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Public Consultation: Ireland's Biodiversity Sectoral Climate Change Adaptation Plan

Date Released: Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Ireland’s national policy in response to climate change is the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015. This Act provides for preparation and approval of plans by Government covering climate change mitigation and adaptation with the purpose of pursuing the transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050. Under the statutory National Adaptation Framework (NAF) Government Departments are required to prepare Sectoral Adaptation Plans. Twelve sectors including Biodiversity have been selected for consideration. While biodiversity is included as a sector (along with health, water quality, transport infrastructure and electricity and gas networks) it is clearly a special case as it does not fit neatly into sectoral bounds. Biodiversity is a cross-cutting issue with implications for all sectors and all levels of decision making.

Development of this sectoral plan follows the stepwise methodology proposed by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in the Sectoral Planning Guidelines for Climate Change Adaptation. The draft Biodiversity Sectoral Adaptation Plan considers terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodiversity and ecosystem services. The goal is to protect biodiversity from the impacts of climate change and to conserve and manage ecosystems so that they deliver services that increase the adaptive capacity of people and biodiversity. This is achieved by identifying adaptation options that will help to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services from the impacts of changing climate.

All stakeholders are invited and encouraged to review the Plan and submit their comments.  This plan is cross sectoral in nature and as a result requires inputs from all sectors of government and society. Consultation guidelines have also been prepared to assist with the preparation of submissions.

Interested organisations or individuals may submit observations via email or hard copy to the address below.  Please be guided by the Consultation guidelines on the website to facilitate a more structured compilation of observations.

Science & Biodiversity Unit
National Parks & Wildlife Service
Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
90 King Street North
Dublin 7
D07 N7CV
Telephone: 01 8882000
Website: www.npws.ie
Email: biodiversitypolicy@npws.gov.ie

The Plan is open for public consultation until 17/04/2019.