Ireland's Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has issued new Sectoral Adaptation Plans (SAPs) for Water Quality and Water Services Infrastructure, Built & Archaeological Heritage, and Biodiversity.

The plans assess climate risks and map out measures to protect critical assets and ecosystems, aligning with the National Adaptation Framework's goal of a climate‑resilient, environmentally sustainable economy by 2050.

Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government, James Browne TD, said: "These plans assess the risks of climate change in the context of its impact on our water quality, water infrastructure, biodiversity and our built and archaeological heritage. The plans allow us to understand those risks, plan for them and put in place measures to adapt our practices to a changing climate. We need a resilient water infrastructure system and the measures outlined in this plan means we can constantly monitor the risks to our water infrastructure due to climate change, putting in place proactive measures to safeguard its security."

Minister of State for Heritage, Nature and Biodiversity, Christopher O'Sullivan TD, added: "Our natural environment, flora and fauna, are fragile to changes brought about by climate change. These plans are about understanding the challenges we face and taking steps to adapt to the reality of a changing climate.

"Similarly our precious built and archaeological heritage, so representative of our past and important to life in our communities, is threatened by stormier weather, potential higher temperatures and other impacts. Earlier this week the National Monuments Service and OPW launched a Climate Vulnerability Assessment of Sceilg Mhichíl. We hope to use that to better inform our understanding of adaptation in other heritage sites. This overall Sectoral Adaptation Plan will help us to care for our heritage more broadly as part of Government policy."

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Developed following extensive stakeholder and public engagement, the SAPs set out how each sector will respond to impacts already being felt and to evolving risks. For water, priorities include multi‑stakeholder resilience planning, enhanced monitoring and data sharing, reporting mechanisms to track delivery, protecting and enhancing aquatic waterbodies, and upgrading drinking water treatment infrastructure. Nature‑based solutions, such as integrated catchment management and natural water retention measures, are prioritised for their co‑benefits to water quality, biodiversity and flood resilience.

For Built & Archaeological Heritage, the plan focuses on improving the evidence base for asset vulnerability, embedding climate adaptation in policy and planning, and advancing practical measures such as National Heritage Risk Mapping, a Climate Risk Assessment methodology, and strategies to record, maintain and adapt heritage resources using traditional and nature‑based techniques. It also commits to cross‑sector collaboration and systematic monitoring to build resilience.

The Biodiversity plan seeks to strengthen scientific evidence on climate impacts, guide effective responses, and coordinate targeted, funded actions across all relevant actors to protect and restore ecosystem resilience and sustain nature's benefits to society. Delivery will be supported by measures in the fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan.

These publications form part of the second SAP cycle (building on plans first produced in 2019) under the Climate and Low Carbon Development Acts 2015–2021. The National Adaptation Framework requires SAPs across 13 priority sectors grouped under Natural Environment, Built Environment and Infrastructure, Human, and Economy. In total, 10 SAPs cover the 13 sectors, including water, biodiversity, heritage, agriculture and forestry, energy networks, flood risk management, health, transport infrastructure, communications networks and tourism.

The SAPs were informed by Ireland's first National Climate Change Risk Assessment (EPA, June 2025) and by sectoral planning guidelines issued in August 2024 to ensure a consistent approach to risk assessment, action prioritisation and cross‑cutting issues. With publication now complete, sectors move into the implementation phase. The Government emphasises that effective adaptation is essential to protect communities, ecosystems and the economy, and to support Ireland's long‑term competitiveness as climate risks intensify.