Funding has been awarded to 10 local authorities to appoint new biodiversity officers, which will be tasked with developing and implementing a county biodiversity plan among other duties.
Once appointed, this will bring the total number of biodiversity officers employed in local authorities around the country to 14, with funding for a further 15 officers to be provided, as part of efforts to take greater action for biodiversity at the local level. A full national rollout is expected to be completed in the next three years.
The programme is being delivered by the Heritage Council and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) with the support of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Commenting on the development, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD, said: "It's fantastic to see the next tranche of Biodiversity Officers are now being recruited around the country. These ten new posts, and the funding for a further 15 that I announced as part of Budget 2023, will have an enormous impact on the ground in helping to deliver action for nature at the local level. The declaration by the Dáil of a biodiversity emergency in 2019 sent a clear signal of how seriously we as a country need to take the biodiversity challenges ahead, and our objectives in the Programme for Government demonstrate this urgency. Today's announcement is another step in the right direction and it reflects my commitment to ensuring that these objectives are fulfilled and that all local authorities have a sufficient number of heritage and biodiversity officers among their staff complement."
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Chairperson of The Heritage Council, Martina Moloney, commented: "The vision for biodiversity, as stated in the National Biodiversity Action Plan, is that biodiversity in Ireland is valued, conserved, restored and sustainably used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people. This is a vision shared by the Heritage Council and our work in ensuring the continued progression of the Pilot Biodiversity Officer Programme is a reflection of our own objectives."
Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive of The Heritage Council, added: "The most important element in continuing to progress this essential programme has been our collaboration with the CCMA, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is thanks to our shared vision and objectives that within the next few months, more local authorities, and the country as a whole, will be able to benefit from the expertise, enthusiasm and determination of dedicated biodiversity officers."
The scheme will be evaluated in 2025 to inform future provision.
