Protecting Our Natural Heritage - What will be our legacy Conference

On Thursday 22^nd April 2004 at 9.45am

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen,

I'm delighted to be here with you all this morning, and, I would like to thank Matt Murphy very much for the opportunity to address this conference Protecting Our Natural Heritage - What Will Be Our Legacy.

At the end of the last century, back in 1999, the question was asked on a TV programme, "What was the greatest invention of the 20^th Century". A number of well-known personalities gave answers, such as recent advances in medicine, or in technology such as the Internet.

However one contributor said that she felt the greatest invention of the 20^th Century was the Washing Machine. As a young girl growing up a farm she saw what drudgery her mother's life was in regard to washing and drying clothes for a large family. While you can agree or disagree with the role the washing machine played in the 20^th Century what this statement brings home to me is how easily we take everyday things for granted.

I suspect for some of us our Natural Heritage is something we also take for granted. We seem to think that our countryside will survive no matter what we do to it. We must make the link between the things we do every day, as individuals and as part of society, and the direct impact they have on our natural environment. That includes using the aforementioned washing machine and other similar daily tasks.

Over the coming years and decades we can expect to see increasing competition between human needs and those of the environment. We cannot sit back and leave the well being of our natural environment in the care of someone else. All of us must reflect on what effect our actions have on the environment. Actions such as where we live, how we travel to work, what we consume and how we dispose of what is left all have a potential effect on our natural heritage. It is important as individuals not to leave this job to somebody else - the EU, the Government, the County Council or a well-meaning pressure group. We must take actions and make choices as individuals as well.

On reviewing the agenda for this conference what impressed me most was the wide range of sectors and interests represented both from a national and international perspective.

At a national level, my colleague Martin Cullen TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, has the primary responsibility for the conservation of our heritage including the natural heritage. He has statutory functions relating to the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity.

The National Biodiversity Plan, which was published in 2002, provides a framework for the integration of biodiversity concerns into all areas of life. This Plan plays special attention to the need for the integration of the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity into all relevant sectors. It also identifies the need to provide for biodiversity at a local level. This joined-up thinking, and more inclusive approach, must become part of our legacy to the next generation.

Work in recent times has focused on the identification and designation of places important for nature and wildlife as Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for habitats. But these special places are not set apart from everyday life. It is important to recognise the role that farmers and other landowners play in conservation and I am pleased to see that tomorrow one of the issues addressed is "A Farming Perspective on our Natural Heritage."

Nor should we imagine that our natural heritage is just a matter for rural Ireland. As our cities and towns continue to grow it is essential that we consider the needs of protecting and enhancing biodiversity in urban areas. I am sure that we all can learn a lot from Bob McIntosh as he gives us the New York perspective on protecting our natural heritage. We will also get the UK views from Tom Oliver on Protecting the Natural Heritage of Rural Villages and Towns.

One person who has no need to worry about the Legacy he will leave behind him in regard to many things, and particularly in regard to the protection of our natural heritage, is Matt Murphy. As I am sure many of you know Matt and his late wife Eileen founded the Skerkin Island Marine Station in 1975. It has grown over the years and now contains 5 laboratories, an aquarium and a library containing over 100,000 items of interest. Skerkin Island has become a haven for scientists for all over the world to study and monitor marine life from Cork Harbour to Bantry Bay.

However what he and his family deserve most credit for, is the role they have played in raising awareness in children about the sea and its environment through a programme of school visits and the publication of the Skerkin Comment over the years.

Your attendance here today is a tribute to the esteem that Matt is held by all of us. You have all given of your time and expertise to make this conference happen. I welcome you all to Carrigaline. Please enjoy your stay, and come back again to see us soon.

ENDS/TC 94