I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, to the House. I also welcome to the Visitor's Gallery guests of Senator Noonan, and the parents of Senator Harmon from Cork, Ted and Mary. They are most welcome to Seanad Éireann. Their daughter is doing great work here in Seanad Éireann. She is working very hard and does Cork proud and her parents proud. I thank them for being here.

The opening speakers for this debate will speak for 16 minutes. The proposer and seconder may share time, and all other Senators have six minutes, and the Minister of State will respond.

I move:

“That Seanad Éireann:

recognises:

- the need for the Government to respond to the ‘Whole of Government, Whole of Society’ approach adopted in the fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan and upcoming National Nature Restoration Plan by ensuring that verifiable and proven measures to maintain healthy wildlife populations are given due support;

- the threats and pressures facing wildlife in Ireland due to development, loss of habitat, pollution and road collisions;

- the valuable work carried out by wildlife rescue centres across Ireland, both for wildlife on land and at sea;

- this work is critical to saving and rehabilitating many species of wild birds, bats, cetaceans and mammals and returning them appropriately to the wild following treatment;

- that Ireland’s wildlife rehabilitation centres are volunteer led, supported by professional veterinary staff, and use best practice when treating, handling and releasing wild species;

- that wildlife rescue centres are reliant largely on voluntary fundraising to fund their day-to-day activities and are experiencing increased levels of activity due to wider environmental pressures and increased public awareness;

calls on the Government to:

- establish a multi-annual fund to support the work of wildlife rehabilitation centres; the Wildlife Rescue Support Scheme (WRSS) would be established in the Budget using a revenue fund derived from fines imposed for wildlife crime in the courts and Exchequer funding;

notes that:

- funding would be split between a revenue (ongoing administration) fund and a capital fund to carry out works/improvements to facilities and for the purchase of equipment;

- such a fund would be only available to wildlife rescue centres that meet the following mandatory criteria:

- Licensing and Regulatory Compliance:

- hold a current licence issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS);

- have undergone an NPWS site inspection within the past 12 months;

- maintain a strict policy of not keeping educational or ambassador wild animals;

- commit to reporting any suspected wildlife crime to the appropriate authorities;

- Experience, Capacity, and Scope of Care:

- be an active wildlife rehabilitator or volunteer for a minimum of three years;

- provide a detailed account of the species cared for and the maximum care capacity of the facility;

- demonstrate availability of out-of-hours care for wildlife patients;

- Governance, Financial Accountability, and Planning:

- submit recent financial accounts;

- provide a current strategic plan;

- supply at least two letters of support from relevant stakeholders;

- Record-Keeping, Data Sharing, and Veterinary Support:

- maintain detailed electronic records of all wildlife admissions and treatments;

- make rehabilitation data available for legitimate research and conservation purposes;

- provide a letter of agreement from a registered veterinary practice confirming they provide clinical care and prescribed medication for wildlife patients;

- have been visited by a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine veterinarian, or be open to such a visit;

- Facilities, Biosecurity, and Site Management:

- maintain clear separation between wildlife and domestic animals on site;

- maintain a designated isolation area for new or sick wildlife;

- implement and maintain strong biosecurity measures to prevent disease transmission;

- Policies, Procedures, and Professional Standards:

- maintain written policies and procedures covering:

- animal care protocols;

- euthanasia procedures;

- invasive species management;

- clinical waste management;

- demonstrate continuous professional development on an annual basis;

- the following criteria is desirable for wildlife rescue centres:

- Education, Outreach, and Conservation Contribution:

- provide education and outreach activities related to wildlife rehabilitation;

- education and outreach may be delivered either online or in person;

requests the Government to:

- provide an update on the progression of the WRSS within six months of the motion being passed.”

I second the motion.

I also welcome our Cork Minister of State. Táimid i ngéarchéim bhithéagsúlachta. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil jab le déanamh againn uile chun cabhrú leis an dúlra agus leis an bhfiadhúlra nuair is féidir linn. Déanann ár n-ionaid tarrthála fiadhúlra ar fud na hÉireann obair iontach ag cabhrú leis an dúlra agus leis an bhfiadhúlra nuair is féidir linn.

Wildlife rehabilitators in Ireland play a vital role in biodiversity conservation and public service delivery. Last year, rehabilitation centres admitted approximately 10,000 birds and mammals to care, responding to injury, illness and human-induced threats. In the same period, they handled around 23,000 inquiries from the public relating to wildlife welfare and conflict situations, demonstrating a significant and growing demand for their services.

A substantial portion of animals admitted to our species of conservation concern, including those listed as amber or red under national conservation frameworks. These include the European hedgehog, barn owl, Eurasian curlew, northern lapwing or an pilibín, our national bird, common swifts, house sparrow, song thrush and many of our bat species. Many of these species are experiencing significant population decline and rehabilitation contributes directly to their survival and potential recovery in the wild.

Each individual animal successfully treated and released represents our measurable contribution to population stability, genetic diversity and ecosystem resilience. As such, wildlife rehabilitators operate on the front line of the biodiversity crisis, providing an essential service in species protection, welfare intervention and conservation outcomes. In addition, rehabilitators play an increasingly important role in the identification reporting of wildlife crime, including illegal persecution, poisoning, trapping and habitat destruction. This intelligence is shared with the NPWS and contributes to enforcement. Their work also extends to providing specialist guidance and support to public veterinary professionals, businesses, Government agencies and local authorities, strengthening cross-sector collaboration in wildlife protection.

Importantly, wildlife rehabilitators do not operate on a standard Monday to Friday nine-to-five schedule. Instead, they provide continuous around-the-clock emergency response services 365 days a year, ensuring injured and distressed wildlife can receive immediate care at any time, including nights, weekends and public holidays. We only have to look at Kildare Wildlife Rescue, KWR's, Pearse Stokes's exploits on Instagram to fully appreciate the risks they take to rescue wildlife.

