Policy and Regulation

The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (www.environ.ie) strives to achieve a high quality environment with effective environmental protection. Within that remit it addresses key issues such as climate change, biodiversity, waste issues, conservation of our built heritage, protecting water resources and quality, sustainable development and communities. It also has responsibility to monitor, analyse and predict Ireland’s weather and provide support for local Government. The Department are also involved in environmental awareness initiatives like tidy towns, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, National Monument service and Heritage week.

Other DEHLG sites include:

• www.noticenature.ie - Ireland's public awareness campaign on biodiversity
• www.heritagecouncil.ie - The Heritage Council
• www.archaeology.ie/en - The National Monuments Service helps protect our archaeological heritage.
• www.conversationsaboutarchitecture.ie - Preservation architecture and built environment
• www.met.ie - Met Éireann, the Irish National Meteorological Service
  
• www.buildingsofireland.ie - The Buildings of Ireland - the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH)
• www.irishspatialstrategy.ie – Striving to achieve a balance of social, economic and physical development
• www.npws.ie/en - Conservation of a range of habitats and species in Ireland
• www.tidytowns.ie- Tidy town National Competition

The National Development Plan 2007-2013 (www.ndp.ie) is entitled Transforming Ireland – A Better Quality of Life for All. The €184 billion Plan has a number of aims; to continue sustainable national economic and employment growth, to strengthen and improve Ireland’s international competitiveness, to foster balanced Regional Development and to promote Social Inclusion.

The Environmental Pillar in Social Partnership (www.environmentalpillar.ie) will be represented by a number of national level environmental groups. The Pillar aims to ensure that environmental considerations are fully reflected in Social Partnership discussions. Central are the themes of an environmentally sustainable economy, climate change, biodiversity, planning, water and transport.