First key meeting to inform nature restoration plan to take place

The first meeting of the leaders’ forum to inform Ireland’s nature restoration plan which will enforce the targets in the Nature Restoration Law will take place on Tuesday in Dublin.

Farm organisations will be among the 80 or so groups represented at the meeting and it is planned that it will meet at least five times over the coming year.

Aoibhinn Ní Shuilleabháin, who is chairing the independent advisory committee on nature restoration, will MC the event.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, she said that as chair of the committee she is tasked with advising the Government on the contents of what Ireland’s nature restoration plan should be.

There is a board committee to ensure that all interests are included, with farm organisations represented, she said.

“Whatever plan is agreed, we need to put our best foot forward with it. It must be implementable, clear and coherent,” she said.

It is important to get the plan right so people feel listened to

The committee will be informed by science and for each article in the law, there will be a scientific lead, she said. This work will feed into working groups and then those working groups will feed into the committee.

“It is important to get the plan right so people feel listened to. Once it’s drafted, it will go to public consultation,” she added.

Once it has gone through public consultation, Ireland must submit the plan to the European Commission by 1 September 2026.

The leaders’ forum taking place this week will hear from leaders of national groups and agencies who will be working with and involved in the implementation of the nature restoration plan.

“The leaders’ forum will be looking at this in a national context. Farm organisations, environmental groups and State agencies will be represented. It’s a full house,” she said.

Concerns

Ní Shúilleabháin said that she understands the concerns that are out there about the Nature Restoration Law.

“The core focus of Tuesday is what is the nature restoration plan and what is isn’t. GAEC 2, the Climate Action Plan and Nature Restoration Law – there’s a lot of conflicting elements coming through,” she said.

“This is about listening to all involved and it’s a day for dialogue. We want to get people talking and record what they are worried about. The committee will pull together the best plan to go forward. We are aiming for consensus,” she said.

For more, see this week’s Irish Farmers Journal.

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