Wildlife rehabilitation also generates wider socio-economic benefits. For example, KWR is expected to host over 60 international interns this year. These individuals reside with local host families to contribute economically through local spending and supporting businesses and services within the surrounding area. This demonstrates that investment in wildlife rehabilitation delivers not only environmental benefits, but also tangible community and economic value.

Our national network of wildlife rehabilitation centres can play an active role in head-starting. I have spoken with KWR about this. It would offer a regional centre for such activities once our national restoration plan is up and running. Overall, wildlife funding through wildlife rehabilitation services supports an integrated model of conservation, public engagement, law enforcement and rural and economic development, making it a high impact investment in both biodiversity and community resilience.

I am delighted the Minister of State and the Government are not opposing our motion.

As a species, humans have been remarkably successful in adapting to our own surroundings and we have given a great deal of thought to adapting our environment to suit our needs. Unfortunately, we have not been as successful or given enough thought to ensuring our adaptations do not impact on other living creatures who share our planet.

Human activity, whether thoughtless or deliberate, has had a catastrophic impact upon many other life forms living wild alongside us. Nature loves diversity, but through our pursuit of efficiency and our determination to mould nature to suit our immediate needs, we have often promoted agricultural practices that specialise in monocrops. The disposal of vast quantities of waste from intensive farming of pigs and chickens, the overstocking of land with sheep and cattle, the overplantation of Sitka spruce, intensive grass growing and repeated sowing of crops all play a part in exhausting our natural world.

Our land use practices often require the destruction of hedgerows in pursuit of bigger fields and the ever-increasing application of fertiliser, weed killer and pesticides.

As a result, we have much poorer levels of biodiversity than we once enjoyed. The health and resilience of remaining species is compromised also. These weakened species operate in a human-centric environment in which they have not evolved face daily dangers from road traffic, overhead cables, lawn-mowers, strimmers, pets such as dogs and cats, oil spills, poisoning and illegal hunting or snaring. It in this challenging world that wildlife rehabilitation services such Wildlife West in Sligo operate. Called to scenes of poisonings, incidents and accidents, services like Wildlife West observe, assess and do whatever they can to mitigate or remove the birds and animals from danger and, where necessary, bring them back the centre for assessment and rehabilitation. Hedgehogs, barn owls, foxes, ducks and swans are among those helped this year by the team at Wildlife West. Long-term investment is also made through outreach programmes and educational visits to schools and colleges by wildlife rehabilitation services. Through the education of children, young people and their families, we all learn how best to protect nature. That means the reliance on organisations like wildlife rehabilitation services will be reduced. By establishing a fund to support licensed wildlife rehabilitation services, we will help to meet our obligations under the fourth national biodiversity action plan. Biodiversity and climate loss are interlinked. I am proud to be standing here with my comrades to support this.

I welcome the guests in the Gallery including my parents, Mary and Ted. It is their first time sitting in the Seanad Gallery. It is very welcome that the Minister of State and the Government are not opposing our motion. I commend Senator Noonan in particular on leading on this cross-party motion. I was blown away recently when I visited Wildlife Rescue Cork - I told the Minister of State about this - to see the work it does in rehabilitation and the number of animals it treats and allows back into the wild. They ring all the birds of prey and waterbirds. They have had re-sightings of herons, swans and gulls that have migrated and come back. It goes to show that rehabilitation works and animals will behave in the same way when they are released back into the wild. Aside from the economic benefits and social benefits in education, a real reason behind this is compassion and suffering. A lot of the injuries that happen to wildlife are because of human behaviour and how we have changed the world and the habitat. From that perspective, we have a duty of care to our wildlife. Wildlife Rescue Cork does not just treat wildlife from Cork, it takes in animals from Kerry, Tipperary, Waterford and Limerick. It is a real beacon in Munster for their work. Funding for the sector will allow it to professionalise further and to continue education programmes. It also takes on interns as they do in other centres such as in Kildare. It will allow them to have guaranteed funding to progress salaried positions to care for these animals around the clock, which they already do anyway. The resources they have are very much stretched. They should not be relying so heavily on public donations. They provide training programmes for vets and veterinary nurses on how to treat wildlife in practice. That training element is important as well. Wildlife centres are vital to enhancing biodiversity in Ireland. We lag behind many countries in preserving biodiversity as opposed to the environment itself. It is my understanding that we are among the lowest in the EU for land that is protected for birds, for example. Similarly, we are far behind the global target of 30% for protection of land and marine. We need to work better towards our general targets in this regard. This motion is a start. It would be transformative for the work already happening, which we need to recognise. A lot of the public are simply not aware that if you find an animal injured on the road or wherever or if it flies into your home, there is somewhere you can bring it and there is help to be found. I think the public want to be able to help when they see an animal in pain or in need. It is a much cheaper option long term because it is much more expensive to restore a population of animals in decline or ecosystems in decline. This is actually a preventative measure. It is really welcome that the Government is supporting this motion.

We are living in a moment when protecting wildlife and biodiversity is not something we have to worry about in the distant future; we need to think about it now. We are living in an environmental, biodiversity and ecology emergency. A new report from the independent advisory committee on nature restoration shows that 90% of our habitats are now in unfavourable conditions for wildlife. It is an appalling figure. It will take a monumental effort from Government, NGOs, across civil society and a cross-party approach to row back on this horrendous figure. We need to seriously work collectively to reverse and restore nature and support biodiversity due to the loss of habitat and the pollution we have seen. A big question is also around the marine protected areas Bill. We have seen the designation of marine protected areas but we have not seen any action or protection with that. The Government is committed to protecting 30% of our seas by 2030 but we are lagging behind that substantially; only about 10% has been done to date.

