The Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) has published its Nature Restoration Recommendations, recognising that 90% of our protected habitats are in unfavourable conservation status, and laying out key areas of work to allow implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation. The cost to implement the Regulation in Ireland across land and sea is estimated at up to €700 million per year, and the IAC is calling for a dedicated, ring-fenced fund to get it over the line. The report says models indicate that the benefits of meeting this cost outweigh
the costs of inaction, but there is currently no clear commitment from Government to find the money to meet our obligations.
The Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) came into force in 2024, and Ireland must submit a draft Nature Restoration Plan (NRP) to the European Commission by 1 September 2026. The IAC, made up of representatives from farming, fishing, forestry, environmental and scientific communities and public bodies, was convened to gather opinion and to inform the Minister about how best to implement the Regulation. IAC Chair Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin said “the EU Nature Restoration Law presents an immense opportunity for farmers, foresters, fishermen, local authorities, communities and individuals. The committee is hopeful that, as a State, we can embrace this opportunity to lead on environmental stewardship, particularly on our vast public lands, through the work of State Agencies and Departments.”
Targets for the marine are considerable, and include restoring areas of marine habitat types that are not in good condition; re-establishing marine habitat areas where they do not occur today; restoring marine habitats for certain wild birds and endangered species; ensuring ecological coherence and connectivity between habitat types; ensuring continuous improvement in conditions; and ensuring an increasing trend in the area and condition of habitat types.
Pressures to the marine environment discussed in the report are pollution, litter, “destructive activities”, and tangle netting and trawling in Natura sites. The report states “the limited extent and poor condition of these reserves exacerbate the risk of extinction of endangered species, such as angel and basking sharks, skates, rays, wild salmon, and sea trout”.
Recommendations for the restoration of marine habitats put forward were to prioritise the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs); to clarify the responsibilities for marine protection; to focus initially on the existing network of Natura protected sites; to target restoration actions for critically endangered species; to address data gaps; and, crucially, for Ireland to adopt a leadership role in seeking agreement between member states under Article 11 of the Common Fisheries Policy to manage damaging fisheries in areas selected for restoration. This last point also being essential to the management of future offshore MPAs in Irish waters.
The IWDG welcomes the report and its frank assessment of the difficult task ahead. This comes at the same time as the European Commission opened an infringement procedure, sending a letter of formal notice to Ireland for failing to fulfil its obligations under the Habitats and Birds Directive to complete the network of marine Natura protected sites. Requirements for protection and restoration of the marine environment now count the expansion of the Natura network of SACs and SPAs, the designation of new MPAs to protect a total of 30% of our territorial waters by 2030, and the additional requirements for restoration under the NRR. We remain optimistic that these will ultimately result in real and meaningful improvements for our marine habitats and species, but worry that the necessary mobilisation of funds and resources will lag behind these ambitious goals. The IWDG calls on Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher
O’Sullivan to establish a fund for nature to ensure this essential work is carried out within the required timelines.