The Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O'Sullivan has today (August 20) launched a public consultation process on the draft 2025 Sectoral Adaption Plan (SAP) for biodiversity.

The plan sets out the policy and context for biodiversity adaptation policy in Ireland and a series of actions and objectives to safeguard Ireland’s biodiversity and its resilience to the impact of climate change. 

Minister of State O'Sullivan said: "Significant investment in recent years from government and large scale European projects has strengthened restoration and safeguarding of our most precious habitats including blanket bog, and our rarest species such as the corncrake and curlew.

"The government has also increased the resources available to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), to ensure that it is equipped to lead on Ireland’s response to the biodiversity crisis," he added.

According to the Minister of State, climate change is an increasing pressure to biodiversity.

He believes that the action plan is an opportunity to hear from stakeholders affected, and co-ordinate efforts with other departments to safeguard biodiversity.

He said: "Our biodiversity is important to a wide range of stakeholders, including those active in the water, forestry, marine and agricultural sectors.

"I encourage everyone to have their say so that we have a plan that is informed by the best available science and the views of all stakeholders affected," the Minister of State added.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is coordinating the development of the Sectoral Adaptation Plan and the public consultation, which runs from August 20 to September 17.

Climate change adaptation is the ongoing process of adjusting to current or anticipated effects of climate change.

It is not a one-off emergency response, but a strategic and proactive effort to build the resilience of our economy, communities, and ecosystems, according to the department.

The draft plan includes a detailed review of the current understanding of the impacts of climate change on biodiversity in Ireland, in aquatic, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and includes case studies to highlight some examples of the impact of future climate change projections on the sectors and steps towards building resilience to address this. 

Feedback on the plan and suggestions as to how NPWS and other sectors can best prepare to operate in a changing climate should be submitted before the closing date of Wednesday, September 17, 2025.