merrion street

Andrew Doyle T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, announced that An Post will be the first company to participate in his Department’s Woodland Environmental Fund (WEF). The WEF is a scheme for businesses in Ireland to part-fund the creation of native woodlands in Ireland through partnership with landowners and the State. The initiative supported by An Post is a site in Co. Galway which involved the planting of some 25,000 native oak, alder and birch trees this year (click here to view this plantation).

Minister Doyle commented

Businesses in Ireland are seeking solutions to meet expanding climate, biodiversity and sustainability commitments, whilst also supporting national objectives. The main national objective is of course the planting of some 250 million trees as part of the Government’s Climate Action Plan. The creation of new native woodlands is of growing interest given the rich environmental dividend they deliver. I want to congratulate An Post for choosing such a worthwhile project in which to invest. I am delighted to report that interest in the WEF programme is continuing to grow across business sectors.

The WEF is a scheme from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine which aims to promote higher levels of native woodland establishment to capture carbon and create habitats rich in biodiversity. This initiative provides a shared platform for Government, the business community and landowners to work together to help meet planting targets set out in the Climate Action Plan. Under WEF, businesses can be associated with individual native woodlands and use the environmental benefits linked to these forests to demonstrate their sustainability credentials.

Minister Doyle added that

My Department would like to invite businesses interested in supporting the establishment of native woodlands to a breakfast briefing event in Trinity College on the 28^th November 2019. This will be an opportunity to learn more about the WEF and to hear first-hand about the experiences of An Post in developing a native woodland. My Department will be available on the day to guide companies on how to become involved.

Sean Canney T.D., Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development also congratulated An Post for being the first business to support the establishment of a native woodland under the WEF. Minister Canney said

An Post couldn’t have picked a better location for the first WEF forest than this site in County Galway. The WEF is a creative solution that will help address the dual challenges of our time, climate change and falling biodiversity and I would encourage other Irish businesses to consider it. This forest was established with the help of funding from An Post as part of their ‘Post Eco’ Sustainability Action Plan. Indeed An Post is one of 12 leaders chosen by Government to drive forward Ireland’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.