Almost 80% of 194 actions in the current National Biodiversity Action Plan are on track or complete, according to a new report.

Ireland’s fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) sets the country's biodiversity agenda for the period 2023-2030.

The 2025 report on the implementation of the plan shows that 44 actions are finished and a further 108 actions are on track. 16 actions are behind schedule, but remain in progress.

According to the report, 13 actions are delayed due to various factors and "steps are being taken to support progress".

An additional 13 actions have not yet started, but all fall within the expected timeframe and are "not currently at risk".

Biodiversity

The completed actions include the establishment of an online progress tracker and annual reporting for public bodies, processes to track how government expenditure impacts the natural world and new guidelines for the development of Local Authority Biodiversity Action Plans.

The report recommends an increased focus is needed in the next implementation phase on actions related to data collection, monitoring and reporting.

In particular, it points to habitat mapping, invasive species and monitoring the effectiveness of measures in protected sites.

"Although some progress has been made, more is required, as these elements are critical for tracking progress and effectiveness of conservation action," the report said.

The document adds that "advancing these actions will also underpin the development and implementation of Ireland’s national Nature Restoration Plan".

The recommendations state that there is scope for further consideration of biodiversity in government spending.

Report

The report was prepared by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) with input from the Inter-departmental Biodiversity Working Group.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan said the document "highlights a transformative shift in how state bodies approach nature conservation".

"Sustained commitment is essential to ensure that Ireland’s fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan – which was ranked as one of the best in the world by the WWF – can be translated into the lasting recovery that our natural world needs," he said.

Niall Ó Donnchú, director general of the NPWS said that "biodiversity is increasingly recognised as a shared responsibility across government departments and public bodies".

"There is also greater public awareness of biodiversity," he added.

The NBAP is scheduled for a formal update in 2027, following the publication of Ireland's National Nature Restoration Plan, which is due this year.