It is in the context of how bad things are that I thank Senator Noonan for bringing this forward. We all know too well that biodiversity and nature are in serious deep decline but the report form the indecent advisory committee sharpens that greatly. The motion asks for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to take action. A core element of that is multi-annual funding to support the work of rehabilitation centres. Revenue from fines collected for wildlife crime would fund a lot of these support schemes. Adequate funding of wildlife services is a crucial investment for the island. We cannot continue to rely only on the organisations that do such great work, much of which is voluntary. We know about fundraising challenges for wildlife centres; they are struggling to keep their doors open despite how important the work they do is. The volunteer efforts of those caring for wildlife and their fundraising efforts are heroic in the face of how much decline we have seen and the severe habitat destruction. There is often an over-reliance on the voluntary sector. When I say voluntary, a lot of these people are high professionalised and skilled and might have several layers of qualifications and degrees to do this work yet they are not fully supported. The professionalisation, experience and expertise they have in this area are not matched or recognised by the Government. Senator Noonan reminds us that staff in wildlife centres, paid or voluntary, work around the clock. Caring for wildlife is not a Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job. It is 24 hours, seven days a week. People working in wildlife care see some of the most heartbreaking and distressing cases of animal cruelty as well. It is very much not for the faint-hearted. They also have the incredible privilege of releasing animals back to nature and their natural habitat and nursing them back to health.

It is important to acknowledge the work they do in restoration, advocacy and education. In Kilkenny we have Keep Kilkenny Beautiful, which does huge work on invasive species such as Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed. These species are really problematic for local ecosystems. They damage the habitats of birds, bees, fish, sea life and river life. They are invasive and they are quietly choking our natural environment. They spread fast and crowd out native plants. This has an ongoing effect on birds, insects and the wider ecosystem. They also erode riverbanks and in some cases pose quite a serious risk to people. Without the dedication of these groups, our wildlife would be completely on its own trying to survive in a world that does not recognise its significance or right to share all spaces in communities and towns. There is hope - unprecedented levels of public awareness are helping to support these projects and their funding to undo some of the decline in the natural world. We all know the value of wild spaces whether it is because we walk our dogs in the countryside, go to the beach or love listening to birdsong early in the morning but we take it for granted. If we do not actively protect it, we will lose it. It is slightly trite but people give the example of the car being covered in insects after a long journey on the motorway ten or 20 years ago. We do not see that any more because the insects are not there because they are dying. That is a significant everyday marker of how our ecosystem is being damaged. We need to do so much more to protect it.

Protecting our wildlife and the environment in which we live is about safeguarding spaces, safeguarding moments that enrich our daily lives and safeguarding the future for future generations of young people who will come after us.

Before I call on the next speaker, I welcome guests of Senator O'Loughlin from Kildare Volunteer Centre.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I very much welcome the spirit of this motion. It would be remiss if at the outset, I did not acknowledge what Malcolm Noonan did in the lifetime of the last Dáil to raise awareness of this issue and to set in train a lot of the projects and initiatives we see under this current Government. It was with great foresight that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, was appointed to this role. It is fair to say that he is probably one of the most passionate people in government when it comes to wildlife and the preservation of nature.

While supporting the spirit of the motion, I do take some exception to the statement that the Government is doing nothing about this. Since the last Government and in the lifetime of this Government, we have never been as proactive in this area. We have to start somewhere. We have taken a stand on it, know what we have and, more importantly, know what we have lost. Anybody who comes from rural Ireland is very much aware of the challenges we face as a farming community. We are realistically looking at probably the first generation of people in Ireland who do not know where food came from and who do not know what life is like in rural Ireland. That brings its own set of problems.

I welcome the spirit of the proposal. I particularly acknowledge what Malcolm Noonan did in the lifetime of the last Government. I am happy to support this and I am sure the Minister of State can certainly find value in many aspects of the proposal as well. The Minister of State was with me in Longford a number of months ago and would have seen one of the projects undertaken by Longford County Council where it produced on its own initiative a wonderful guide to local wildlife and birds. It is a beautifully illustrated book distributed to every school child in primary school right across the county. It is a wonderful initiative. I found great value in the book. I keep it in the car now and every time I see a bird, I hope to see a hawk but I have not yet seen one. Maybe the Minister of State can send a few up to me. Every time I look up and think it is a hawk, it is a bloody crow. Bring me one for a day. It is wonderful.

I take the point on staff. Longford has great staff who really buy into this and see the value of it. They are very much into conservation and preservation. Probably some local authorities do not take it as seriously. This is very much a work in progress. We are not going to fix the ills and wrongs of the past 400 or 500 years overnight but we are very much a nation in transition when it comes to conservation and preservation. What was done in the last Government was hugely positive. I know the Minister of State is still relatively new in his role but I do not doubt his bona fides. I have seen him out on the ground and at conferences and I have seen him in action with regard to the Shannon Callows and all the work we need to do there. I see how enthused he is about that, about the wader project on the Shannon Callows and about bringing life back to the islands on Lough Ree, in particular restoring them as habitats and, ultimately and hopefully, as the first national inland island project. I have no doubt about his bona fides and I know he has great plans to really enhance this sector.

We we all have a responsibility in this area and we cannot just play pay lip service to it. Too many parties do pay lip service to it but there is an onus on us. We have a generation of young people now who really do not know where food comes from or what it is like on a farm. That is probably a failing on our part as a society and in the way we educate our young people. We need to educate and we need to really encourage local authorities. Local authorities are good if there is a good heritage officer, a good conservation officer and good OPW staff. We are extremely lucky in Longford. We have excellent OPW staff in Longford who work very well and work in tandem with the local authority. As far as they are concerned, it is very much a work in progress. Any time, we get the Minister of State down, he is hugely supportive of the local authority. He has great interest in the projects of the local authority and gives it that additional encouragement.

