The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has announced the appointment of Professor Tasman Crowe as the new chair of the National Biodiversity Forum.
He takes over the role from Professor Yvonne Buckley, who has been in the position since 2015.
The National Biodiversity Forum comprises biodiversity experts from across academia, NGO, public and private sectors.
It is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and tasked with monitoring progress on the implementation of the National Biodiversity Action Plan and providing reports to the Minister.
In February 2021, it published an independent review of Ireland’s third National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2021.
Important work
Commenting on the new appointment, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, said:
“I would like to sincerely thank our outgoing chair, Professor Yvonne Buckley, for her expertise, leadership and dedication to the important work of the National Biodiversity Forum over the past number of years and welcome Professor Tasman Crowe to the post.
“As an expert in marine ecology who has already participated in the forum for some time, I know he’ll be a great asset to its ongoing work as we develop the next iteration of the National Biodiversity Action Plan in line with this Government’s unprecedented ambition for nature.”
Professor Crowe is the director of the Earth Institute at University College Dublin, where his research is focused on marine ecology.
He was the chair of the Marine Protected Areas Advisory Group, which was convened by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to support its ongoing work in the development of Marine Protected Areas, and lead author of the ‘Expanding Ireland’s Marine Protected Areas’ report.
He has been a member of the Forum since 2017 and, prior to that, was a member of the National Biodiversity Platform since 2009.
Minister Noonan has increased the National Biodiversity Forum’s funding to €25,000 in 2021.
Acknowledging the value of independent analysis, Minister Noonan said:
“Expert-led analysis and oversight is an important element of effective policy development.
“By supporting the National Biodiversity Forum to continue and expand its work through this increased funding, I hope that my Department will continue to benefit from its valuable insights.”
Biodiversity Week
The announcement today is one of a number of #BiodiversityWeek2021 announcements from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Running until May 23, Biodiversity Week gives everyone in Ireland the chance to find out more about the natural world around them and work of the NPWS and its many partners.
For more information, see www.biodiversityweek.ie