Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 July 2026
110. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the measures his Department has taken since 2015 to support innovation in citizen science, open data or public participation in environmental monitoring; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50149/26]
View answerThe key role of citizens and communities in achieving environmental and climate goals is valued and understood by Government and my Department has a dedicated team in this area. My Department has engaged for many years with groups who promote innovation in citizen science and public participation in environmental monitoring. The work of those groups contributes to our understanding and protection of our natural environment.
In 2026, €3.127 million was provided through the Circular Economy Fund to the Irish Environmental Network (IEN), whose 41 members are nationally active environmental NGOs. My Department has provided funding to the IEN since 2002.
Examples of IEN member organisations that run citizen science projects include:
• Birdwatch Ireland where citizen science is a key input into the annual Irish Garden Bird Survey;
• Coastwatch Ireland who conduct an annual autumn survey and ongoing work to protect seagrass in coastal communities throughout Ireland;
• Irish Wildlife Trust where volunteers contribute citizen science data identifying species including plants and insects; and
• Sonairte, an organisation which mobilises citizen science in the recording of outdoor air quality.
Other IEN members using citizen science include An Taisce, Green Economy Foundation, Green Sod Ireland, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and Leave No Trace.
Furthermore, strand 2 of the Community Climate Action Programme, funded by my Department’s Climate Action Fund, supports projects that enable local climate action. For example, one of these, Beaches & Dunes for Climate Adaptation, delivers training for community groups on how to protect and enhance beach and dune ecosystems as a nature-based solution to coastal flooding and erosion. One key output is an online citizen science map to collect data on dune ecosystems.
The EPA, an independent public body under the aegis of my Department, is active in several important projects which use citizen science to collect data on projects in areas such as clean air and water, sustainable living, and biodiversity monitoring and mapping.
