,-Ciaran-O-Keeffe-(NPWS,-Hannah-Hamilton-(IFNC)-launching-registration-for-National-Biodiversity-Conf.jpg "Registrations now open for Ireland’s National Biodiversity Conference")
Josepha Madigan, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht launches registrations for the National Biodiversity Conference with Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe, Principal Officer at the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Hannah Hamilton, Executive Coordinator at the Irish Forum on Natural Capital.
Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, today (Monday 19 November) announced the opening of registrations for the National Biodiversity Conference, titled ‘New Horizons for Nature’.
This two day event is organised National Parks and Wildlife Service (www.npws.ie) and Irish Forum on Natural Capital (www.naturalcapitalireland.com) and will be held at Dublin Castle on 20 and 21 February 2019.
Minister Madigan said:
This important two-day event will see artists, businesses, economists, musicians and farmers join conservationists and scientists to seek answers to the question of how best we can work together conserve biodiversity.
Globally, we are losing biodiversity at a rate unprecedented in human history. In Ireland, over 90% of our protected habitats are in poor condition, and 14% of species assessed are deemed to be endangered. The number of plants, insects, mammals and birds that are threatened or endangered is growing year on year.
Echoing President Macron, Minister Madigan added,
There is no Planet B. The biodiversity of this planet is the greatest resource we have and it is up to this generation to move beyond rhetoric and on to action. That action is not for the prescient few. It is a obligation on us all, and we will use this conference to broaden that dialogue.
Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe, Head of Science and Biodiversity at the NPWS said:
This matters for people as well as the planet. As the web of life breaks apart, the natural systems that give us food to eat, air to breathe and water to drink are increasingly vulnerable.
The conference organisers want to energise implementation of Ireland’s 3rd National Biodiversity Action Plan, ‘Actions for Biodiversity 2017-2021’, which was launched in October 2017.
Through talks, debates, workshops and creative elements, this event aims to raise awareness of the Plan and explore some of its key aspects, including:
- How to better engage with communities across Ireland to conserve biodiversity
- Planning for biodiversity in a changing world
- Investing in nature
Information about the conference is available at www.biodiversityconference.ie.