Ireland is moving too slowly to adapt its land use, leaving farmers, communities and the environment vulnerable to climate shocks and volatile markets, a new report warns.
The government has today (Thursday 2 July) published the long-awaited second final stage of the land use review after it was previously delivered to the Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment, Darragh O’Brien, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Haydon and the Secretary of State for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Christopher O’Sullivan.
The first phase will be completed in 2022 and the second phase – Living land – Identifies current patterns and different demands on land, especially with regard to climate and environmental obligations.
According to what was published by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment Living land The report “is not an expression of government policy or new strategy regarding land use, and has not been adopted by the government.”
However, the report also contains academic models on how Ireland could “reach climate neutrality by 2050”.
It identifies how land use is “affected” by the impacts of climate change and will play a role in adapting to future climate impacts.
The report details examples of “creative and inspiring projects at community and farm level” and highlights how these are addressing and meeting environmental, social and economic goals – including investment in locally led agri-environmental schemes
Living land
according to Living land About 80% of Irish land is privately owned, and it states that decisions about potential uses are “a matter for the custodians of the land.”
“Land use supports our world-class level Agricultural food An industry worth €21 billion to the Irish economy as well as many non-economic benefits, including cultural identity, biodiversity and heritage.
“Farmers have contributed and continue to contribute to Ireland’s food security, economic success, climate and environmental goals.
“The government will support the continuation of this good work,” the report states.
Commenting on the publication of the report, Minister Haydon said: “Land is one of our greatest but limited resources.
“Farmers, as stewards of the land, set out every day to provide services to us all in terms of food production and broader ecosystem services; they know well the importance of multifunctional land use.
“This is demonstrated by collaboration in the Agricultural and Climate Rural Environment Program (ACRES) and other best examples documented in the report.”
One of the key recommendations in the report is that Ireland should develop a national land use management framework.
This framework will examine how the state can encourage optimal land use “to meet a variety of societal needs, including sustainable food production, while providing social and economic benefits, restoring nature, improving water quality, and promoting climate adaptation and mitigation.”
However, the report also warns that sustainable land use “requires significant change.”
The report said it was widely agreed that the future of Ireland’s major agri-food sector “depends on achieving and demonstrating sustainability”.
“There are reasons to believe that Ireland’s agriculture, land use, wider economy and climate will look different in the coming decades.
“The pace of land use change is currently limited and could be outpaced by increasingly volatile markets and climate that threaten to entrench poor social, economic, environmental and economic outcomes.”
