Call made for legally-binding targets to protect environment

The conservation charity has acknowledged that some piecemeal improvements have been made, but it is too little too late with no systematic, concerted effort to implement the outcomes of the strategy.

A spokesperson for the charity sid: “RSPB NI believes that the Biodiversity Strategy commitments were inadequate to begin with and is today calling for an urgent review of the strategy, as well as the development of new commitments underpinned by law to ensure action is taken.”

RSPB NI Director Joanne Sherwood explained: “It is imperative that the Northern Ireland Executive’s strategy matches both the nature emergency we face and growing positive public attitudes towards nature and wildlife in Northern Ireland.

“The NI Executive’s failures to deliver our Biodiversity Strategy and the lack of achievement of wider international targets is a wakeup call that things need to change today.

“Nature is our life support system and as we begin to rebuild our economy in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the NI Assembly needs to play a leading role in delivering a green recovery and making commitments in law to secure the future of our environment.”

Commenting on the findings, South Antrim Alliance MLA John Blair said legally-binding targets are needed to protect the environment.

The party’s Environment spokesperson said: “The air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we consume all ultimately rely on the delicate balance of biodiversity, but right now it is in crisis, with the majority of obligations contained in the Executive’s 2015 Biodiversity Strategy not met.

“Northern Ireland contains some of the most spectacular environmental locations in the world, and constituents in South Antrim in particular, will understand the impact biodiversity degradation is having on our area. We have experienced major incidents of fish kills as a result of commercial contamination to the Six Mile Water River and Lough Neagh is among the most heavily polluted waters in Europe.

“Giving nature the space and protection it needs to recover is the only answer to halt this loss of biodiversity. Now is the time to act, and to set high ambitions. They need backed with legally-binding targets so we can not only conserve our environment but invest in it and green jobs, to ensure it remains for future generations.”

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