A committee on nature restoration has been established to support Ireland’s development of a nature restoration plan, Minister of State for nature Malcolm Noonan has announced.

The European Commission deadline for submitting a plan under the Nature Restoration Law is 1 September 2026.

The nature restoration plan is a key element under the Nature Restoration Law, which was controversial among Irish farmers due to rewetting targets.

These were subsequently made voluntary, with the State pledging to meet them on their lands. The law passed at EU level amid controversy in recent months.

The independent advisory committee - the membership of which has not yet been finalised - will include a chair and representatives from key sectors.

Minister Noonan said he is in discussions with the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Housing on the committee’s membership.

Advice and recommendations

The committee will be tasked with providing advice and recommendations to the minister on the content of Ireland’s nature restoration plan.

There is to be a stakeholder participation process to ensure the views of the public, key groups and sectors are addressed in the plan.

Speaking on the committee’s establishment, Minister Noonan said Ireland’s nature restoration plan should be created in a transparent, collaborative and inclusive manner, based on the best available evidence.

“It should have people and local communities at its heart. Today, I’m establishing an independent advisory committee to ensure that this is the case.

“The committee will be the link between the stakeholder participation process and the technical working groups, ensuring that all the relevant issues, concerns and perspectives are integrated into the recommendations to the minister,” he said.

The minister will retain overall responsibility for the plan.

Working groups

The committee on nature restoration will be responsible for considering the outputs from technical, inter-departmental working groups.

These groups will focus on the areas of land, sea and towns and cities. They will be made up of sectoral and academic experts from agricultural, environmental, planning and marine sectors.

The groups will work on determining the appropriate baselines, datasets, indicators, restoration measures and monitoring processes.

A separate finance working group will consider the financial aspects of the plan to 2030 and beyond.

Other engagement

There will be both a leaders’ forum and community conversations programme as part of the stakeholder process.

The leaders’ forum will be a cross-sectoral dialogue at CEO level on the overall trajectory of the plan, progress to date and key risks and opportunities.

The community conversations programme will follow a locally-led participatory engagement model that aims to inform and hear the views of groups and individuals around the country.

The minister said the importance of continued engagement on the nature restoration plan cannot be underestimated.

“Dialogue really will be key to its success. To that end, I would like to encourage everyone who has an interest in nature, the land, the seas and the built environment to look out for opportunities to be part of the process over the coming months,” Minister Noonan added.