Membership of the Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) on nature restoration has been announced today (Thursday, November 7).
The membership will allow for recommendations to be made on Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan. The committee will be tasked with providing advice on the content of Ireland’s plan, which is due to be submitted to the European Commission by September 2026.
The advisory committee will also engage with the stakeholder participation process, and ensure that the plan addresses the views of the public, key groups and sectors.
In addition, it will be responsible for considering the outputs from technical, inter-departmental working groups across themes of land, sea, towns and cities, and finance.
The minister will retain overall responsibility for the plan, which will require an all-of-government approach and approval.
Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan said: “Decisions will be made on the basis of the best available evidence and that the development of Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan will be co-designed with stakeholders in a spirit of collaboration, understanding and partnership.
“The wealth of experience on our Independent Advisory Committee will ensure that the minister responsible will be well supported to deliver an ambitious, inclusive and impactful Plan that can empower all sectors to restore nature at scale.”
Advisory committee
The IAC will comprise of six members, with Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shúillebháin as chair. Ní Shúillebháin is an award-winning science communicator who chaired the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss.
Dairy farmer and Farming for Nature Ambassador, David Kerr will also be on the committee. Kerr farms a 70ha commercial dairy farm with 150 cows and a small flock of sheep in Ballyfin, Co. Laois.
The farm is comprised of mixed land types including improved grassland, wet heavy land, three acres of woodland, a pond and cutaway bog.
Other board members include: CEO of Birdwatch Ireland, Linda Lennon; Norah Parke, who retired from the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation in 2023; Vice president for sustainability at University College Dublin (UCD), Tasman Crowe; and Nenagh, Co. Tipperary native, Joe MacGrath.