Last week, organisations from all around the UK came together to launch the Response for Nature. The document sets out the steps we need government and environmental organisations to take in order to save nature in Northern Ireland.
On Tuesday 13 October, we, along with our partners in nature conservation and representatives from government and the private sector, gathered at Belfast WOW to hear what was detailed in the report.
We were joined by Minister of the Environment, Mark H Durkan MLA, who gave his support to the report, saying that we have a duty to protect the wildlife with which we share “this wee place”.
Many of you will remember that back in 2013, scientists from 25 nature organisations worked side-by-side to compile a stock take of our native species – the first of its kind for the UK. The resulting State of Nature report revealed that 60 per cent of the species studied had declined over recent decades. More than one in ten of all the species assessed were under threat of disappearing from our shores altogether.
However the State of Nature report also showed that, of all the UK countries, we know least about changes in Northern Ireland’s nature. It is still the case that there are many species and groups of species for which we have no Northern Ireland-specific information on trends. We need to know much more about how Northern Ireland’s nature is faring if we are to protect it.
In the Response for Nature, environmental organisations commit to further monitoring, especially through citizen science programmes. However the report stresses that these commitments must be matched by government, agencies and academic commitment to really make a difference.
The document challenges governments to set a trajectory for nature’s recovery to achieve a country richer in nature which everyone, including young people, can feel more connected to. Key to all this is decision-makers who recognise that restoring nature is a key solution to some of our most pressing social, economic and environmental problems.
Speaking on behalf of the partners at the launch event, Craig McGuicken from Northern Ireland Environment Link said: “There are some big decisions being made over the coming months about public spending and development on land and at sea. These decisions must not erode the basis of nature protection. We need leadership from government to ensure all departments play their part in enhancing Northern Ireland’s environment for this and the next generation.”
The Response for Nature document also calls for action to ensure existing nature legislation is working as it should and for any gaps to be filled, for example introduction of a Climate Change Act for NI, as well as a commitment to improve the quality of health locally by increasing natural green space in urban and rural settlements.
The Response for Nature partners have also called for the laws that defend nature, the Birds and Habitats Directives, to be protected and targeted programmes of action to recover threatened species.
The Response for Nature coalition for Northern Ireland includes the following partners: