Today, July 9th, the new All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030 was launched at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, by Andrew Muir, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland and Ireland’s Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD. Pictured with Dr Úna FitzPatrick, Co-founder of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and Chief Scientific Officer, National Biodiversity Data Centre (Photo Dermot Byrne Photography)Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, Dr Una FitzPatrick, Co-Founder of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and Chief Scientific Officer of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Dr Noeleen Smyth, Director of the National Botanic Gardens, and Andrew Muir, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland, at the launch of the new All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030 at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, on July 9th. Photo Dermot ByrnePictured at the launch of the new All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030 at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, on July 9th: Aoife Budd, Shared Island Unit, Department of the Taoiseach; Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD; and Dr Úna FitzPatrick, Co-founder of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and Chief Scientific Officer of the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Photo Dermot ByrneThe 2026-2030 phase of the Pollinator Plan is supported through funding from the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Fund, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
Pictured: John Conlon, Chairman, OPW; Dr Claire Cooper, Assistant Principal, National Parks and Wildlife Service and National Biodiversity Data Centre Board Member; Dr Úna FitzPatrick, Co-founder of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and Chief Scientific Officer of the National Biodiversity Data Centre; Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD; Sara McGuckian, Head of Natural Science, Northern Ireland Environment Agency; Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir; Virginia Teehan, CEO, The Heritage Council; Michelle Corrigan, Principal Officer, Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine; and Richard Tilson, Chief Operating Officer, National Biodiversity Data Centre. Photo Dermot ByrnePictured at the launch of the new All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030 at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, on July 9th: Aoife Budd, Shared Island Unit, Department of the Taoiseach; Dr Claire Cooper, Assistant Principal, National Parks and Wildlife Service and National Biodiversity Data Centre Board Member; Michelle Corrigan, Principal Officer, Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine; Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD; Dr Úna FitzPatrick, Co-founder of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and Chief Scientific Officer of the National Biodiversity Data Centre; Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir; Sara McGuckian, Head of Natural Science, Northern Ireland Environment Agency; Virginia Teehan, CEO, The Heritage Council; and Ciara Carberry, OPW. Photo Dermot ByrneDr Úna FitzPatrick, Co-Founder of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and Chief Scientific Officer of the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Photo Dermot Byrne
Speaking at the launch, Minister O’Sullivan, said: “Bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects play a vital role in our food systems and in the health of the wider natural environment. That’s why the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is such an important initiative, because it makes it easy for everyone to get involved and take action to reverse their decline – no matter where they live, how young or old they are, or how much they know about pollinators. Through outreach, education and partnerships, the AIPP team have developed a network of allies across the island to help these amazing insects, including all 42 councils, over 120 organisations and more than 400 businesses. I’m proud that the funding from the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island initiative will support them to continue this work and to scale it up even further to help us deliver on the ambitious targets for pollinators in the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.” Photo Dermot ByrneIn his launch address, Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir said: “Bees, butterflies and our other pollinators are the unsung heroes of our environment, playing a fundamental role across our ecosystems. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan provides a clear, practical framework to support these busy bugs in enabling nature recovery. By working together, across all landscapes, it is possible to restore pollinator populations and create an island that is richer in biodiversity, more resilient to climate change, and better for people and nature alike. Adopting a more ambitious All-Ireland Pollinator Plan for 2026-2030 will help us play our part in meeting international biodiversity targets, and is key to the success of our Environmental Improvement Plan and forthcoming Nature Recovery Strategy. I am grateful to the Irish government and particularly the Department of the Taoiseach, for their partnership and cooperation in developing and supporting it through Shared Island funding.” Photo Dermot Byrne
Dr Noeleen Smyth, Director of the National Botanic Gardens. Photo Dermot Byrne
STAFF
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan team from the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Jon Ryder, Dr Emma King, Joshua Clarke, Kate Chandler, Dr Úna FitzPatrick, Sarah Larragy, Sarah Kelly, Pat Fitzmaurice and Patrick Doran. Photo Dermot Byrne
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan team from the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Jon Ryder, Dr Emma King, Joshua Clarke, Kate Chandler, Dr Úna FitzPatrick, Sarah Larragy, Sarah Kelly, Pat Fitzmaurice and Patrick Doran. Photo Dermot ByrneThe All-Ireland Pollinator Plan team from the National Biodiversity Data Centre: Kate Chandler, Joshua Clarke, Dr Emma King, Jon Ryder, Sarah Larragy, Patrick Doran and front, Pat Fitzmaurice and Sarah Kelly. Photo Dermot Byrne
BEE PHOTOGRAPH USAGE: The photographs of bees below must only be used in stories that relate to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan:
