Newry Mourne and Down District Council’s Biodiversity Strategy 2024-2030 Public Consultation

Newry Mourne and Down District Council have developed a Biodiversity Strategy that will concentrate conservation efforts on Council-owned land until 2030. The strategy links in with the aims of our previous Local Biodiversity Action Plans and they want you to have your say.

What is Biodiversity and why is it important?
Biodiversity is the web of life. It is the total variety of of all living plants and animals, and the habitats in which they live. Biodiversity is vital for our survival and we depend on it for the very basics of life. The Ecosystem services it provides include food, clean air and water, as well as timber and other materials. A healthy environment helps regulate climate change and supports soil formation, pollination and nutrient cycling. Areas managed for the benefit of biodiversity provide us with recreation which boosts our health and wellbeing.

Threats to Biodiversity
Biodiversity is in crisis, not just locally, but across the world. Species are disappearing faster now than ever before in human history. How we use the land and sea is one of the main driving forces behind the loss of our biodiversity.

Habitat loss and fragmentation
The loss and fragmentation of natural habitats is the greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide. For example, 97% of wildflower meadows were lost over a 50-year period in the UK as farming intensified and around 10,000km2 of wetlands were drained in the 1970’s (State of Nature Report 2019). Many species dependant on these habitats have declined as a result. An abundance indicator based on nine butterfly species has decreased by 43% since 2006 and an indicator of average abundance in 36 wintering water bird species has declined by 24% over the past 10 years.

Non-native invasive species, pests, and diseases
After habitat loss, non-native invasive species are the second biggest threat to biodiversity. Invasive species continue to be introduced to the UK and Ireland through accidental and deliberate releases, stowaways in imported goods or escapees from gardens and large estates. Around 12% of established non-native species cause adverse economic, environmental, or societal impacts. Their spread is most likely being facilitated by climate change (State of Nature Report 2019). Key invasive species already affecting Newry, Mourne and Down District include Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed, and grey squirrel, with potentially many more on the horizon.

Climate change
Research indicates that climate change is affecting biodiversity at a faster rate than ever before. Certain habitats and species are more vulnerable than others, for example coastal habitats are showing the effects of sea level rises. Occurrences of extreme weather and flooding are also becoming more common, impacting humans and biodiversity. The State of Nature 2019 report found that populations of the UK’s most important wildlife have fallen by 60% over the last 50 years. In February 2020 a Climate Emergency was declared by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council had already declared a climate emergency in October 2019 and agreed to develop a Climate Adaptation Plan to cope better with the effects of climate change across the district.
The new Climate Change Act (NI) 2022 sets a target of at least 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is required to produce 5-year Climate Action Plans (CAPs) to set out policies and proposals on how the emissions targets will be
achieved. CAPs must include annual greenhouse gas emissions targets as well as air quality, soil quality and biodiversity targets.

Consultation closes on Friday 9 February 2024, and can be accessed here.

For further information contact: [email protected]