Submission to the public consultation on Ireland’s first Nature Restoration Plan

 Deadline July 1st 

We believe Ireland through the Nature Restoration Plan has a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference for nature, as it is a generational opportunity to restore nature at scale.

Ireland is facing a nature and biodiversity crisis – 90% of Ireland’s protected habitats are in ‘unfavourable’ conservation status, with around half showing deteriorating trends.

We know we urgently need to change direction and we now have an opportunity, as Ireland’s first National Nature Restoration Plan, which will implement the obligations of the Nature Restoration Law, can shape how we restore our landscapes, waters, and wildlife for decades to come. 

We need a strong, ambitious plan that fully delivers on Ireland’s legal obligations under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

Our ten key priorities for Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan are in keeping with our membership of the Environmenal Pillar - and the their key priorities: https://www.environmentalpillar.ie/have-your-say-on-the-nature-restoration-plan/

1.        Recognise the Rights of Nature: The "Rights of Nature" highlight how we need to fundamentally transform the relationship between society and the natural world by granting legal standing to ecosystems, rivers, forests, and other natural entities. In 2023, the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss made history by recommending that the Irish Constitution be amended to protect biodiversity and to recognise the rights of nature. The Assembly called for a referendum to enshrine these protections, marking one of the most progressive citizen-led recommendations on environmental rights in Europe.

"The work of the Irish Citizens' Assembly demonstrated that ordinary people, when given the facts, overwhelmingly support a deeper, rights-based relationship with nature," said Dr Peter Doran. The Assembly's recommendations have since fed into the work of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action, keeping the conversation around constitutional and legal recognition of nature firmly on the national agenda. We need a Paradigm Shift in Environmental Protection and to urgently move beyond viewing nature merely as property or a resource to be managed. The Rights of Nature proposes that natural entities be recognised as legal subjects with the inherent right to exist, flourish, and regenerate.

2.       An Ambitious Nature Restoration Plan: Deliver an ambitious Nature Restoration Plan for Ireland that fully meets the legal obligations of the Nature Restoration Regulation, underpinned by a transparent implementation framework clearly setting out why, where, how, and by when restoration measures will be delivered. 

3.        Political Leadership and Whole-of-Government Approach: Ireland will not meet its nature restoration obligations without stronger, coordinated governance. The Taoiseach should lead a whole-of-government approach, supported by Cabinet oversight, to ensure accountability across all levels of government, aligned funding, and the elimination of public spending that undermines nature.

4.        Unlocking the Potential of Public Lands: Realise the full potential of public lands, in particular by reforming the mandates of Coillte and Bord na Móna to include a statutory duty to prioritise large-scale nature protection and restoration. Embed legally aligned restoration targets, strengthen governance, and introduce cross-departmental oversight to ensure delivery of nature and climate obligations. 

5.        Empowering Civil Society: Recognise civil society as a key partner in a shared national effort by establishing dedicated funding and partnership channels for grassroots action, increasing support for environmental NGOs, expanding citizen science, and enabling citizen led management and co-management approaches with state bodies. 

6.        Empowering Our Custodians: Empower farmers, fishers, and foresters to lead from the front on nature restoration by incentivising voluntary action through existing and new funding streams. Ensure funding is stable, long-term, and designed to deliver both environmental outcomes and resilient rural and coastal livelihoods as public goods. 

7.        No Backsliding on Environmental Protections: Fully implement existing national and EU environmental legislation, recognising the Nature Restoration Regulation as part of a broader legal framework safeguarding ecosystems, climate, air, and water. Reject any weakening of these protections under the guise of regulatory simplification.

8.     An Ecologically Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas: Establish a well-managed, ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas to restore Ireland’s coastal and offshore ecosystems. This network should be based on the best available science, cover the full range of habitats and species protected under the law, and be supported by clear conservation objectives, site-specific management measures, monitoring, and enforcement. Coastal communities should be empowered to lead on the establishment and custodianship of MPAs.

9.     Prioritise the habitats or threatened species: Prioritise the restoration of habitats that support species requiring urgent intervention due to their threatened, declining, or rare conservation status, using IUCN and Irish Red List assessments alongside species distribution, ecological requirements, and connectivity considerations to maximise biodiversity recovery. 

10. Sustainable and Long-Term Financing: Establish dedicated, long-term national funding to deliver the Nature Restoration Plan to 2050 and beyond, while ensuring that EU funding streams post-2027 are fully aligned with restoration objectives and do not undermine nature protection or restoration.