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Minister Deenihan opens European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy
Wednesday 15
th May, 2013
Jimmy Deenihan TD Minster for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht welcomed delegates from across Europe to St George's Hall, Dublin Castle this morning at the opening of a 3 day conference - European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy (EPBRS).The conference aims to build on the work already completed in addressing the targets of the current European Biodiversity strategy and in particular planning research to support the implementation of the EU biodiversity strategy in the context of Horizon 2020.
Horizon 2020 - the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation - recognises that research and innovation help deliver jobs, prosperity, quality of life and global public goods. It also generates the scientific and technological breakthroughs needed to tackle the urgent challenges society faces. This includes major challenges such as sustainable development, including climate and environmental objectives.
Speaking at the opening Minister Deenihan said "As Minister with responsibility for heritage both built and natural, I am very pleased to say that we are engaged in a wide range of work to protect habitats and species in Ireland though the implementation of EU and national laws and through the ambitious range of actions set out in our National Biodiversity Plan.
"To succeed in conserving biodiversity, we need good science to inform and underpin our work. My Department’s staff includes a small and dedicated group of ecological experts and I believe we have achieved a very substantial output in understanding the current status of our habitats and species and the pressures on them"
The conference in Dublin Castle is being held as part of Ireland's presidency of the European Union and will examine the research objectives of Horizon 2020 in relation to addressing sustainable development and environmental objectives to support the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
Concluding Minister Deenihan added "We work in close collaboration with colleagues in universities, our Environmental Protection Agency, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, NGOs and many others. The outcome of this conference, tied in with recent related meetings in Brussels and Ghent, can go a long way in promoting relevant and necessary research over the coming seven years. Our task is to make sure that the key messages are heard and understood by politicians, public servants and most importantly, the landowners on whom we depend so much for nature conservation"