The 2024 National Adaptation Framework (NAF) requires the development of Sectoral Adaptation Plans (SAPs) for 13 key sectors. The SAPs were developed applying a six-step adaptation planning process described in Sectoral Planning Guidelines for Climate Change Adaptation to prepare the ground, conduct a climate impact screening, prioritise impacts, conduct a detailed climate risk assessment, develop goals, objectives and actions, and establish governance and implementation frameworks.
The goals of the Biodiversity Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan are to:
- Drive a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to integrate biodiversity and climate resilience into all sectors and decision-making;
- Strengthen the evidence base to identify and understand the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and guide effective, science-based responses; and
- Drive co-ordinated, targeted and funded delivery of actions across all relevant actors to protect and restore the resilience of ecosystems to climate change and enhance nature’s contribution to people and society.
Actions span across funding, stakeholder engagement, awareness, training and research, and range across soft measures that change behaviour, regulation or systems of management; green measures which seek to use natural or nature-based solutions to enhance resilience; and grey or 'hard' measures that involve technical or engineering responses to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Examples of actions include:
- All local authorities will have a Biodiversity Action Plan adopted at the end of 2026;
- A network of experts in Natural Capital Accounting will be established for the island of Ireland; and
- Carry out essential conservation and restoration work on degraded habitats both terrestrial and marine and those mandated by the EU Habitats Directive, The Marine Strategy Framework, EU Water Framework Directive and The Nature Restoration Regulation.
