There is a crisis in biodiversity. We have seen a deterioration over decades, with bad planning and destruction on a huge scale during the Celtic tiger era and before it. Ironically, Ireland is known across the world as a green place, where trees, lakes, seas, beaches and countryside is pristine in terms of biodiversity but the facts do not bear that out. A substantial proportion of our EU-protected habitats and species are deemed to be in an unfavourable state. There is a 40% drop in the number of water birds since the 1990s and a 45% drop in the number of kestrels. Some 23 out of 24 species of nesting seabirds are listed as red or amber in terms of conservation concerns. Some 18% of native Irish butterfly fauna is under threat of extinction. A total of 56% of Ireland's native plants species are in decline, with native grasslands suffering. I commend residents of Porterstown village who called me and the NPWS when a developer went in with bulldozers to allegedly try to destroy two badger sets and rare grasslands on a site that was subject to planning conditions. This is a regular occurrence because the sanctions are such that it is a basic slap on the wrist but when they are gone, they are gone forever. I came from East Wall, an area in the north inner city that had zero public green spaces. There were no trees, no open spaces and no green spaces. I moved to Clonsilla 30 years ago and I was blown away by the biodiversity. There were fields, open spaces and parks everywhere. In every local area plan, county development plan, and planning application on greenfield sites, we fought hard for the protection of trees, hedgerows, canals and waterways such as the Tolka river. In this Chamber we are seen as dinosaurs and blockers of housing developments. We have been derided by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and others in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. We are not anti-development but we are for developments that protect our biodiversity as much as we can because as the advertisement says, when it is gone, it is gone forever. I pay tribute to all our Tidy Towns groups. Many are not just litter pickers or flower planters but have developed into community-led biodiversity champions. They turn patches of land into places for bees, small animals, nesting birds and planting for all kinds of insects that help sustain a living environment in an urban area like Dublin 15. I refer to groups like Castleknock, Blanchardstown and Clonsilla Tidy Towns groups. I give a shout-out to the groups in Tyrrelstown and Hollystown, which are newly organised, and are meeting this Sunday for a big clean-up. I am also part of the Royal Canal clean-up group. The place is teeming with life but it is constantly under threat from development, which is getting closer and closer to the banks. All we ask is that consideration is given to biodiversity. Many people are doing their best and showing that our biodiversity is a strength for those of us who live on this island for those who wish to visit as tourists. The Government needs to do better to support our nature, forests, rivers, lakes, parks and green belts.

Sentiment score: -0.02