Bríd Smith warns biodiversity plan is too slow and inadequate
Bríd Smith criticised the action plan for biodiversity and the systemic neglect of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, arguing the measures are too slow and insufficient. She said the biodiversity crisis fundamentally stems from economic priorities and industrial agriculture and called for a radical break from the system driving species loss.
Action plan timeline and staffing concerns
She highlighted a disconnect between the scale of the crisis and the action plan's timeline, noting the promise to appoint an international expert to benchmark staffing levels. The expert's findings are to be reported in December, a plan approved by June 2023 and implementation beginning by March 2024 - a sequence she said risks years of delay. She criticised the plan for being "peppered with that sort of corporate guff", including new directorates and an executive agency that may not match the scale of failings.
Species under threat and stark statistics
She quoted hard figures from Ireland's assessments - one in five species assessed are threatened with extinction, bees and fish are at an alarming 30%, and 63% of regularly occurring bird species are of conservation concern. Species of most concern listed include corncrake, curlew, lapwing and barn owl, and now widespread species such as meadow pippets, snipe and kestrel. She cited an IWT representative, Porrick Fogarty, who told the Dáil committee that "a cloud of neglect and apathy has smothered the natural world."
Praise for review work and critique of political apathy
She thanked Jane Stout and Michael O'Kanadha for their review and described it as an excellent piece of work that highlights systemic neglect at the National Parks and Wildlife Service. At the same time she warned that the report records a wider pattern of neglect and political apathy, and accused successive governments of failing even to afford minimal protection to supposedly protected sites and species.
Root causes and link to the climate crisis
Smith argued the biodiversity crisis is rooted in current economic priorities and an agricultural system driven by profit and big agri-food corporate interests - including reliance on monocrops and the use of nitrogen fertilisers. She also condemned cruelty inflicted on animals in the interest of profit rather than feeding people and said biodiversity loss is intrinsically linked with the climate crisis, requiring a radical break from the economic system that is driving species loss.
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I want to start by acknowledging all the communities out there and across my own constituency, there are very, very many, they're growing on a daily basis, who are really engaged and energised in direct action to fight to help repair and preserve the biodiversity in their neighbourhoods. It's great to see it. And I also want to thank Jane Stout and Michael O'Kanadha for their review and their work. It's an excellent piece of work and highlights well the problems and the systemic neglect of our National Park and Wildlife Service. But I also think of wider, deeper systemic problems with how we interact with and protect or fail to protect our natural systems and biodiversity. On the action plan, just an observation, Minister, that there is a huge disconnect between the scale of the crisis we face, the report on our chief agency with its responsibilities in this area, the action plan and its time frame. So, for example, the hiring of an international expert to benchmark the staffing levels, aside from whether we need one or not, aside from whether we need one or not, when you look at the actions, it says we promise to appoint an international expert to benchmark staffing levels, their findings will be reported in December, by June 2023 their plan will be approved and by March 2024 their findings will have started to be implemented. So, by March 2024, all going well, we may see the beginning of the implementation of recommendations on staffing and to be quite frank, the plan is peppered with that sort of corporate guff. Setting new directorates is another one and an executive agency. Now, I understand these corporate and structural changes may be needed, but when you consider the scale of the crisis and the scale of the failures, this does not seem to match what we need. The scale of the crisis is something else and I know you are aware of that, but to just quote from a source, one in five of all species assessed in Ireland are threatened with extinction. For bees and fish, it is at an alarming 30%. 63% of regularly occurring bird species in Ireland are of conservation concern. Those of most concern include the iconic species of corncrake, curlew, lapwing and barn owl, and now also widespread species like meadow pippets, snipe and kestrel. And I was struck some time ago by a statement from an IWT rep, Porrick Fogarty, who told the Dáil committee, and I quote, a cloud of neglect and apathy has smothered the natural world. It is a terrible legacy that we are leaving for the next generation. So, given this, I am not sure that a cross-cutting standing committee with international benchmark staffing expert is what we need. And I want to welcome the recognition and the review of the dedication of the staff of the National Park and Wildlife Services, but I am also struck by the neglect and the political apathy that the report records. There has been failure by successive governments to afford even minimal protection to supposedly protective sites and species, and there is something really wrong and breathtaking in this regard. I want to finish, though, by saying that although I think that proper funding of the agency and enforcement is really required and is a very welcome start, I do not think it is the full story. The biodiversity crisis fundamentally stems from our economic priorities, from an agricultural system driven by profit, big agri-food corporate interests, reliance on monocrops, the use of nitrogen fertilisers, and the current cruelty inflicted on animals generally in the interest not of feeding people but of feeding profit margins. This is intrinsically linked with the climate crisis and, to be honest, both require a radical break from the economic system that is driving the loss of plants and animal species and throwing even our existence into doubt. Thank you very much.
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