The Changing Landscapes conference on 30th May, 2024, brought together land workers - farmers and foresters - with policymakers, environmentalists, and commercial interests. Rather than reinforcing entrenched positions, this gathering created space for a cross-disciplinary dialogue that challenged assumptions and forged alliances between what are often perceived as opposing camps.

By convening voices across ecological, agricultural, corporate, and conservation perspectives, the event disrupted traditional siloes. Our aim was to lay the groundwork for a holistic vision for Ireland's landscapes over the next 100 years; integrating sustainable food production, biodiversity, as well as human and social needs, on a national scale.

Re-imagining a Thriving Landscape

The event kicked off with an opening address by broadcaster Philip Boucher-Hayes, host of Countrywide, followed by a keynote from Dustin Benton of Green Alliance. Benton outlined the stark realities of the UK's unsustainable land footprint, consuming 1.5 times its land area to feed itself through imports. He argued that the same land cannot deliver high-yield food production, climate mitigation, and thriving nature - hard choices must be made on land sparing and sharing.

The first panel explored the current landscape challenges, barriers to change, and opportunities. Ecologist Pádraic Fogarty emphasised the need for a more democratic process in governing Ireland's land and food strategy to align with planetary boundaries. He presented the need for significant changes in land use to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, citing the recent EPA report’s call to increase forest cover, decrease livestock, and re-wet bogs. Catherine Farrell of Trinity College Dublin stressed that real political leadership is required to translate the Land Use Review into disruptive action.

From IPSOS, Niall McCaffrey shared polling data indicating people are turning away from climate awareness. However, he highlighted the potential for alternative proteins to revolutionise our food systems and free up land, if public scepticism can be overcome. Orlaith Delargy of KPMG warned of increasing competition for land from biodiversity offsetting by businesses facing new environmental reporting standards.

A Practitioner's Perspective

The second panel brought voices from the ground, navigating tensions between stakeholders. Barry O'Donoghue of the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) described how the same landscape can be seen as beautiful wilderness by visitors but as degraded by ecologists. Olive Leavy of Irish Forest Owners stressed the need to build a forest culture and economy, including supporting employment and skills needs across the country. She stressed the need for forest owners to be able to make decisions beyond just the length of premiums and ensure that policy leads to the "right trees in the right place."

Pat O'Toole of the Irish Farmers Journal called for an overarching national land use plan to resolve competing demands across sectors like agriculture, forestry, and housing. Without clarity, he warned "we are lying to ourselves." Farmer Fergal Anderson of Talamh Beo advocated for nurturing a domestic, sustainable food production culture resilient to global market volatility.

Financing Landscape Change

The financing panel explored emerging models to mobilise capital for nature regeneration at scale. Tom Popple of BE Impactful framed the $800 billion annual global biodiversity financing gap as a collective responsibility. Pat Leahy of the Department of Finance outlined Ireland's €3.15 billion Nature Fund legislated to deploy €2 billion annually from 2026.

Cain Blythe of Ecosulis showcased their work brokering "nature credits" by optimising ecosystem services like flood mitigation desired by companies like data centres. Mieke Siebers of the Foundation for Sustainable Development cautioned about issues like geographic mismatches between impacts and offsetting. Joe Keenan, formerly of The Nature Conservancy, advocated blending different financing sources motivated by distinct benefits.

Fiona Patterson of Arup highlighted the new biodiversity net gain requirements in England, creating developer-led markets for offsets and nature restoration. However, she stressed the need for standardised metrics in Ireland to unlock this potential for landowners.

Transformative Projects

Case studies illustrated transformative landscape projects from the ground up. Margaret Flaherty showcased the Wild Atlantic Nature LIFE project collaborating with farmers to scorecard and incentivize peatland conservation across 260,000 hectares of privately owned, designated lands.

Martha Farrell shared how the Maharees Conservation Group pioneered community-led "regenerative tourism" to revegetate eroding dunes and nurture wildlife like natterjack toads through guided nature walks and volunteering. Both highlighted the importance of trusted relationships between communities and state agencies in championing new approaches.

Other panellists explored economic models aligning farming livelihoods with environmental stewardship. Bryan Irvine described Peatland Finance Ireland's work aggregating rewetting projects into carbon and biodiversity credit buyers. Stephen Robb cited examples of farmer-owned renewable energy co-ops diversifying income. Joe Keenan drew inspiration from Trinacional Atlantic Forest Pact that has successfully restored 26% of Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest over the course of 20 years, through multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Forging Unlikely Alliances

The final panel showcased the role of arts, culture, and data in shaping new narratives around landscape change. Tania Banotti of Creative Ireland highlighted projects making the future impacts of climate change more visceral and tangible for communities and the need to embed these within different sectors and explored how Ireland's uniquely individualistic housing patterns across the landscape intersect with biodiversity connectivity.

Laura Costello discussed the "Goodlife 2030" movement reimagining advertising as a catalyst for sustainability. Stuart Green of Teagasc demonstrated the advanced land mapping methods uncovering insights like Ireland's higher than reported forest cover.

Radical, not incremental, solutions are required to align our land uses with planetary boundaries and biodiversity goals. This will inherently disrupt the current economic models which prioritised and incentivised intensive agriculture over other forms of land-use.

*Audience discussion during the Changing Landscapes conference*

Some key messages resonated throughout the conference:

Implement a Long-Term Land-Use Strategy: Enabling legislative and policy certainty is crucial for incentivizing landowners and farmers to transition towards sustainable land stewardship models rewarding ecological services.
Land cannot be all things to all people: Diversifying high-yield farming, encouraging agro-ecological methods, and setting aside space for nature are equally necessary to ensure food security and reduce the environmental impact of food production.
Data-sharing, information provisional and guidance: ensuring access to land-use data and advice for those in the land-use sector that need it.
Increase Community Engagement and Participation: True landscape transformation necessitates more democratic participation engaging all stakeholders. Communities, not just vested interests, must have a voice in land use decision-making that impacts their lives, livelihoods, and environments.
Support Innovative Financial Instruments: New financing mechanisms like biodiversity and carbon credits show promise but require standardised frameworks, integrity safeguards, and alignment with stakeholder values beyond pure profit motives.
Cross-sectoral collaboration: Cross-sector partnerships that represent competing interests in Irish land use needs will be vital for driving the scale of mindset and behaviour changes needed.

Conclusion

The Changing Landscapes conference provided a snapshot of the complexities of transforming Ireland's landscapes towards a thriving, regenerative future. It revealed an appetite for change and acted as a powerful call for radical, sustainable land use solutions across sectors. From innovative forest management and community engagement, to novel financing like biodiversity net gain, carbon markets, and alternative protein business models - the event highlighted imminent, disruptive economic shifts redefining our landscapes' function and value.

Ireland is ready to harness this momentum, but robust government policy providing long-term certainty and joined-up thinking, is urgently needed. This must be coupled with a common vision uniting disparate stakeholders around a coherent regenerative mission. The conference itself demonstrated the considerable opportunity our land resources offer for harmonising food security, livelihoods, climate mitigation, ecosystem services, and biodiversity - if all actors are empowered to seize it.

Through initiatives like this conference, Hometree aims to facilitate the vital dialogues and collaborations catalysing such tangible landscape transformation benefiting nature, climate and equitable human wellbeing.

This conference was funded in part by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

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