Everyone has a part to play in protecting rural landscapes - Muir
Date published:
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has said that we all have a part to play in protecting and enhancing our natural landscapes.
The Minister was speaking at the “Enriched Landscapes Enriched Lives” event in the Long Gallery in Parliament Buildings where Landscapes NI was launching its NI Landscapes Manifesto.
The event showcased the special landscapes and natural environment of Northern Ireland and the variety of benefits that landscapes provide to people. It provided an opportunity for professionals working in landscape protection and management to share knowledge and examples of good practice and explore how we can all work together to protect and enhance our landscapes.
Landscapes NI is a re-revitalised network of 16 different organisations working directly to manage nature and people in the Northern Ireland landscape.
Welcoming the launch of the Manifesto, Minister Muir said: “Northern Ireland has an incredible array of amazing landscapes and seascapes. They are not only places of outstanding beauty they are also where we live, work and play, they provide a home for diverse nature and wildlife, and they support livelihoods through agriculture and tourism.
“We need to reduce the harm caused to those landscapes and ensure that they are resilient to the risks of climate change. It is our responsibility to protect these natural treasures for future generations.
“The Landscapes NI manifesto has clear links to the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) that was agreed by the Executive and published last month.
“The EIP commits to developing a landscape Action Plan by December 2025, completing a landscape and policy review, and then, publishing a landscape strategy by March 2027.
“This will help us to create healthy and accessible landscapes everyone can connect with and enjoy.”
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