Minister for Nature, Heritage, and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan has announced the establishment of an independent Advisory Committee on Nature Restoration. The committee will play a crucial role in supporting the development of Ireland's Nature Restoration Plan (NRP), which is mandated by the Nature Restoration Law.

The Advisory Committee will be responsible for providing advice and recommendations to the Minister on the content of the NRP. It will also engage with stakeholders to ensure that the public's views are considered in the plan. The committee will work closely with technical, inter-departmental working groups focused on land, sea, towns and cities, and finance.

The NRP is due to be submitted to the European Commission by September 1, 2026.

Minister Noonan said: "From the very start of the Nature Restoration Law debate, I've said that Ireland's Nature Restoration Plan should be created in a transparent, collaborative and inclusive manner, based on the best available evidence, and that it should have people and local communities at its heart. Today, I'm establishing an independent Advisory Committee to ensure that this is the case. The Committee will be the link between the stakeholder participation process and the technical working groups, ensuring that all the relevant issues, concerns and perspectives are integrated into the recommendations to the Minister. The membership of the Advisory Committee has not yet been finalised, but I am in discussions with colleagues including the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Housing on the matter and hope to be in a position to make an announcement in the coming weeks."

-- Advertisement --

The inter-departmental working groups will focus on three key thematic areas: Land, Sea and Towns and Cities. They will comprise sectoral and academic experts from agriculture, environment, planning and the marine sector, and will work on determining the appropriate baselines, datasets, indicators, restoration measures and monitoring processes. A separate Finance Working Group will consider the financial aspects of the plan to 2030 and beyond, including socio-economic impact evaluation, the maximisation of existing programmes, and new financial mechanisms.

The wide-ranging, multi-tiered stakeholder participation process, meanwhile, will comprise a Leaders' Forum for cross-sectoral dialogue at CEO-level on the overall trajectory of the Plan, progress to date, and key risks and opportunities. Leaders will be invited to nominate technical subject matter experts, to engage at a more granular level. The Community Conversations programme will follow a locally-led participatory engagement model that aims to inform and hear the views of groups and individuals around the country. The intention is to provide opportunities at all levels for genuine exploration and dialogue and to create a country-wide conversation about what NRL means for all citizens.

Minister Noonan added: "I cannot underestimate the importance of continued engagement on the Nature Restoration Plan and what it means for Ireland," said Minister Noonan.

"Dialogue really will be key to its success. To that end, I would like to encourage everyone who has an interest in nature, the land, the seas, and the built environment to look out for opportunities to be part of the process over the coming months. We need to come together, listen and collaborate to find a way forward on common ground."