CBD implementation: Northern Ireland

Note: this page refers to activities specific to the implementation of the CBD in Northern Ireland. Information on activities relevant to the implementation of the CBD across the UK, including those of relevance to Northern Ireland, can be found here. image of a bumblebee on a flower

Relevant Government Bodies

Environmental issues, including biodiversity conservation issues, have broadly been devolved from the UK Government to the Northern Ireland Executive.
Within the Northern Ireland Executive the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is the lead department for biodiversity conservation matters. An integral part of DAERA is the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, an Executive Agency which leads on environmental management and regulation.
Additionally, the Council for Nature Conservation and Countryside is a non-departmental public body which independently advises the Northern Ireland Executive on biodiversity conservation matters.

Relevant Government Policies

In July 2015 the Northern Ireland Executive published ‘Valuing Nature: A Biodiversity Strategy for Northern Ireland to 2020’. This strategy sets out how Northern Ireland plans to meet its international obligations and local targets to protect biodiversity. The strategy has an accompanying Implementation Plan (Appendix 4) with a series of goals and time-bound actions to help ensure the strategy’s ambitions are fully realised. DAERA is the lead Department for ensuring implementation of the plan. This document represents Northern Ireland’s national biodiversity strategy.

Reporting

In 2017 the Northern Ireland Executive published a ‘Report on the implementation of the 2015 Northern Ireland Biodiversity Strategy – Valuing Nature’. This assessed progress on targets with deadlines up to December 2016, as well as some continually ongoing targets. Further reviews will be published throughout the timeframe of the strategy.

Additional information about biodiversity in Northern Ireland is also available from Biodiversity Northern Ireland.