Public Consultation on Wildlife Legislation open from 27 June to 13 September 2024 END OF CONSULTATION

• Public Consultation on Wildlife Legislation open from 27 June to 13 September 2024

• Upcoming review will include Wildlife Act, European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 and associated regulations

• Consultation is the first step in a wide ranging and comprehensive legislative review.

Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan TD, has today announced the opening of public consultation to review and update wildlife legislation in Ireland. The public consultation runs until September 13th.

Minister Noonan said:

“The laws underpinning the protection of nature in Ireland are a key instrument in the conservation and enhancement of our beautiful and unique natural heritage. By strengthening our laws in this area, we can give nature the best possible chance to recover and flourish.

It is vital that wildlife legislation is reviewed and updated to ensure that nature is given the best protection possible while also respecting our own place within it.

So often in Ireland, we rely on European Union legislation to tell us how we should protect nature under the law. This is a chance for us to decide for ourselves what our priorities should be and where we should go beyond the minimum protections set down under EU law.

We are all stakeholders when it comes to wildlife legislation. I urge interested members of the public to have their say on how legal protections can be improved and on how we can have legislation that works for everyone and strikes an appropriate balance between the interests of humans and the interest of wildlife.”

The public consultation and review will be conducted by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS ) at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The legislation being updated includes the Wildlife Act 1976, the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, and related Regulations. This legislation covers areas such as the protection of birds, the protection of certain wild animals, and the protection of certain lands, sites and habitats.

The objectives are to update legislation so that it better protects nature, helps prevent biodiversity loss, is fully compliant with EU law, and is easier to enforce and comply with. It is anticipated that two new Wildlife Bills and several new Statutory Instruments will be published arising from this work.

The update of legislation will be completed over several years and will entail several phases of public consultation. The key focus of the initial phase of the legislation update will be on strengthening the enforcement of wildlife crime.

This first phase of the consultation is an online public consultation and will run until Friday 13th September 2024. Members of the public are invited to contribute their views on the priorities for any new legislation, anomalies that should be addressed, protections that should be strengthened and any other aspect of our wildlife legislation they think should receive close attention during the review.

Niall Ó Donnchú, Director General with the NPWS said:

“This review is a priority in our current Strategic Plan, to ensure that our legislation protects nature. NPWS is committed to engaging with the public over the course of the review and we encourage everyone to have their say.”

Further Information
Further details on the consultation process, including a guidance document, are available here: Public consultation on review and update of Wildlife Legislation

Submissions can be made in two ways:

• send any comments by email to: wildlifelegislationreview@npws.gov.ie

• send comments by post to:

Wildlife Legislation Review, Legislation and Guidance Unit, 2nd Floor, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, 90 North King Street, Dublin 7, D07 N7CV.