Muir launches draft Strategy to protect nature for future generations
Date published:
Members of the public are to be consulted on a draft Nature Recovery Strategy to restore, manage and protect Northern Ireland’s habitats for future generations.
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir launched a public consultation today on the draft strategy, which sets out how the department will meet international and national ambitions on biodiversity up to 2032.
Nature is in decline across the world, including Northern Ireland, where many habitats and species are under threat with 40% of the flora and fauna in our most protected sites falling short of ‘favourable condition’ standards.
Only one of 49 priority habitat types here are considered to be at favourable conservation status (fourth UK Habitats Directive Report), while one in nine (12%) of Northern Ireland species are currently threatened with extinction (State of Nature 2023).
Launching the public consultation, Minister Muir said: “Northern Ireland has some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes and precious habitats. Our society continues to exert growing pressures on the natural environment, making it imperative to adopt a collective and comprehensive approach to reverse and prevent further decline. This Strategy has been developed by my Department to provide support not only for designated sites but for the wider countryside as well."
The Minister continued: “Nature can recover if we start recognising its value, stop doing things that harm it, and treat it with the respect it deserves. While we have a long way to go to halt and reverse current trends we can take heart from recent conservation successes, such as the breeding wader recovery project in the Antrim Hills and Lough Erne, the peatland restoration project at Mullaghcarn, and the Life-Raft project to protect native species on Rathlin Island. These initiatives demonstrate how collaboration and leadership can deliver practical action to halt and reverse the decline of nature.
“I look forward to receiving input from stakeholders and the wider public on this proposed Strategy, to help drive decisive action to on restoring and regenerating biodiversity so that future generations can live in a thriving natural environment.”
The draft Nature Recovery Strategy contains five strategic objectives and clear actions to help deliver transformation across government, business and society to safeguard and restore nature and biodiversity. This includes actions that have already been agreed or are in development in existing strategies and policies, as well as additional new actions that have been identified to further promote nature restoration.
The proposed additional actions for 2026 include:
- Publishing a Tree Planting Action Plan
- Development of a new All-Ireland Pollinator Plan for 2026-30
- Development of a Protected Sites Delivery Plan
- Publishing a Plastic Pollution Plan
- Launching a Public Consultation on Northern Ireland’s first Clean Air Strategy
- Publishing the report on latest Northern Ireland Countryside Survey (2022-2025)
When preparing for the delivery of this strategy, DAERA will work to convene a Nature Recovery Forum to oversee its successful implementation.
Link to the Strategy and Consultation documents. Responses should be submitted before the deadline on 18 March 2026.
Notes to editors:
- The fourth UK Habitats Directive Report is available here: Article 17 Habitats Directive Report 2019 (Habitats) | Advisor to Government on Nature Conservation | JNCC.
- The State of Nature 2023 report is available here: Northern Ireland - State of Nature.
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