Ireland has not completely signed up to the 30×30 deal agreed at COP15 and is “markedly out of step” with international biodiversity targets, according to the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT).

Pádraic Fogarty, IWT campaign officer who participated in the United Nations (UN) Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Montreal, warned today (Monday, December 19) that “nature is losing the fight for survival in Ireland”.

The IWT has welcomed the new Global Diversity Framework agreed at COP15 which underlines a commitment by countries to protect 30% of land, waters and cut food waste in half.

According to the charitable conservation body Ireland has signed up to protecting 30% of seas but not the 30% land target.

It believes the new deal leaves Ireland “with a lot of catching up to do”.

Fogarty said that it is time to move from “making promises to actually implementing these measures”.

“Despite some signs that we are beginning to get to grips with the biodiversity emergency at home, we have an enormous amount of work to do, particularly in transforming our farming, fishing and forestry sectors.

“We also need to sign up to protect 30% of our land for nature, not only out of solidarity with the countries where most of the biodiversity is located, but also because it would help to address the climate, water pollution and biodiversity crisis here at home,” he said.

COP15 and National Biodiversity Action Plan

The IWT said that Ireland will be required to incorporate the aims of the new ‘Global Biodiversity Framework’ agreed in Montreal into the next National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) which is due for publication in 2023.

It has detailed that the next framework will also incorporate the work of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, which will be finalised in January.

Dr Deirdre Lynn, head of delegation and biodiversity lead with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), has also welcomed the COP15 deal which she said aims to “halt and reverse biodiversity loss and put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of people and the planet”.

““In Ireland we in NPWS are currently in the process of drafting our 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan and we will ensure that it aligns with the relevant elements of the framework,” Lynn has pledged.

The IWS said it particularly wants to see the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine also get on board with biodiversity actions.