Consultation on Ireland’s draft National Restoration Plan launched

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Ireland’s first draft National Restoration Plan is now open for public consultation. CIEEM’s Ireland Policy Group is preparing a response, and we want to hear from members. 

A landmark plan, on a tight timeline 

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has published Ireland’s initial draft National Restoration Plan (NRP), which is due to be laid before the European Commission in September 2026, with a final plan to follow in 2027. Public consultation opened on 3 June, with responses due by 1 July — a window of just four weeks. 

The plan is a requirement of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1991), adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2024. The Regulation is the first comprehensive, legally binding framework at EU level dedicated specifically to the large-scale restoration of degraded ecosystems on land and at sea. It sets binding restoration targets across terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, marine, agricultural, forest and urban ecosystems, with the overarching objective of restoring at least 20 per cent of the EU’s land and sea area by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. 

The Independent Advisory Committee’s recommendations 

The consultation follows the publication, on 29 April, of the recommendations of the Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) on Nature Restoration. Established in late-2024 to advise the Minister on the preparation of Ireland’s plan, the IAC’s report is the culmination of fifteen months of work and contains 46 policy recommendations and 48 article-specific recommendations. 

CIEEM’s involvement to date 

CIEEM has been engaged throughout the process of developing the recommendations of the IAC. Ireland Coordinator Liz O’Reilly and member George Smith attended the Leaders’ Forum to develop the plan in March 2025; Ireland Vice President Aebhin Cawley took part in a panel discussion at the Urban Leaders’ Forum stakeholder engagement meeting in September 2025; and Liz O’Reilly, with Ireland Policy Group member Rob Rowlands, presented the Biodiversity Net Gain in the Island of Ireland survey results to the IAC in July 2025. At the 2026 CIEEM Ireland Conference, we were delighted to be joined by Kate Ruddock who presented the Nature Restoration Recommendations on behalf of the IAC to the 175 delegates. 

CIEEM backs nature restoration recommendations  

We welcome the publication of these recommendations and the extensive engagement and cross-sector collaboration that informed their development. 

Echoing comments from Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, Chair of the IAC, we’d like to highlight the importance of taking full advantage of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation; “We have very many laws, resources, and agencies with responsibilities for the environment and must now embrace the opportunity the EU Nature Restoration Regulation provides to change how we, as a State, look after nature”. 

We are supportive of the three priority recommendations: increased funding for nature restoration, prioritising restoration on public lands, and providing greater support for farmers, fishers and foresters. The report sets out a clear framework for coordinated, cross-sectoral action, and will require sufficient investment, capacity and resources to be made available to deliver on the potential of the regulation. 

Among the other recommendations we consider particularly key are: 

  • 2.2 resourcing the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to succeed; 
  • 4.1 A national Nature Restoration strategy; 
  • 5.1 Mapping areas for nature; 
  • 5.8 Embed nature restoration within projects;  
  • 6.3 Support Green Skills; and  
  • Article 8 Recommendation G Provide guidance on maintaining biodiversity in new development 

We look forward to continued engagement over the coming year, we will endeavour to support the NPWS in its work and look forward to engaging in the plan’s development.  

Next steps — and how to get involved 

The Ireland Policy Group are in the process of preparing a response to the draft Nature Restoration Plan. Acknowledging the document’s length and the tight timeframe for input, we want to engage members in our final submission. 

We will hold an online workshop for members to share their thoughts on the draft plan on Thursday the 25th June, 12:00-13:00  — members joining are not expected to have read the whole draft plan or be intimately familiar with the content. If you would like to join, please complete this form.