Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan has pledged to find “common ground between fishers, farmers, foresters, NGOs, businesses, scientists and the public” to develop a national restoration plan.
He was commenting after MEPs voted to pass the Nature Restoration Law at the European Parliament.
Welcoming the outcome of the vote, Noonan said he knew that “there are some communities who will be very concerned at today’s news”.
“Let me be clear: nature restoration can only be delivered with the full support of the farming, forestry and fishing communities who own and/or manage our lands and seas. This support is something that, with the help of colleagues across Government, I intend to earn,” he said.
Birdwatch Ireland said a very “weakened law” had been passed, and said it was “really alarming to see that the provisions to restore farmland biodiversity and peatlands were removed completely.
The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) said it was delighted that MEPs voted to pass the law, and described it as a “substantial step forward for the European Green Deal”.
“While it could be more ambitious, the law has not been stopped at this critical stage in the biodiversity crisis,” the IWT said.
IWT marine advocacy officer Grace Carr said that amendments involving the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) are a “step forward for marine restoration and biodiversity”.
She said that there is “still work to be done in negotiations to make the law more ambitious than it currently is”.
The amendment relating to the CFP will ensure member states can put conservation measures in place to protect ecosystems in their waters, the IWT noted, and said this was “particularly welcome”.
