It was a pleasure opening Ireland's first ever National Biodiveristy Conference in Dublin Castle this week, where I announced a number of different Government commitments that will help preserve and protect our beautiful and unique nature. The conference was organised by my Department. We need to take action to conserve our Biodiversity now before it’s too late. #Biodcon19
The five things for nature I announced today at New Horizons for Nature - Ireland's National Biodiversity Conference are:
• Double annual funding from my Department for biodiversity actions by local authorities’ Biodiversity and Heritage Officers to €1m by 2021. I will also double funding to tackle invasive species by 2021;
• Establish a Climate Action Programme within my Department to improve understanding of the impact of climate change on biodiversity;
• Create an Irish Business and Biodiversity Platform with the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation and a range of Irish businesses;
• Enact legislation to create a Biodiversity Duty on public and local authorities to improve implementation of the National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-21;
• Improve surveillance, detection and prosecution of wildlife crime with a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gardaí;
These new commitments will hopefully begin to make a change in our society, bringing awareness all over our society from Government to the public.
Now is the time for action.
You can find a link to my speech at the opening of the conference here: https://www.chg.gov.ie/speech/speech-by-by-minister-of-culture-heritage-and-the-gaeltacht-josepha-madigan-td-to-national-biodiversity-conference-2019/