I know it is a slightly different issue but in terms of the building conservation works and projects, we really started to draw money down when Malcolm Noonan was there and now, thankfully, the council has really bought into it and the Minister of State is delivering on the work that Malcolm Noonan did as well.

One will not find anyone in government who will take issue with what is being proposed because we agree wholeheartedly with the spirit of what is being proposed but we would like some acknowledgement of the work that is being done. Considerable work is being done, particularly by this Minister of State. As a country, we are hugely enthused with the Minister of State. I do not think one could find a better or more knowledgeable minister in Europe when it comes to this sector so I am delighted that he is here. He is the right man for the right job. We agree with the spirit of what is being proposed. I am sure the Minister of State will find a use for some of the proposals and the actions and I am sure he will expand on them himself in due time.

Before I call on the next speaker, I welcome Terry Leyden, a man who served in the Seanad, Dáil and Cabinet, along with his guests. They are most welcome to Seanad Éireann. Is he making another comeback for the Shannon? Terry has managed to come back to the Seanad more than once.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an bhfoireann seo ar mo chúl, Senator Malcolm Noonan, and his comhghleacaithe ansin, a thóg an rún seo os ár gcomhair inniu. It is lovely to see the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, again. I am beginning to think he is one of the most clear-headed Ministers I have come across, and very progressive too. I think some of the soundings he made one of the times he was here formally brought music to Senator Flaherty's ears and mine when he mentioned the possibility of having a national park in the midlands. The mention of the islands project seems to be a continuation of that. I hope he is crowned with success in that.

Law 19 of 2022 in Spain would probably not be immediately familiar to many in the House. Indeed, it was not familiar to me until I started reading around this subject this morning. It is a peculiar facet of the legislature in Spain that if a proposal gains 500,000 signatures and is brought to parliament, it necessitates the enactment of a law on foot of those signatures. One was brought forward in 2022 which not alone achieved the 500,000 but got 638,000 signatures. Basically, this legislation gave an inherent voice in legislation to nature. It involved a section of land south-east of Murcia, which was a lagoon separated by a small isthmus from the Mediterranean, but in the 1970s, through the wisdom of man and woman, instead of leaving one entrance to the lagoon, they cut three extra artificial entries to it and, basically, within four decades, desecrated the whole area. Now they are left with the prospect of trying to retrieve it and regenerate the nature because it was covered with a type of algae. This work is ongoing now but it is a very expensive project. It shows, however, that if there is people power giving a voice to nature, it can be done and it becomes subservient to figures. We are, as we often say, legating the environment to the next generation and the generation after that. It is a precious gift that we throw away at our peril.

Senator Flaherty talked about Longford. One of the great joys of my Longford childhood was going to sleep of a summer night and listening to the sound of the corncrake. Of course, those Members who were privileged to live in the 1960s and 1970s will remember the corncrake. Not many people here fit into that bracket, I think, but it is a most distinctive sound. It sounds like a Caribbean bullfrog from a distance. It practically disappeared from Ireland because of extensive farming, mainly silage cutting and forage harvesters cutting very close to the ground and ruining the ground nests.

Anyway, to reminisce even further, I was getting off the ferry in Inishbofin about four years ago and as I stepped outside the perimeter of the ferry area I could not believe my ears when I heard the sound, clear as day, of the corncrake. I was looking just this morning at the reports from Inishbofin and, lo and behold, the corncrake numbers are coming back. It is because of the way the island is curated and the inspired way the locals and the parklands and wildlife people are helping with it, including into the Shannon Callows. The corncrake is an example of the possibilities we have for species that are under threat and it is a success story. My Independent colleague in Galway West, Thomas Welby, who is contesting the by-election there, has assigned to me the lovely task of canvassing Inishbofin over the next week and a half. I am looking forward to that. Never will I do such a joyous piece of canvassing as going around that island serenaded by the corncrake on those summer evenings. I am just praying for the sort of weather we have outside today.

Incidentally, if time permits me, I will speak about getting close to nature and the privileges we have. In our house we have a very small, very modest balcony off our bedroom, and in the past couple of weeks we have noticed that undue attention was being paid to our balcony by a pair of collared doves. I had an old pair of runners out there drying after walking the beach in Tramore, and the other day we were absolutely blown away when we found what the birds had done. Architecturally, collared doves are not marvellous; they build a very haphazard nest. However, they built a nest on our balcony beside the pair of decrepit runners and there are two beautiful eggs there. They are sitting there dutifully and I love them. I love them being there, but my wife does not appreciate being wakened at 5 o'clock in the morning to their awful call. It comes as if they were shouting for Man United because it goes "United, hoo, hoo, hoo". It does not go down very well.

Anyway, in Ireland we are very privileged to have nature beside us. Two weeks ago we had the proceeds of crime Bill here and I was just wondering, to finance these rehabilitation measures that we have for wildlife, why could we not use some measure of the proceeds of crime or, indeed, the proceeds from those who are fined for the abuse of animals, or even the hundreds of thousands of livestock we send abroad? Could there not be a headage payment put on each one of them to put money back into this very reasonable fund?

Sin mo cheannsa don lá inniu.

An bhfuil an traonach ar an gclár?

An traonach?

Is it on the register, before the Senator leaves?

Crex crex , I believe.

Go raibh maith agaibh, a chairde. I welcome the mum of another Senator, Senator Stephenson. Marga Foley is in the Gallery, I think. I think Ollie Crowe's mother is in the House as well today. It looks like it is parents' day or "bring your parents to work day" in Leinster House. Thanks to everybody for that. We have another group coming in that we would like to welcome as well, guests of Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee. They are about to land. Our next speaker will be Senator Collins.

