On Tuesday 20^th January, our co-chairperson Dónal McCormack attended the Land Leaders’ Forum stakeholder engagement session on Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan in Athlone’s Hodson Bay Hotel. The event today included representatives from farming organisations, government departments, semi-state companies, local authorities, the Irish Environmental Network, Birdwatch Ireland, An Taisce, and many more.

Following the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law in Europe in August 2024, all EU member states must produce their own Nature Restoration Plan to show how they will achieve the targets set out in the regulation.

Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan will involve all aspects of society (along with all of government) to develop and implement the plan.

The event today was jam-packed with discussions on “Fields, Forest and Rivers”, with points raised today on land access, community tree nurseries, invasive species, disease, biodiversity funding, water pollution, citizen scientists, improved data, community garden counts, and more.

Looking forward to seeing the reports from today’s sessions and how they will integrate into the future Nature Restoration Plan.

Huge thanks to Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, the NPWS, our facilitators and note takers, and other members of the Independent Advisory Committee on Nature Restoration for how well today ran.

For more information, check out restorenature.ie

Contact Community Gardens Ireland by emailing info@cgireland.org