Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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349. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42756/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the interest in this emerging and frontier arena in support of biodiversity.

Ireland's forthcoming 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP 2023-2027) sets out Ireland’s vision for biodiversity by 2050 as follows; “Biodiversity in Ireland is valued, conserved, restored and sustainably used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people”. The draft Plan will be brought to Cabinet in the coming weeks for Government approval.

The draft NBAP sets the national biodiversity agenda for the period 2023-2027, which aims to deliver the transformative changes required to the ways in which we value and protect nature. It contains five objectives and associated outcomes, targets and actions, across a number of thematic areas to achieve this vision.

Objective 4 of the NBAP is to “Enhance the Evidence Base for Action on Biodiversity” and sets the target that Ireland will have completed a first national assessment of ecosystem services by 2027, based on a national assessment of stocks, flows and trends in ecosystem services to identify priority ecosystems and threats to natural capital. Actions under Objective 4 of the NBAP include the establishment of a network of experts in Natural Capital Accounting. Assessment and accounting will require an ongoing systematic programme of field survey, remote sensing and monitoring and will require considerable cross-Departmental effort.

The National Economic and Social Council is preparing a report on natural capital accounting on request from Government in the 2021 Climate Action Plan. Following in-depth consultation with policy stakeholders and experts, international case studies and Council discussion, the final report is being prepared and is expected to be published in Q4 2023.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department will continue to play a key role in the collection, analysis and open publication of mapping and data relating to protected habitats and species, the development of biodiversity data standards, and will continue to provide ongoing support to the National Biodiversity Data Centre and Natural Capital Ireland.