Green Party TD for Wicklow Deputy Steven Matthews has strongly welcomed new regulations announced by Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan assigning ‘protected wild animal’ status to the Basking Shark. This Move builds on the foundations of core Green Party policy to protect our native species and ecosystems.
Speaking after the announcement of the regulations, Deputy Matthews said:
“This measure is a major step in the fight for the preservation of our natural ecosystems and native species. I am proud to have worked closely with my Green Party colleague Minister for State for Heritage and Electoral Reform to ensure this measure was passed. Protected wild animal status makes it an offense to hunt, injure or interfere with the habitat of the Basking Shark, a species which depends on Ireland’s coastal waters to survive and flourish.”
This move brings Ireland in line with the global community in the classification of the Basking Shark. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies the species on its red list of endangered species, species at high risk of extinction.
Deputy Matthews continued:
“There is a responsibility on all of us to reverse the worrying trend of endangered species disappearing around the globe. The Green Party has raised this matter, which is a core policy of our party, a number of times in the Dáil. The measure put in place today to protect the Basking shark is the first step in safeguarding the many vulnerable species which inhabit this country. I will continue to work alongside my Green Party Colleagues into the future to ensure that our natural habitats are protected and restored,” Deputy Matthews Concluded.
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