BirdWatch Ireland welcomes the €172 million package for nature and heritage announced as part of Budget 2025 this week, emphasising that the commitment to nature must be continued every year and by successive governments in order to turn the tide on biodiversity loss.
We welcome the fact that the overall funding package announced by Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan marks an 11% increase on the previous year and represents a record budget for nature and heritage. Specific measures for nature in Budget 2025 include a 25% increase in NPWS funding from 2024, bringing it to a total of €78 million. €29 million of this will be used for protection and restoration at National Parks and Nature Reserves, while €6.5 million has been ringfenced for Science, Research and Nature Protection.
The budget increases for nature have been a welcome hallmark of this government after years of poor investment. It is essential that the spend on nature-related actions and staff resources, be increased significantly and these increases sustained annually to tackle the scale of the environmental crisis we face.
“I was very pleased to see the recent budget settlement and the overall increase in funding for nature. However, it is vital that this trajectory is repeated each year going forward. A sustained commitment to nature, underpinned by a robust budget and science-led decision-making, is essential if we are to have any real chance of halting species declines and habitat loss. Moreover, this ongoing commitment is vital if Ireland wishes to meet its legal obligations under national and EU law,” says CEO of BirdWatch Ireland Linda Lennon.
Current and future Irish governments need to continue to back nature without exception. There is simply no time to waste.
“This week, the Environmental Protection Agency published its eighth State of the Environment Report in Ireland since 1996. In stark terms, it outlined yet again the dire situation many wild birds face. It reminded us that for our protected and internationally important habitats, only 15% are in good condition. Ireland is one of the worst-ranked countries in the EU for poor habitat quality. Our Dáil Éireann-declared biodiversity emergency is not an exaggeration. The restoration actions that are being taken must be scaled up for years to come so we can rebuild ecosystems to help people and wildlife be more resilient to the effects of climate breakdown,” says Oonagh Duggan, Head of Advocacy at BirdWatch Ireland.
The 2020-2026 Birds of Conservation in Ireland (BoCCI) assessment showed that 26% of Irish bird species are now on the Red list, indicating the highest level of concern for their populations. Species such as the Hen Harrier are on the brink of extinction, with only 85-106 breeding pairs believed to remain in the country, while just one known pair of Ring Ouzel remains in Ireland. Such devastating declines are coupled with the loss and degradation of habitats, even in areas that are deemed legally protected. Restoring habitats and reversing species declines cannot be achieved in a matter of months, or even one Government term. We are eager to see an ongoing, long-term commitment to nature that is embraced by all parties.
Indeed, we have already made a pledge to restore nature. By passing the hard-fought Nature Restoration Law earlier this year, Ireland and other member states committed to restoring 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems by 2050. Now that it has been formally approved, Ireland will be required to draft our national restoration plan and lay out in detail how these targets will be reached.
