A progress report on the 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan 2023-2030 has been published with almost 80% of 194 actions on track or complete.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, has published the report, prepared by the National Parks and Wildlife Service with input from the Inter-departmental Biodiversity Working Group, which finds that 44 actions have been fully completed since the National Biodiversity Action Plan was published in early 2024.

These include:

  • the establishment of a new online tool to track progress
  • actions for designated habitats and protected species, including the expansion of the network of National Parks and Nature Reserves.
  • new guidelines for the development of Local Authority Biodiversity Action Plans.
  • annual reporting for public bodies with a guidance document drafted by BFBI’s Research and Technical Lead Dr Emer Ní Dhúill launched last summer.
  • restoration efforts have intensified with a series of key stakeholder events regarding the preparation of the National Nature Restoration Plan (NRP).

Minister O’Sullivan said:

“The progress we are seeing reflects a truly collaborative effort across Government, public bodies and wider society to protect and restore nature, and I would like to thank everyone whose work has helped us get to this point. It’s vital now that we maintain this focus and keep moving forward together.

“Sustained commitment is essential to ensure that Ireland’s fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan – which was ranked as one of the best in the world by the WWF – can be translated into the lasting recovery that our natural world needs. More people than ever understand that nature is at the root of our culture, our health and wellbeing, and our economy.”

To progress the remaining actions, including some of the several of which BFBI is an owner, the report identifies a critical need to increase private sector participation and supports, and to improve the our biodiversity data infrastructure to inform future decision-making.

The NBAP is scheduled for a formal update in 2027 following the publication of the NRP.

Business For Biodiversity Ireland (BFBI) is delighted to announce a new partnership with SustainabilityExamples.com – a collaboration to help our member organisations share biodiversity and climate action initiatives to contribute to collective knowledge exchange to inspire action across the Irish business community.

SustainabilityExamples.com is a dedicated platform where organisations showcase their biodiversity and environmental initiatives in a global community of peers, sustainability leaders, procurement professionals and beyond. It’s a unique space where credible progress is made visible, valued and, increasingly, rewarded through new clients, partnerships, talent, media and potential investment attraction.

Since 2022, Business for Biodiversity Ireland has been driving the transition to a nature-positive Irish economy, where business strategy and activities are geared to enhancing our natural systems and minimising impact, while unlocking opportunity and boosting resilience.

Why our Sustainability Examples partnership matters for our members:

Many companies want to talk about the work they’re doing for nature and climate action but feel hesitant to share “imperfect” stories publicly. This leads to greenhushing, missed commercial opportunities, and slower overall progress. Together, SustainabilityExamples.com and BFBI aim to change that.

The platform is specifically designed to be a safe, non-judgmental environment where sustainability leaders can share their initiatives with likeminded key stakeholders – no algorithms or critics waiting to pounce – but a community who want to share knowledge and constructive feedback, take action and collaborate with others committed to making strides in sustainability, even if still learning. It offers a chance to stand out in a competitive market by publicly sharing impact on an independent third-party platform dedicated to showcasing real, practical, verified progress. There is no time to waste, as we face increasing global supply chain disruption, and insurance and reputational issues, accelerating daily due to climate and nature shocks, with the potential to affect every business, damaging our economy and society as a whole.

Dr Maria Fitzpatrick, BFBI Executive Director said:

“Our Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme members have been working closely with us to develop and hone their Nature Strategy and feed back to us, in an ongoing and transparent process, about the challenges they are facing in developing, monitoring and assessment of biodiversity actions. As they progress, we hope they will take every opportunity to share their evolving nature strategies and concrete actions to protect and boost biodiversity. From the small wins to sharing how your strategic approach to stakeholder engagement, ESG reporting and nature-related risk benefits your business and supports the delivery of the SDGs and nature-positive goals, Sustainability Examples will inform and inspire action and accelerate collaboration for a Nature Positive Economy for Ireland.”

Andrew Sheehan, Founder of SustainabilityExamples.com, said:

“Biodiversity and nature action deserve far more visibility than they currently get, and BFBI has been leading that charge. This partnership gives their members a dedicated safe space to showcase their work, and inspire wider action. Most importantly, publishing their BFBI initiatives helps their members demonstrate real leadership at a time when buyers and stakeholders increasingly expect it. We’re thrilled to welcome BFBI and its members into our community of organisations who are proving that progress – not perfection – is what moves sustainability forward.”

