Will a new strategy help protect Northern Ireland's nature?
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A new strategy to restore and enhance protection for nature in Northern Ireland has been launched by the agriculture and environment minister.
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About 40% of the plants and animals in protected sites across Northern Ireland fall short of meeting the standard for "favourable condition".
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And just one of 49 priority habitat types - like ancient and native woodlands, blanket bogs and species-rich grasslands - have favourable status.
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The Nature Recovery Strategy sets out a long-term framework based on science for tackling biodiversity loss and restoring habitats.
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Andrew Muir says nature must be put "back at the heart of everything we do" Minister Andrew Muir said supporting nature was "not just a nice thing to do" but "a moral obligation to future generations".
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But the minister acknowledged that money would be needed to address the challenges.
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The strategy highlights the importance of nature as providing the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.
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Muir said nature must be put "back at the heart of everything we do because when nature thrives, people flourish".
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"It is essential to a strong economy, healthier communities and a more resilient Northern Ireland," he said.
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"With so much of our natural world lost, we must protect what remains, restore what has been damaged and create new habitats at scale."
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Northern Ireland is one of the most "nature-depleted" parts of the world, according to one major report Many places in Northern Ireland support rare or threatened plants, animals and habitats.
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They can be legally designated to help ensure better management and protection of those species.
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There are hundreds of such designated sites across Northern Ireland, covering about 10% of the land and 38% of coastal waters - classed as Areas of Special Scientific Interest; Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) which have international biodiversity importance; Ramsar Sites which cover wetlands of international importance; Special Protection Areas (SPAs); and Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).
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That should lead to work to protect the species and habitats they have been designated for.
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But the Office for Environmental Protection found not enough sites are being designated and the condition of those that have been is worsening.
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The number of sites that were in favourable condition dropped from 61.7% in 2008, to 51.5% in 2024.
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It is now investigating how those sites are being managed, external by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, after it found implementation of the designation fell short.
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Northern Ireland is one of the most nature-depleted areas in the world, according to the 2023 State of Nature Report.
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It found 12% of species in Northern Ireland are under threat of extinction, and the number of flowering plants had declined by 14% since 1970.
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The Nature Recovery Strategy identifies six external pressures affecting nature and biodiversity - invasive species; climate change; human impact through inappropriate development; land and sea-use change; increased intensive farming; pollution.
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It says these must all be addressed effectively to allow nature to thrive.
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Ulster Farmers' Union deputy president Glenn Cuddy said his organisation was "still a bit skeptical" about the strategy.
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"There's always a concern that nature will be more thought of than the farming and farmers have been walking along with nature for a long time, even before some of these projects have started," he said.
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"We have always been the guardians of the countryside and for nature too."
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Heather McLachlan, the National Trust's Northern Ireland director, said: "What really needs to happen is that we need to see where are the priorities.
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"How do we get this action going, who's going to do it and most importantly where's the money going to come from to get it done?"
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Joanne Sherwood, the director of The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Ireland said: "Species are really in decline so what it means for us is this charts out the strategy and the way forward.
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"But of course a strategy isn't everything - we need now to act and take urgent action."
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