New biodiversity guidelines for public agencies
On Tuesday, the Government unveiled new guidelines to help public and state bodies integrate biodiversity into their operations.
Developed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) with support from Business for Biodiversity Ireland, the ‘Biodiversity Duty Reporting Guidance for Public Bodies‘ provides practical steps and tools to meet biodiversity reporting requirements.
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, commented, “All of us have a role to play in protecting our biodiversity, and that includes our public and state bodies. Many of them, including ESB and Iarnród Éireann, are already leading by example and can see the benefits – for biodiversity, for the public and their own organisations.”
Biodiversity Duty Reporting Guidance for Public Bodies provides actionable steps and tools for public bodies to embed biodiversity considerations into their operations.
It indicates areas of opportunity within public bodies where biodiversity can be incorporated, and sets out how biodiversity duty can be strengthened through clear targets, knowledge and skills development, collaboration and implementation.
ESB, which is an initiative seed funded by the NPWS and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), in response to the recognised growing need for business guidance in transitioning to a nature-positive way of working.
Geoff Hamilton, Biodiversity Lead at ESB, which is a member of the Business for Biodiversity Ireland platform, said, “Biodiversity action is a core part of ESB’s ambition to make a difference for planet, place and people; we aim to be nature-positive by 2030. In 2024, ESB appointed a Group Head of Sustainability, who has completed the establishment of a new Centre of Sustainability – including the creation of a new role of Group Biodiversity Lead, tasked with driving biodiversity action and transformation across ESB’s business units.”
Niall Ó Donnchú, Director General of the NPWS, added, “Public and state bodies are an important partner in our delivery of the National Biodiversity Action Plan. I would like to thank them for their positive engagement in outlining the steps they’ve taken to promote biodiversity and we welcome further engagement as they implement their biodiversity duty.”