The group is from the Ursuline Convent in Waterford. Ms Hoban and Ms O'Brien are the class teachers. I give a special mention to Emily Butler, a cousin, who is in the class. They are all welcome to Seanad Éireann.

I commend and thank the Cross-Party Group on bringing this motion forward. It is a very important one. The rehabilitation of our wildlife is very important. It hits the heart of rural Ireland and what it is. We are be able to drive down the road and see all these amazing animals. I leave my house and I see deer. Unfortunately, one of my daughters does not know much about animals and she told me one of them was a teenager. I do not know how she figured that one out, but they have decided to put labels on them. In County Limerick alone we have Bat Rehabilitation Ireland, based in Bruree. It has captured, rehabilitated and released over 2,000 bats since the centre opened in 2019. It looks after all of Ireland. It does such great work but, again, it has to fundraise for everything. A lot of work goes into it, including veterinary costs, capture and release.

Animal Magic is based in Kilmallock in County Limerick. It has stated that its costs are escalating every year. It is not just freeing or housing animals; it has veterinary costs and the cost of going out to collect animals, but also sourcing safe areas where it can release the animals. It is not a charity so it cannot fundraise or ask for donations. A scheme like this would be very helpful to it. I am delighted to see it is multi-annual funding because stability is needed when running what is not a business but a vocation. It is definitely key that the funding would be multi-annual.

I will not take up much time. I just wanted to say "Well done". This is an absolutely fantastic motion. I knew it was Senator Noonan's motion. We always know when he is behind something. It is a nice motion. It is not contentious but it is very important. We have organisations that look after dogs and cats, the nice animals that we can rehome, but you cannot exactly rehome a bat. You cannot go on a website and ask if there is anybody who can take this lovely bat home. There is a lot more involved in it. The motion is fantastic.

Before I call the next speaker, I welcome Ms Gabrielle Maher from Oregon. She is originally from Ireland but is here as the Oregon trade commissioner. She is town for the global forum which is being held in Croke Park this week.

I am very glad to support the motion. There are a few different words in Irish for the environment but one of the nicest is comhshaol, the idea of coexistence and living together. We share this space. Wildlife in its essence is the idea of life that is not utilitarian. It is not a product. It is not farming. It exists simply as a fellow traveller on our planet and in our country. At the same time, its magic is in its existence that is separate from us. It is also part of healthy biodiversity, which is crucial to all our survival in the big picture. The climate crisis gets a central focus but the biodiversity crisis we are facing is as acute, if not more acute. We are in one of the great eras of extinction with 15,000 species on red lists. We are talking about an extraordinary loss of the many threads that make up the amazing web of biodiversity on our planet. Here in Ireland we have such beautiful biodiversity. We see the reports from birdwatchers who go out to listen to birds and there are fewer of them. The same birds are not there. The many sightings have become the very occasional sighting in terms of wildlife. There are success stories of species that have come back from the brink, like the corncrake and others.

I want to credit a separate strand of funding which has been really important in that regard, namely, European LIFE funding, for some of the species that are in critical decline. We know that LIFE funding is itself under threat at the moment. Vital funding for nature and biodiversity could get absorbed into a competitive fund, where it is competing against drones, military funding and all the rest. One of the challenges during our EU Presidency will be to make sure that LIFE funding is maintained as a separate strand of funding.

That is one issue, but then there is this issue of wildlife rescue. The other part of the bigger picture is habitat work. I urge the Minister of State to ensure we move to designate more spaces. We talked about releases and where they would happen. We must have more special areas of conservation and back up the nature restoration plans we will have with real resources. We must look to continuously expand our national parks, as I know the Minister of State will. Wicklow was in the news recently for potential there, as were other places.

Incredible care and work are done. As Senators said, it is done on a 24-hour basis. We often cannot bring these animals to us. We have to be with them. It requires an extraordinarily generous form of love and care. It is so often on the fringes. We hear a lot about farmers being the stewards of nature. That is very valid, but what we are talking about here is people who are literally the stewards of nature, who are purely devoting themselves to nature, not as a side point of what they are doing but as a core, who are dedicating their time to our fellow species and to life. They should be rewarded. It should be something that people can plan and build. I see that career development and professional development is built into it. I like that the picture that is painted of what we should be having in terms of a properly resourced wildlife rescue network of centres and spaces throughout the country where people can provide the care in a way that is ideal. That is wonderful. I hope the Minister of State will say this is something we are going to make happen, and this fund is going to happen and here is how we are going to report on it.

I have a small suggestion. Because this area has been so under-resourced for so long, some of the projects that exist will struggle to reach the high standard that is set out. A one-off grant may be needed to allow wildlife rehabilitation centres to reach the proper standards and provide the separation between domestic animals and wildlife that is so important. We want to move to a situation whereby they build in properly designated isolation areas. We need something that gives these centres a shot at getting this funding and multi-annual security, which is where we have to move to. Perhaps that could be looked at. Anything that moves us away from a situation where the generosity of individuals is, in many cases, all that is supporting hedgehogs, cetaceans or the many other examples that we could give of extraordinary projects throughout the country. This route towards recognition and resources is very welcome. I am happy to support the motion.

I thank everybody, including the Minister of State, for their contributions to the debate. One of the issues we discussed in the Seanad was having Mary Robinson come in and address us on climate. We worked with the climate and energy committee and it has agreed that we have that discussion in the Chamber.

