AQW 5709/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 10/07/2020
Answered On Date: 28/07/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, as outlined in the Biodiversity Strategy 2020.

Answer:

An interim report on progress by DAERA, other departments and organisations for actions listed in the Biodiversity Strategy’s implementation plan was produced in December 2016. Since then, further progress has been made while recognising that some of the actions have a completion date of December 2020.

The current Northern Ireland Biodiversity Strategy is in place until the end of 2020. My officials are currently engaging with Defra and the other Devolved Administrations in a framework to implement the new post 2020 Aichi international targets that will be agreed by the Convention on Biological Diversity.

My Department will be developing a new Biodiversity Strategy to fulfil Northern Ireland’s commitments to the new international targets to 2030. During this process, a final report will be produced to highlight progress on the actions listed in the current strategy’s implementation plan.