The loss of unique habitats such as bogs and wetlands and the spread of invasive species are the most significant dangers to wildlife in Ireland today, it was warned today.
The Heritage Council said that while almost half of people are aware of the term biodiversity, less than one in five people know that it means the variety of living things.
It also claimed plants and animals have an economic value and are worth at least €2.6 billion to agriculture, forestry, infrastructure development and climate change.
Michael Starrett, Heritage Council chief executive, warned younger people are becoming less involved in biodiversity, with only 14 per cent of under 25s engaged in some way.
"The reality is that the true value is likely to be much higher if the benefits to human health were also included. But biodiversity is simply not an issue which can be ignored anymore, the time to act is now," Mr Starrett said.
Mr Starrett said any visit to a fish counter would show the extent of changes in biodiversity over the last ten years.
"People may not realise but loss of biodiversity is affecting us all today. Any visit to a fish counter over the past decade would inform people that fish size and the selection available has changed enormously," he said.
"The connections are not being made in the public mind between every day life and biodiversity.
"For many of our species it is already too late, but with the right intervention and care we can ensure that we protect our biodiversity for future generations."
Seven plants are on the critically endangered list at risk of extinction in the wild in Ireland. Eleven have already been lost, 50 others are on an endangered list and 70 others said to be vulnerable.
Some 25 birds are on the red list — of high conservation concern — including the barn owl, hen harrier, sky lark and lap-wing.
The Heritage Council's survey on biodiversity found awareness levels have not changed in the last three years but attitudes have.
Some 96 per cent of people said biodiversity is indispensable for the production of goods such as food, fuel and medicines — up 12 per cent on 2007.
There was also a massive increase in numbers who believe Europe will get poorer economically as biodiversity is lost — up 17 per cent to 91 per cent.
"This change in levels of agreement on the economic issues of biodiversity could suggest that the recreational and aesthetic aspects of biodiversity were seen as a boom time luxury," Mr Starrett said.
"But in our current challenging economic environment, we have other priorities and the recreational and softer biodiversity issues are no longer seen to be as relevant."
PA