All-Island environmental governance post Brexit? Mobilising key actors in Ireland and Northern Ireland

爱尔兰共和国和北方爱尔兰同属一个地理单元，面临着共同的环境挑战。在最近由英国和欧盟（UK.）联合进行的一次测绘活动中，人们认识到了在爱尔兰岛上开展跨界合作对自然和生物多样性的重要性。退出欧盟部，2018年）。北爱尔兰的许多自然保护区都是与欧盟合作开发的，北爱尔兰的一些自然2000保护区跨越边境，毗邻爱尔兰的保护区。然而，英国于二零二零年一月三十一日脱离欧盟，并有过渡期，欧盟规则及规例将继续适用于英国。此过渡期将于二零二零年十二月三十一日结束。2020年批准的英国-欧盟退出协议的一部分包括《关于爱尔兰/北方爱尔兰的议定书》，该议定书为该岛两部分之间制定了新的法律的框架（无论未来潜在的贸易关系如何）。它对环境有直接影响（列出了北方爱尔兰需要继续遵守的欧盟环境规则领域），也有间接影响，例如（a）它将如何与1998年《耶稣受难日协定》和未来的关系一起工作，以及（B）环境团体和优先事项如何在它规定的机构中得到体现。此外，与人们对“绿色”爱尔兰的普遍看法不同，这两个司法管辖区长期以来都是环境落后者。两国政府的一再失败意味着岛上的环境治理更加依赖非政府行为者的行动，从企业到第三部门组织和研究机构，在不确定的时期动员起来。在这些辩论中动员爱尔兰的各种声音（通过协商等）关键是（a）从以前的经济危机中吸取教训，以及它是如何扼杀环境行动的，（B）制定一项欧洲绿色协议，该协议也可以在欧盟境外发挥作用，因此岛的两边都可以重建更绿色的环境。这与新的爱尔兰政府计划草案相呼应，该计划呼吁建立一个“共享的爱尔兰”，寻求“制定一项全岛战略，以应对气候崩溃和生物多样性危机”。（Fianna Fáil，Fine盖尔和绿色党，2020）在欧盟层面，欧洲绿色协议是新冯德莱恩委员会的优先事项，面对新冠肺炎疫情及其对欧洲经济的影响，这一优先事项已得到重申。该项目旨在动员爱尔兰岛的主要参与者改善环境治理（跨境和全岛）在英国脱欧和冠状病毒时代，它将扩大创新和进步，建立新的联系，加强全岛研究界和从业人员之间的现有关系。该项目将执行一系列任务：首先，它将绘制过去的跨界合作地图，以更好地了解已经建立的合作形式，取得的成就以及目前的双重破坏对它们的挑战。然后，它将分析我们的新现状，以促进对《关于爱尔兰/北方爱尔兰的议定书》的动员、理解和使用。最后，它将勾勒出在爱尔兰岛上达成绿色协议的前进道路。我们将通过以下方式实现这些目标：（a）开展跨学科工作，从政策、规划和法律方面汇集一个性别均衡的团队;（B）支持我们机构的早期职业研究人员，特别是PGR学生，发展他们的影响力和参与技能，以及（c）网络也将使我们的伙伴组织受益，通过创造机会，巩固对以往合作形式的循证分析，并提供一个论坛，深入分析方案实施和Covid 19影响的当前发展。

The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland belong to a single biogeographic unit and face shared environmental challenges. The importance of cross-border cooperation on the island of Ireland for nature and biodiversity was acknowledged in a recent mapping exercise conducted jointly by the UK and EU (UK. Department for Exiting the European Union, 2018). Many of NI's nature reserves have been developed in collaboration with the EU and a number of Natura 2000 sites in NI straddle the border, adjoining sites in Ireland. However, the United Kingdom left the EU on the 31st January 2020 with a transition period in place where EU rules and regulations would continue to apply to the UK. This transition period is due to end on the 31st December 2020. Part of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement ratified in 2020 included the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland which sets out a new legal framework (irrespective of a potential future trade relationship) between both parts of the island. It has direct implications for the environment (listing areas of EU environmental rules which Northern Ireland will need to continue to comply with) as well as indirect implications, such as (a) how it would work alongside the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA) and future relationship and (b) how environmental groups and priorities can be featured in the institutions it sets out. Additionally, at odds with common perceptions of a 'green' Ireland, both jurisdictions have long been environmental laggards. The repeated failures of both governments mean environmental governance on the island is even more dependent on the actions of non-governmental actors, from businesses, to third sector organisations and research organisations, mobilising in uncertain times. Mobilising a variety of Irish voices in these debates (via consultation, etc.) is critical to (a) learn from the previous economic crisis and how it stifled environmental action and (b) develop a European Green Deal which can also work beyond the borders of the EU, so both sides of the island can rebuild greener. This echoes the new draft Irish Programme for Government calling for a 'shared Ireland', seeking to 'develop an all-island strategy to tackle climate breakdown and the biodiversity crisis'.(Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green Party, 2020) and at the EU level, where a European Green Deal is a priority of the new Von der Leyen Commission, a priority which has been reiterated in the face of covid19 and its impact on European economies.This project aims at mobilising key actors across the island of Ireland to improve environmental governance (both cross-border and all-Island) after Brexit and in times of coronavirus. It will amplify innovation and progress, creating new links and reinforcing pre-existing relationships between research communities and practitioners across the island. The project will carry out a number of tasks: firstly it will map past cooperation cross-border to better understand what forms of cooperation have been established, what they achieved and how they are being challenged by the present dual disruptions. It will then analyse our new present to foster mobilisation, understanding and use of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. Finally, it will sketch the way forward towards a Green Deal on the island of Ireland. We will deliver on these objectives by (a) pursuing interdisciplinary work, bringing together a gender-balanced team from policy, planning and law; (b) supporting early career researchers notably PGR students in our institutions in developing their impact and engagement skills and (c) the network will also benefit our partner organisations, NI Environment Link and Environmental Pillar by creating opportunities to solidify evidence-based analysis of past forms of cooperation as well as provide a forum for in-depth analysis of current developments with Protocol implementation and Covid19 impact.