The former President set us a challenge in the Seanad to be a voice on the issue around climate change and biodiversity. That challenge, set down on the 100th anniversary of the Seanad, is one that we are continuing because as was said during some of those debates when we had that previous committee in here on climate, the global economy is committing terrorism on the world. The way we have designed our system is, as we see, causing climate change more so and we have seen reports coming out of the European Union this week in relation to the rising temperature in Europe. We are all aware from the reports written by the United Nations and everyone that the cheapest form of protection from the worst effects of climate change is to stop a lot of what we are doing at this moment in time. We look forward to having the former President in the Chamber as part of that debate on the issue around climate change.

I welcome the crew from Waterford who are guests of Senator Clifford-Lee. It is not every day we talk about biodiversity and animals, so they have picked a good day to come in. I welcome Ted and Mary, all the way from Cork. Every time I am in this Chamber, their daughter is in here so either she loves giving me a hard time or she is one of the hardest-working Senators in the Seanad. The second one is probably true - maybe both. Senator Joe Conway gave a fantastic impression of a collared dove. It is not every day I see someone try to mimic a collared dove in Seanad Éireann, so we are making progress.

Let me begin by thanking Senators Noonan, Stephenson, Harmon and Cosgrove for tabling this Private Members’ motion in the Seanad for debate today, which will not be opposed by the Government. As I understand it, the principle underpinning the motion is to provide sustainable, long-term support for the work of wildlife rehabilitation centres, using both revenue derived from fines imposed for wildlife crime and additional Exchequer funding.

I and my colleagues in government are keenly aware that Ireland is home to incredibly dedicated individuals whose tireless care for injured animals is commendable. I thank them for that. These wildlife rehabilitation centres complement our conservation efforts, providing meaningful support to the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department in protecting our native species. I am grateful for the work they do to heal injured wildlife. In that spirit, the Government will not be opposing the motion. It should be noted, however, that there are some practical difficulties with it.

The proposal that a wildlife rescue support scheme would be established partly from fines imposed for wildlife crime in the courts would need further consideration as currently, fines on convictions are paid directly to the Courts Service of Ireland which, ultimately, go to the State. Furthermore, in such wildlife crime cases, moneys in the form of donations are also, on occasion, made to wildlife charities but this appears to be at the discretion of the particular judge at that particular time. There would also be ramifications from a budget perspective, which would have to be examined by the Government with regard to approval and allocation of Exchequer moneys.

Animal welfare is a key priority for the Government. Neglect of or causing unnecessary suffering to animals is not acceptable in our society. To this end, the programme for Government provides a commitment to the continued robust enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which provides a modern framework for regulating and applying standards in the area of animal health and welfare. This Act applies to domesticated animals and livestock as well as wildlife in specific scenarios, such as preventing unnecessary suffering or controlling diseases. It obliges anyone who has an animal in their possession or control to safeguard the animal’s health and welfare.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has lead policy responsibility within government for animal welfare and that Department already provides support to eligible animal welfare charities to assist them in their vital work in rescuing and rehoming domestic and farm animals through its animal welfare grants programme. Through this programme, funding of almost €6 million was awarded in 2023 and 2024 to over 100 animal welfare charities throughout the country. In 2025, this was increased to almost €6.5 million awarded to such charities, which includes those specifically involved in the care of wildlife. Last year, for example, Galway and Claddagh Swan Rescue received grant funding of €14,800; Wildlife Rescue Cork received €12,000; the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group received €10,000; and Seal Rescue Ireland received €36,000. Separately, the work of rehabilitation centres can be supported through other grant means too. For example, the heritage organisation support fund is a grant scheme administered by the Heritage Council, which aims to build the capacity of non-governmental organisations working in the heritage sector by providing grants of up to €50,000 towards their core costs. Interest in the scheme continues to grow year on year and funding for the scheme has also continued to increase. In 2026, the Heritage Council has allocated €1.8 million to the programme and this has included organisations like Kildare Wildlife Rescue, which received €50,000 this year and the same amount last year. The funding will support core staffing across wildlife care, volunteer co-ordination and training and engagement. The approved work plan will strengthen organisational capacity, support the rescue and rehabilitation of an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 animals nationwide, expand professional training programmes and further develop public engagement through seminars, workshops and a national biodiversity conference, thereby contributing to biodiversity protection and community stewardship of natural heritage.

At its core, the National Parks and Wildlife Service safeguards nature through a robust combination of regulatory oversight, compliance monitoring and enforcement activity. It is the primary body ensuring that all interventions in our natural world, including independent wildlife rehabilitation, are conducted legally and safely. It is important to clarify the remit of the NPWS. As a conservation body, the regulatory focus is primarily on the survival of species in the wild rather than individual animal welfare cases unless a crime has been committed.

While wildlife rehabilitation centres focus on the recovery of individual animals, their work fits into the larger picture managed by the NPWS, which oversees the protection of our entire natural heritage. I note the motion recognises the need for those involved in wildlife rehabilitation to be licensed, experienced and accountable. Any increased professionalism in the wildlife sector is to be commended due to the importance of acting in the best interests of our wildlife population. Under its remit, the NPWS has a regulatory role in relation to wildlife rescue centres as it oversees mandatory licensing requirements for individuals seeking to possess protected wild birds and animals for the purposes of rehabilitation and release under the Wildlife Act 1976. Conditions are attached to such licences to ensure the protection of wildlife and inspections of facilities occur on an annual basis, where resources allow. It also supports wildlife rehabilitation through a structured framework of specialised species projects. By ensuring these standards are met, the biological integrity of our wild populations is protected.

With Ireland's 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan 2023-2030, NBAP, and the Wildlife (Amendment) Act, the work of NPWS now has a statutory backbone. This is reinforced by the EU nature restoration regulation, which challenges us to restore 20% of our land and sea by 2030. Today, I will demonstrate how the NPWS is meeting this ambition through a combination of rigorous regulation, innovative species projects and strategic community partnerships.

