a national biodiversity crisis in May 2019.

This does not have to happen. We know the causes of biodiversity loss – habitat destruction, pollution, growth of invasive species, land use change and climate change – and can take measures to counteract them. In this position paper, we outline a range of practical solutions to stop and reverse the destruction of our plant and animal populations.

Highlights bogs and will undertake a major programme of peatland restoration and rewetting. › We will work with officials in Belfast, London and Brussels to ensure that Brexit does not have › We will fund and support the National a negative impact on biodiversity on our island Pollinator Plan across all land types. or in the European Union.

› At least a doubling of the core funding › We will publish a National Land Use plan to provided to Environmental NGOs. maximise biodiversity and to reduce carbon emissions. 1. Institutions, Organisations and › We will split the National Parks and Wildlife Policymaking Service into two separate bodies and substantially increase funding to both. Our response to the biodiversity crisis must be formed by a flexible, accountable policymaking › We will legislate for the protection of our process grounded in the newest scientific natural heritage. This will require planning evidence. Our priority is to put political and legal permission to be sought for any major land structures in place that promote the voices of augmentation. experts, communities and environmental NGOs. This reform must consider policymaking at the › We will set up a Government Task Force on transboundary/international level, the national Farming and Biodiversity with representation level and the local level. from farmers and the ENGO sector. › Transboundary Biodiversity › This task force will inform the development Because wildlife is unaffected by political of a National Action Plan on Biodiversity in boundaries, we recognise the need to Agriculture. cooperate with our counterparts in Northern Ireland when addressing this problem. We › We will design a new afforestation scheme are also determined not to let the instability which will start with the payment of a special caused by Brexit to impact negatively on planting premium to 120,000 farmers around all-island policymaking in this regard. We will the country for the planting of one hectare of therefore work with officials in Belfast and woodland on their farms. London to create an all-island agreement on environmental protection. We will strive to › We will switch our forestry model away from ensure that marine conservation and pollution large-scale monoculture of fast-growing species control measures are protected in any future such as Sitka spruce to mixed, biodiverse, Close EU-UK relationship. to Nature-Continuous Cover forestry. › National Biodiversity › We will designate 50% of Irish territorial waters Within our own borders, we will hold a as Marine Protected Areas. referendum to insert a clause on environmental protection in the Constitution. This will › We will end the denudation of upland blanket

2 oblige the government to maintain and will empower local authorities to implement protect Irish natural habitats. We will community educational programmes that seek insist on full compliance with European to protect the natural environment. legislation on biodiversity. This encompasses the Bird and Habitats Directive and the catchment management approach of the 2. Farms and Forests Water Framework Directive, as well as the It has long been the position of the Green Party Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic that farmers and landowners are key players in Environmental Assessment Directives. We will resolving the climate and biodiversity crisis. We follow the recommendation of the Oireachtas will formalise this role by setting up a Government Joint Committee on Climate Action as accepted Task Force on Farming and Biodiversity with and endorsed by the Dáil on 9th May 2019 to representation from all relevant stakeholders, develop a new National Land Use Plan. including from the agricultural sector and the ENGO community. The work of this task force will One of our most important reforms is to split inform the establishment of a National Action Plan the National Parks and Wildlife Service into two on Biodiversity in Agriculture to promote strategies separate bodies. Both organisations will have for companion planting and polycultural growing the protection of biodiversity in their remit, and methods in previously monocultural crops. we will oversee a substantial increase in their budgets to allow them to carry out this function › We will ensure that changes in Irish agricultural effectively. policy to promote biodiversity would also benefit farmers, by supporting reform of the Another key organisation is the Environmental Common Agricultural Policy to reward farmers Protection Agency (EPA). We will strengthen for providing ecological services. This would the role and membership of the EPA’s advisory encourage an extensification of the animal board and will enhance its enforcement agricultural model which places emphasis capacity by providing it with adequate on biodiversity, habitat creation and other legislative and budgetary support. The EPA environmental outcomes. Another important currently has full jurisdiction in the granting feature of our approach to protecting on-farm of Integrated Pollution Control licences. We biodiversity will be to tighten restrictions on the believe that an independent forum of appeal harmful use of pesticides and insecticides, and should be set up to provide for review and to review the effects of the nitrates derogation redress in this process. and phase it out if necessary to protect water quality. Non-governmental organisations working to Another new scheme that will benefit farmers protect biodiversity play a vital role at both › is our proposed new afforestation scheme national and local levels. We will ensure that which will start with the payment of a special their work is better supported planting premium to 120,000 farmers around

the country for the planting of one hectare of We will ensure that biodiversity protection woodland on their farms. This will help us to and restoration is better integrated across increase tree cover from 11% to 30% of Irish government policies, placing a new emphasis land by 2050. It forms part of our broader on allowing and enabling recovery and policy of moving away from growing large- restoration of damaged ecosystems. scale monoculture of fast-growing species › Local Biodiversity such as Sitka spruce to mixed, diverse, Close to We trust in communities to come up with Nature Continuous Cover forestry, with a wider solutions to the biodiversity crisis that best range of services, benefits and forest products. suit their local needs. To facilitate this, we We will also provide better support for the will introduce annual audits of local authority restoration and planting of new hedgerows to environmental performance and will commit to provide biodiversity corridors, carbon shelters resourcing local authority enforcement capacity and nutrients in our agricultural system. where required. We will also strengthen the role of local authorities in environmental protection by legislating for the conservation of our natural heritage such as our wetlands and hedgerows. This will mean that planning permission will need to be sought for any significant land augmentation. Finally, we

3 3. Water monitoring key red and amber listed birds of conservation concern. As mentioned above, some of Ireland’s most vulnerable wildlife are fish and other aquatic › Finally, to advance the twin aims of promoting species. Overfishing, the disposal of single-use animal welfare and protecting biodiversity we plastics and pollution from agricultural run-off are will end badger culling, stop the hunting of the main causes of decline. wild animals with hounds and see through the › We will designate 50% of Irish territorial waters government’s commitment to phasing out fur as Marine Protected Areas to heed the advice farming. of the Ecologist E.O. Wilson that half of the natural world needs to be protected in this way. The selection and management of the areas will be informed by a major scientific survey of the changes that are taking place in the North West Atlantic due to climate change. To protect species in all of Ireland’s territorial waters we will ban the practice of pair trawling in coastal waters and will oversee a switch from offshore salmon farming to closed loop on shore salmon farms. We will also immediately implement our Waste Reduction Bill to reduce the use of single use plastics, many of which end up in the sea, and to establish a nationwide deposit and return scheme for beverage containers.

4. Wetlands › To achieve the dual aims of sequestering carbon and protecting natural habitats we will end the denudation of upland blanket bogs and will undertake a major programme of peatland restoration and rewetting on both raised and blanket bogs. Bord na Móna and Coillte will be charged with undertaking some of this work on their estates and similar landholdings. The revised Common Agricultural Policy will be designed to incentivise the maintenance of bogs in private ownership.

5. Measures for Specific Species › Some species face threats to their survival that will not be automatically reversed through habitat protection. We propose several additional policies to address the needs of these groups. One of the most worrying environmental problems we have is the loss of bees and other pollinating insects, so we plan to fund and support the National Pollinator Plan across all land types and to require that any institutions in receipt of public funds fully comply with targets to promote and protect biodiversity within our insect population.

› We will also put in place specific measures to protect native Irish birds. One of the key challenges here relates to information gathering. We propose to resource and implement a programme of surveying and

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