Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2021
243. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Ireland has committed to supporting the protection of 30% of the land by 2030 under the 30x30initiatve as proposed at a congress (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60001/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe IUCN is a membership based organisation. It is an important actor for biodiversity and provides a forum for discussion and information sharing on how to tackle biodiversity loss. Ireland supports the IUCN as a Government Agency member.
The IUCN Congress in September 2021 passed a motion that at least 30% of land and sea should be designated as protected areas to reverse biodiversity loss, and address climate change, as a foundation for sustainably managing the whole planet. However, the IUCN is not a decision making body and motions passed at the Congress are not legally binding for States.
A great deal of work is ongoing in this area, and has been ongoing for several years, at national, EU and global level on developing the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to be adopted at the next phase of CBD COP15 in 2022. This new Framework will have binding targets to be implemented through parties' national biodiversity action plans.
As part of our engagement with this vital process, I was delighted to sign Ireland up to the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC) in January 2021. This High Ambition Coalition is an intergovernmental group of 70 countries co-chaired by Costa Rica and France, championing a global deal for nature and people with the central goal of protecting at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030. The '30x30' target is a global target which aims to halt the accelerating loss of species, and protect vital ecosystems that are the source of our economic security.
Furthermore, the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, launched in May 2020, contains ambitious and far-reaching actions and targets for nature, including a key commitment to legally protect a minimum of 30% of the EU’s land area and 30% of the EU’s sea area by 2030 and integrate ecological corridors, as part of a Trans-European Nature Network.
In this context, I welcome the motion passed at the IUCN Congress in September. It aligns the IUCN's position in this matter with that of the HAC and the position of the EU and its Member States, including Ireland, as set out in the Biodiversity Strategy 2030, in the run up to CBD COP15 next April.