What the partnership means in practice:

  • SustainabilityExamples.com will begin showcasing BFBI’s own offerings, helping businesses better understand nature as a strategic advantage.
  • BFBI members are invited to publish the initiatives they’ve developed with BFBI and beyond – offering real-world examples and giving visibility to a high-intent audience of sustainability leaders, decision-makers and potential partners.
  • SustainabilityExamples.com is free for BFBI members to showcase your initiatives. You can also avail of further promotion of your brand and impact using any of the platform’s paid features at a 15% discount using a unique discount code provided.
  • SustainabilityExamples.com will assist BFBI’s members in crafting the stories they would like to share and amplify to thousands of professionals visiting their platform, newsletter, and social channels, daily.

Unlike other social platforms, SustainabilityExamples.com is purpose-built for sustainability champions. Googled 170,000 times per month globally, the community are engaged and supportive of progress. Sharing your story can lead to:

  • New business conversations
  • Supplier and partnership opportunities
  • Invitations to speak, collaborate or co-create
  • A stronger reputation for leadership in nature and sustainability
  • A shared commitment to progress, not perfection
  • Most importantly, a more resilient future for your business and our planet

Foundational to this partnership is that we believe that the fastest way to scale environmental action is through honest storytelling and open knowledge sharing. The BFBI team look forward to working with Andrew at SustainabilityExamples.com to showcase the positive work of our Nature Strategy Accelerator Programme members. Once you have signed up to the BFBI Discovery Track on our site, visit SustainabilityExamples.com to set up your account there, and start showcasing your biodiversity and other sustainability initiatives, and learning from others within this innovative community.

We’ll get in touch directly with members on our Action Track, Strategy Track & coming soon, Evolution Track, to discuss exclusive options for facilitating your participation in this partnership and highlighting your work on the SustainabilityExamples.com site.

Business For Biodiversity Ireland is partnering with the Business Post Energy Transition Summit 2025 on October 15 – bringing together key voices to discuss topics around the transition in Dublin’s Croke Park.

As noted in a recent National Economic and Social Council (NESC) report, the energy transition will not only help to address urgent environmental concerns but will also deliver substantial economic benefits through enterprise opportunities, by improving the reliability of energy supply, lowering energy costs and enabling Ireland to become a net exporter of energy.

As part of this partnership, members can enjoy an exclusive 15% discount on tickets by using the promo code: energy15 at checkout: https://events.businesspost.ie/event/energy-summit/

Hosted by broadcaster Ivan Yates, the agenda will feature Tara Connolly, Programme Lead for Energy Markets and Grids, Beyond Fossil Fuel, with a keynote address on policy risks from Dr. Cathal Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst, and fireside chats with Alan Rossiter, Head of Strategy & Network Development, ESB Networks and Ali Sheridan, Chair of the Just Transition Commission as well as expert panel sessions.

Sponsors of the event include BFBI Strategy Track member ESB Networks, Bord Gais Energy, Schneider Electric, BYD Energy Ireland, Certa, Hydrogen Ireland, Sustainability Online business news platform, Solar Ireland, Sandyford.com, Energy Storage Ireland, Irish Energy Storage Association and Wind Energy Ireland.

Register now and join us on the day for a chat at the BFBI exhibition stand to discuss our work helping businesses to transition to Nature Positive and connect with our Business Development Lead Dr Maria Fitzpatrick: https://energysummit.ie/

BFBI is delighted to announce an introductory webinar on new market opportunities in nature-based solutions.

This webinar is organised in collaboration with the Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform which brings together communities of nature-based enterprises, working with and for nature. These businesses are experiencing high market demand as they deliver nature-based solutions which help to address business dependencies and risks from nature loss and climate change. 

Whether you are interested in benefiting from nature-based solutions to climate adaptation, developing new products and services, you are a start-up business in this area, or you will have businesses like these in your supply chain, this webinar provides a good understanding of how your business can participate in the nature positive economy and go nature positive! 

Webinar date: August 20th, 2025
Time: 12-1pm
Via Teams:
Register HERE

Our speaker: Isobel Fletcher is CEO of Horizon Nua, a not-for-profit foundation based in Dublin working to accelerate the just transition towards a nature-positive economy and manager of the Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform. An advocate for nature-based entrepreneurship, Isobel leads the team working to co-develop nature-positive entrepreneurial strategies at regional and municipal level through multiple European initiatives to support the delivery of nature-based solutions as part of the just transition to an equitable, carbon neutral and nature-positive economy. Isobel is a member of the EC NbS Task forces on the nature-positive economy and communications.