Editorial: We can only restore nature in partnership with Irish farmers

You hardly need to be a scientist to appreciate how every species on our planet is a unique creation. Its destruction is not just a loss but also a threat, given the intricate links that hold our ecosystems together and on which our lives depend.

But in Europe, 81pc of natural habitats are now classed as being in poor health.

So whatever reservations groups may have about the EU’s Nature Restoration Law, the need for it is indisputable. Reversing damage to biodiversity is a global priority. Attempting to escape our responsibilities would amount to a betrayal of future generations.

“Restoring nature is in the interest of everyone. We will have no food security if our natural systems are destroyed,” Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has said.

In practical terms, countries will need restoration measures for drained peatlands. They have a unique capacity for holding huge amounts of carbon in Ireland, but farm groups are understandably concerned about the uncertainty as to how any changes are to be financed and what supports might be available.

The move to bring in a compulsory as opposed to a voluntary scheme was “totally wrong”, according to Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Francie Gorman. Given the scale of transformation and demands made on farms, further clarity is required.

The new law commits Ireland to rewetting 7.5pc of peatlands by 2030.

“We really want the IFA and other farm organisations to come with us, to get involved in the whole process,” Nature Minister Malcolm Noonan has said.

However, incentives are essential to help farmers. The €3.15bn Climate Nature Fund legislation is still being drafted. Mr Noonan has said a mechanism to “unlock capital” to provide consistent funding for communities is in train. But funding needs to be forthcoming in a more concrete form, as soon as possible.

Heated debate about cognitive dissonance or an urban-rural divide on the issue must not distract us from what is a common challenge with the potential for mutual benefit.

Materially, farmers are immediately affected by having to make fundamental changes. They are already struggling to survive with falling prices and higher input costs. So the need of assistance is urgent. They are key to nature restoration, and also integral to providing our food: so, a thriving agriculture sector must be protected.

That said, the harsh realities of what it means to live on a planet that is dangerously overheating are coming home to us all. The intention behind the new legislation is to try to get countries to work closer with nature, instead of constantly confounding it.

Rebalancing our needs in a more harmonious relationship with our environment can only be positive.

As the American conservationist Art Wolfe once wrote: “It is in the wild places, where the edge of the earth meets the corners of the sky, the human spirit is fed.”

Their destruction could sow the seeds of our own.

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