Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether any assessment has been made of any progress on (i) biodiversity; and (ii) habitat restoration, since February 2024.
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs: In January 2026, the Department published the Regulation 3ZA Report (2019-2024), a six yearly report under the Habitats Regulations, on the conservation status of the most important species and habitats across Northern Ireland. Of the 42 Annex I terrestrial habitats in Northern Ireland, only one habitat type has been assessed as having Favourable Conservation Status. This reflects the scale of the challenge I inherited to turn around the decline of the natural environment.
Since February 2024 we have now put in place Northern Ireland’s first Environmental Improvement Plan, first Peatlands Strategy, first Tree Planting Action Plan, first Seabird Conservation Strategy, first blue carbon action plan and first Elasmobranch Conservation Stratey for Sharks, Skates and Rays Conservation Strategy. The upcoming Nature Recovery Strategy will enhance our environment further, reversing decline and supporting our efforts to protect 30% of our land and waters by 2030. These policies provide a comprehensive policy framework to drive the action required to better protect and restore our natural environment.
The first Northern Ireland Annual Progress Report on the Environment Improvement Plan, covering the period September 2024 to September 2025 was published in January 2026. This reported an initial set of biodiversity indicators: NI Woodland Cover (positive change), while there was little or no change in Condition of Features within Terrestrial ASSIs (includes freshwater sites), Condition of Marine Protected Areas Network and Wild Bird Populations.
DAERA’s annual Environmental Statistics Report, published in May each year, includes various measures of biodiversity, including protected sites. In 2023-24, 38% of habitats and 58% of species features were in favourable condition, while for 2025-26, 36% of habitats and 53% of species features were in favourable condition.
There is a wide range of habitat restoration initiatives and programmes underway including those under the Environment Fund, PEACE PLUS and Peatland Challenge Fund (Shared Island).
The EIP Annual Performance Report published in January this year, showed that works to help restore 453 hectares of peatlands were completed with the assistance of DAERA Funding.
The Department also supported 502 hectares of new woodland in 2024/2025. Meanwhile, year one of the Farming with Nature Transition (FwNT) Scheme supported farmers to plant over 134km of hedgerows and 11ha of trees, creating more than 37km of riparian buffers, establishing 670ha of multi-species winter cover crop and retaining just over 836ha of winter stubble across farmland.
Year 2 of the FwN transition scheme will see an expanded range and scale of environmental actions being delivered on farmland this year. In addition, over 100 EFS Higher Agreements have been confirmed, resulting in over 5000ha of land remaining under positive management.
Regulation 3ZA Report (Habitats Regulations)
https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/topics/habitats-regulations
NI Environmental Statistics Reports
https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/northern-ireland-environmental-statisticsreport
NI Environmental Improvement Plan – Annual Performance Report
https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/environmental-improvement-plannorthern-irelan
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