Thirty-one local authorities will share a €1.35m grant to promote biodiversity, tackle invasive species, conduct wetlands surveys, and much more.

More than 100 projects will benefit from funding under the National Biodiversity Local Authority Biodiversity Grant Scheme, announced by Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan.

Biodiversity grant doubled

The scheme, which saw funding doubled for 2021, is operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

It assists local authority biodiversity officers (and heritage officers in local authorities without a biodiversity officer) with the implementation of projects that promote actions contained in the National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) 2017-2021.

First launched in 2018, it supports actions for biodiversity in local areas and is an important element of the overall NBAP implementation.

Under the scheme exchequer funding meets 85% of the cost of the projects, with the local authority providing the remaining 15%.

Seventy biodiversity projects totaling €789,785, as well as 31 individual invasive-alien-species projects amounting to €391,000 will receive funding.

The invasive alien species that will be tackled include: hogweed; Himalayan balsam; Japanese knotweed; American skunk cabbage; and rhododendron.

Successful projects

  • Carlow County Council biodiversity project aims to improve biodiversity by replacing annual bedding plants in containers in urban centres of towns in Carlow with native trees, perennials and shrubs, which will they hope will create refuge corridors for birds, bees and insects;
  • Kilkenny County Council aims to undertake a survey and monitoring programme of barn owl and swift breeding sites in Kilkenny, this will include a citizen science programme and production of conservation videos;
  • Fingal County Council will clear mature rhododendron from a 1.2ha of heathland at the Ben of Howth in the Howth Head SAC;
  • Cork County Council will develop a number of county town pollinator plans;
  • Galway County Council will develop a healthy green-spaces project – about improving the quality of Galway city’s green spaces to be welcoming and inviting for people, to deliver on the need to reverse biodiversity loss, support pollinators, make positive impacts against or to cope with climate change, reduce waste and the reliance on carbon based fuels;
  • 19 wetlands projects worth €290,000 include wetland surveys that will determine the extent, distribution and types of wetlands in their counties;
  • Dunes restoration/survey, from zero in previous years to five this year worth €38,000;
  • 14 pollinator projects on awareness, education and more pollinator friendly planting worth €122,000;
  • 17 projects on birds surveys, conservation and education worth €128,000.
BIODIVERSITY