In our coastal strongholds for corncrake, the NPWS has spearheaded a recovery of corncrake populations through the corncrake or traonach conservation programme, a continuation of the corncrake grant scheme, and this is led by the Corncrake LIFE project. Population targets set by the Corncrake LIFE project back in 2021 have been surpassed, with a population increase of 50% by 2025, far exceeding the original project ambitions of a 20% increase for that period. Looking to securing the future of the corncrake in the west and north west, the NPWS is now contracting support under the Natura communities for birds initiative to ensure continuity after Corncrake LIFE, using existing frameworks of support and community-led programmes of delivery for corncrakes and other farmland birds, with an annual budget of €1.45 million per year. The NPWS has played an important role, along with the Irish Grey Partridge Conservation Trust, in the conservation of the grey partridge in Ireland. Our work at Lough Boora involves restoring habitats for grey partridge by providing suitable habitats like beetle banks and nesting strips, not just saving a game bird, but using it as an umbrella species to lift the biodiversity of the entire landscape.

Similarly, LIFE on Machair is protecting the globally rare coastal habitats systems of the west of Ireland, supporting 259 pairs of breeding waders and rare pollinators like the great yellow bumblebee. We are proving that traditional agriculture and high-level conservation are not just compatible - they are co-dependent. In Wexford, to ensure the protection of breeding seabirds on the Great Saltee Island, part of the Saltee Islands special protection area and a world-class seabird colony holding an impressive ten seabird species of conservation interest, the NPWS has appointed wardens to engage with and educate visitors on the importance of the island and help reduce disturbance from visitor numbers.

Through the local biodiversity action fund and in conjunction with Fingal County Council, the NPWS provides the vital funding for NGO-led wardening of Ireland’s Eye in Dublin. Protection also means rolling out conservation measures to improve the physical security of vulnerable populations, such as predator exclusion fencing, from the breeding wader sites of County Donegal to protect lapwing and curlew, to the little tern colonies in Portrane. These fences are often the thin line between a successful breeding season and total colony failure.

Our Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan 2024-2028 co-ordinates 60-plus actions with the aim of supporting a population recovery of hen harriers in Ireland. We are tackling pressures across the forestry, agriculture and energy sectors to help to move the species toward favourable status.

Earlier today, I launched the independent advisory committee report, Recommendations to inform the development and implementation of Ireland’s national Nature Restoration Plan. The report, which includes 46 policy recommendations and 48 article-specific recommendations, represents the culmination of 15 months of work by the committee, which was established in late 2024 to advise me on the preparation of Ireland's national nature restoration plan, a requirement under the EU nature restoration law. It comprises seven general recommendations aimed at ensuring a successful implementation of the forthcoming plan, including three priority recommendations, which are funding nature restoration, prioritising action on public lands, and supporting farmers, fishermen and foresters. In addition, the report provides an analysis of Articles 4 to 13 of the EU nature restoration law, which sets out legally binding targets to restore a wide range of ecosystems and species in EU member states. Ireland is by far the most advanced EU nation in putting together our nature restoration plan, demonstrating the priority that we hold for nature restoration.

The independent advisory committee's work was informed by parallel public and stakeholder engagement processes that heard from more than 1,000 people across the country through deliberative democracy-style leaders forums and local, participatory community conversations. I reiterate that together with my colleagues across government, I am committed to ensuring that the committee's recommendations are delivered on through Ireland's national nature restoration plan and that the people of Ireland, no matter where they come from, can see and feel the benefits of restored and thriving nature for themselves. The NPWS provides the science, the regulation and the funding, but the success of the national restoration plan depends on the farmers, the wardens and the local communities who share our vision. We are no longer just documenting decline; we are leading the recovery. We are ensuring that Ireland's unique species remain a permanent, thriving part of our natural heritage.

I welcome the motion. There is absolutely no dispute. The role that wildlife rescue centres play across Ireland is vital. They protect wild species which, as we have already outlined, are under severe threat, so we want to support that. We need wildlife rescue centres in existence. We need the dedicated personnel who work and volunteer there. Without them, wildlife in Ireland would be in a much poorer place. I will and have given a commitment to visit Kildare Wildlife Rescue in the coming months to see first-hand the extraordinary work it is doing. I welcome many of the comments around nature restoration, habitat protection and species in general, because even though we have to support our wildlife rescue centres, I really fundamentally believe, especially after today, when we launch the recommendations from the new independent advisory committee on nature restoration, that our focus has to be on bringing Ireland, the species within Ireland, and our habitats back from the brink. It is really bleak out there. The habitats are in a bad condition. Our species are declining at a rapid rate. We can do more and better. The nature restoration plan provides us with the opportunity to do that. I would love to see as much focus and funding as possible going to nature restoration, restoring those habitats, creating healthy ecosystems, and getting rid of the invasive species that are an absolute blight on our countryside and impacting our native species. That is where we need to put our focus and funding, because those measures, above all else, will see those beautiful species that we all hold so dear come back from the brink.

I am glad to see education mentioned in this as well, because that is another area of focus that we have not spent enough effort, time or resources highlighting. We need people to become ecologically literate. Young kids in particular are obsessed with wildlife. They could tell you the nerdiest facts on whales, dolphins, polar bears and exotic chameleons that live in Papua New Guinea, but do they know what a healthy ecosystem in Ireland looks like? That is where I would like to see the focus and funding going, instead of Sitka spruce going out to schools, as Senators will be well aware. It also helps the work of those wildlife rescue centres. We are in the middle of breeding season now. There are ground-nesting birds and an issue where people are letting their dogs off leashes. I guarantee that many of the referrals to wildlife rescue centres are because of damage that has been done by dogs in sensitive areas where they have been let off leashes. On a lighting policy, I also imagine that wildlife rescue centres will get things like Manx shearwater, seabirds and gannets brought into their care, because there is a ridiculous lighting policy along our coast where these birds are attracted in and become injured and vulnerable.

