AQW 14907/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 17/02/2021
Answered On Date: 26/02/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail his Department’s plans to allocate funding for the restoration of habitats and ecosystems of Northern Ireland.

Answer:

My Department is developing a range of funding programmes and initiatives to support the restoration of habitats and ecosystems in NI. These are listed below:

The Environment Fund and its Challenge Funds. A Green Recovery Challenge Fund is under development for 2021/22.

The development of a Resilient Peatland Programme.

The development of future Agri-Environment schemes.

The implementation of the “Forests for our Future” programme.

Development of budgetary proposals to support the protection and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems.

Most of these initiatives and programmes will require multi-year investment and the level of delivery will be dependent upon the level of budget secured by the Department.

The Department have also been engaged with the development of the new EU Peace Plus Programme 2021-27.