Extinction threatens 48 species living in the Irish marine environment, including fish, crustaceans, shellfish and invertebrates, according to the new National Biodiversity Action Plan.
“It is imperative that we arrest these declines and start the process of regeneration,” the authors of the action plan state.
The fourth national biodiversity action plan was published yesterday by Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan.
The new plan has been placed on a statutory footing for the first time, and it also commits to enacting and implementing comprehensive legislation on marine protected areas.
The plan notes that in Ireland, almost a third of EU-protected species and 85% of EU-protected habitats are in unfavourable status.
It says that over half of native Irish plant species have declined in the last 20 years, and 30% of semi-natural grasslands have been lost in the past 10 years.
Over 20% of breeding and 52% of key wintering bird species are reported to have short-term declining trends, it says.
Many of the issues it identifies were addressed in the report by the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss.
The new biodiversity action plan seeks to address a number of its key recommendations.
Its 194 actions across sea and land include commitments to deliver on obligations to conserve the most precious habitats and species, and “strategically target” efforts on invasive species.
The Fair Seas coalition of environmental groups welcomed its publication, but warned that it will only work if “every single measure is acted upon promptly”.
