Valuing nature

agendaNi takes a look at the Department of the Environment’s recently published biodiversity strategy.

The Department of the Environment recently published its latest biodiversity strategy. The strategy, entitled ‘Valuing Nature’ is focused on halting the loss of our natural environment. Biodiversity is the variety of all living things, including every species of plant and animal. The strategy recognises that as people, we are part of the biodiverse system and the benefits we derive from biodiversity are critical to our survival. Loss of a pollinator or seed disperser could have large and unexpected impacts on the entire system but protecting biodiversity can ensure the continued enjoyment of the benefits of the environment.

Northern Ireland is home to around 20,000 species found in its air, land, soil and waters. For its size, Northern Ireland is one of the most geologically diverse areas of the planet. Northern Ireland has been settled by people for thousands of years and there is no place in its landscape or biodiversity where the impact of humans is not evident but the rate at which we are eroding nature’s capital is, according to the report, unsustainable. To determine how well the environment is functioning the strategy has adopted the ecosystem approach that looks at systems and their complex inter-relationships rather than individual organisms or species.

 Challenges

The strategy sets out how Northern Ireland plans to meet its international obligations and local targets to protect biodiversity and ensure that the environment can continue to support its citizens and the economy. While protection of individual species and habitats is essential, the thrust of the strategy’s focus is to manage natural and man-modified systems to deliver numerous outputs that support society and the economy.

The first Northern Ireland Biodiversity Strategy contained 76 recommendations that were accepted by the Executive as Northern Ireland’s framework for action to halt biodiversity loss. This was Northern Ireland’s contribution to international and European commitments to halt such loss. The strategy was a success, with many of the 76 recommendations addressed fully and others partially delivered. However, Northern Ireland, like many other nations, has fallen short of halting biodiversity loss.

Among the recommendations that were addressed fully are the implementation of new environmental legislation to provide greater protection to a wider range of plants and animals and the introduction of a statutory biodiversity duty on public bodies. A countryside management scheme was also introduced and was a range of designation processes relating to the Habitats and Birds directives.

Work is also currently in progress to tackle the threats posed by invasive alien species and establish management measures for protected sites to be developed further to include and ecosystem approach. Another Rural Development Programme has also been established.

Looking at the next five years, the new strategy has identified a number of high level challenges that require particular attention, these are:

•   valuing the environment in the broadest context;

•   reducing the impact of climate change;

•   obtaining adequate resources for biodiversity projects from a wide range of sources;

•   encouraging ecosystem scale protection measures;

•   tackling invasive species;

•   enhancing data gathering and management;

•   encouraging society more fully to halt biodiversity loss.

Aside from these targets, Northern Ireland is also required to meet a number of international targets and these have been taken account of in the development of the new strategy.

Aichi targets

In October 2010 the Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Nagoya, Japan. At the convention the adoption of a new ten-year strategic plan to guide international and national effort to save biodiversity was agreed upon. The 20 points that were agreed upon, including the commitment to ensure that areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity, form the basis of Northern Ireland’s new strategy.

European Union’s strategy

In May 2011 the European Union adopted its own biodiversity strategy that runs to 2020. This strategy focuses on six major targets which address the main drivers of biodiversity loss. Its aim is to reduce key pressures on nature and ecosystem services in the European Union through better implementation of existing nature conservation legislation, anchoring biodiversity objectives into key policies and closing important policy gaps.

The six targets, which Northern Ireland must play its part in delivering, include:

•   the full implementation of European Union legislation;

•   better protection and restoration of ecosystems and the services they provide and greater use of green infrastructure;

•   more sustainable agriculture and forestry;

•   better management of European Union fish stocks and more sustainable fisheries;

•   tighter controls on invasive alien species;

•   greater European Union contribution to averting global biodiversity loss. 

The new Northern Ireland strategy will provide the focus for action to meet these commitments and deliver many local benefits for Northern Ireland’s people and its economy. The new biodiversity strategy defines its mission as “making progress towards halting overall biodiversity loss, establish an ecosystem approach and help business and society in general have a greater understanding of the benefits that nature can bring to everyday life in Northern Ireland.”

For its size, Northern Ireland is one of the most geologically diverse areas of the plant

Review 

The strategy recognises that its ambitions are lofty, and that it may not be possible to achieve all of these goals by the conclusion of the strategy, particularly if resources are not always fully available. However it sets out the department’s belief that working towards them will set Northern Ireland on track to address many social and economic issues as well as protecting the environment from further degradation.

The department will use the first report on the progress of the strategy, due in 2016 as the basis of a review of the strategy. A number of associated actions are due for completion by then and as such it is felt that a review will help renew and reinvigorate interest in the overall aim of halting biodiversity loss. The review will look at what has been achieved, what has been successful and what hasn’t as well as identifying key challenges and any new initiatives or threats that have emerged.