I commend the Senator on the motion. There is no doubt about that. I would love to see a lot more time in the Seanad dedicated to a Private Member's motion on habitat restoration and how we can protect the most vulnerable species, which are threatened with extinction and in decline. That is not to take away from the work that wildlife rescue centres do. They are extraordinary. I really feel that cross-party, cross-Government and cross-Opposition, we need a whole Oireachtas approach to support the upcoming nature restoration plan, to ensure it is funded and to ensure we use it as the best opportunity that we have ever had in the State to turn the tide on nature loss in Ireland.

I thank the Minister of State for supporting this important motion. I acknowledge Wildlife Rescue Cork, who are in the Gallery, and Julie Cronin, who is here with Cathy and the whole team. I encourage the Minister of State to meet them and view the work they are doing. Patricia Stephenson's mother, Marga, is here too. There are a number of parents in the Gallery. It is clear that the Minister of State is committed to his role and to nature restoration. He is genuine and hard-working. It is appreciated. I know he took up the baton from my colleague, Senator Malcolm Noonan, who was a pioneer in this area and the first Minister of State who was recognised nationally as having such a focus on nature. It is fitting that Malcolm is bringing forward this motion today. We call him Malcolm in the Middle, but he is certainly putting Green policies in the middle of our Cross-Party Group. I just wanted to say that.

I thank my Cross-Party Group colleagues. I welcome the Minister of State's response. It behoves all of us, going by what the Cathaoirleach said, to make changes in all our lives to help to minimise our impact on the natural world and become active participants in restoration, because in restoring nature, we are restoring ourselves, our wellbeing, our food security, and our resilience against climate chaos. There remains a deep disconnect between our understanding of what we need to do and our behaviour as consumers, which is really driving species and habitats loss. We might think that wildlife rescues could only ever play only a small part in our efforts to turn the tide of biodiversity loss, but in a country where some species are present in precariously low numbers, every bird rescued, rehabilitated and released where it came from could make all the difference in a breeding season. The Minister of State could be formalising roles for our network of wildlife rehabilitation centres in expanding headstarting programmes for curlew, corncrake and other vulnerable species. In County Monaghan this year, we have seen some success with headstarted curlew now forming breeding pairs. Ramping up such programmes in tandem with landscape-scale nature restoration could give us the critical mass we need to move some species towards viable populations.

Indeed, we see the success of programmes at Cooldross and Boora, where, as the Minister of State mentioned, there is strength in numbers. Where there are more lapwing on a site, that allows them to mob predators and increase survival rates. For now, there is the day to day. The Minister of State has mentioned some of the one-off grants. What I have seen from my few visits to Kildare Wildlife Rescue, as I am sure Laura will bear this out from her visit to Cork, is a service that goes beyond meeting basic requirements of licensing, but excelling at best practice wildlife care. Kildare Wildlife Rescue runs an annual conference on behalf of the network. I attended last year and was hugely impressed at the level of information-sharing, the range of specialist speakers and the collective drive towards excellence in the field of wildlife rehabilitation. It is this level of professionalism that sparked this motion and initiative from our Cross-Party Group here today. It needs to be recognised and valued by the State and the most tangible way of doing this is by putting in place a dedicated multi-annual stream of funding. It will drive excellence over time, improve the handling and treatment of wildlife in the veterinary profession, train more and more people and provide valuable outreach to communities who want to be part of this great collective and collaborative project of restoring nature on land and at sea.

Yesterday, I attended the UCD earth institute seminar on Ireland’s nature restoration plan. I know that the Minister of State is just back from the National Botanic Gardens, where the recommendations for Ireland's plan were formally received by the Government.

I commend Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, the independent advisory committee and everyone who has contributed thus far.

One of the key challenges identified among the recommendations is that of bringing everybody with us. The outreach work provided by rescues across the country provides an invaluable asset to these efforts, educating, informing and advising.

Most of all, it will give the sector the confidence to provide a professional service and allow such services to grow over time. If the Minister of State gets to visit one of the rescue centres during his tenure, he will find people dedicated and passionate about wildlife and caring for wild mammals and birds.

I must also reference the comprehensive review of wildlife legislation that I initiated during my time in the Department. Such a review should, I hope, trigger new and more up-to-date legislation across all facets of wildlife and nature governance. It would be really helpful if we could formalise the role of wildlife rehabilitation through enabling legislation. There is a narrow scope in legislation towards licensing for the handling of wildlife but limited recognition of how the needs of the sector have changed and grown over recent years.

The year 2026 is the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, a man who cared deeply for nature and wildlife. He said that we are all sisters and brothers to animals and plants, water and soil, earth and sky. What a great statement from the State it would be if, on St. Francis's anniversary, we were to put resources into the care of our vulnerable wildlife and begin to turn around a terrible legacy of destruction of nature towards a restorative one.

I thank the Minister of State for his contribution. I recognise that he is not opposing the motion, but I also ask that he actively support it and find the means to put in place a permanent scheme, however that is done, whether in budget 2027 or, as has been suggested by Senator Stephenson, through money ring-fenced from wildlife crime.

I again thank my Cross-Party Group for bringing forward this motion. We have a good track record in this House for the initiatives we bring forward. They are always very positive, be they motions or Bills. It goes to show what a progressive left alliance can do in the Seanad Chamber.

I welcome our colleague, Senator Kelleher, and his guest to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. They are very welcome and I hope they enjoy their visit.