Fishers, scientists and environmental activists have been urged to participate in the Government’s national biodiversity conference in Dublin in June.
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan said the event at Dublin Castle from June 8th to 9th will see “national and international experts come together” as part of a public consultation on the national biodiversity action plan.
The new plan will be implemented over a period of five years, and the conference theme is “Act Now for Nature”.
Many of Ireland’s protected habitats are in poor condition, and 14% of assessed species are thought to be endangered.
“We need a diversity of voices to come together to discuss challenges, explore solutions and establish ways to collaborate more effectively on implementation,” Noonan said.
“I’d like to encourage everyone – farmers, foresters, fishers, scientists, community groups, local authorities, NGOs, State agencies, businesses, young people and everyone else besides – to get involved,” he said.
The event over two days on June 8th and 9th, in line with the latest Covid-19 guidelines, will also be streamed live online.
A number of satellite events will be held to highlight the importance of biodiversity in the days and weeks leading up to the event.
The draft goal of the next National Biodiversity Action Plan is that biodiversity is “effectively conserved and restored and the causes and key drivers of the biodiversity crisis are recognised and addressed”.
Tickets for the 2022 conference will be available at www.biodiversityconference.ie