The Hare’s Corner, a biodiversity initiative operating in six counties, is marking its fifth anniversary by creating a projected 1,600 habitats for biodiversity.

The initiative set up by Burrenbeo Trust aims to help landowners make more space for nature.

The project takes its name from the old farming expression for an awkward section of a field which was not intensively farmed and was therefore left to nature.

Landowners are offered practical support to carry out actions for nature in the form of materials, micro-funding and professional services, such as input from a hydrologist or ecologist.

This year, landowners in counties Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Meath, Offaly and Carlow are being supported to carry out a range of actions.

This includes the creation of wildlife ponds, mini-woodlands, hedgerows, mini-orchards and plans for nature on their land.

The project is funded through a combination of public and private sector funding, including the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Local Biodiversity Action Fund.

The private funders include the Life’s2Good Foundation, SSE Generation Green Fund, NTR PLC, Greencoat Renewables PLC, ESB, 123.ie, and Aldi Stores Ltd.

To mark the project’s fifth anniversary, The Hare’s Corner has launched a dedicated website this week which has practical tips, infographics and short videos aimed at helping people to create their own Hare’s Corners.

The project delivered 100 Hare’s Corners in Clare in its first year, 2021. This increased to 900 in four counties in 2024, and it is already well on the way to meeting its projection of 1,600 in six counties this year.

The delivery of the habitats has also become more economical with the expansion of the project with an average price per habitat of €500 in 2021 projected to be halved to €250 this year.

Organisers hope to expand the reach of the project in 2026 with the ambition of ultimately going nationwide.

In order to achieve this, they have appealed for private and public funders to help.

Ecologists and hydrologists also being sought to join the team as freelance advisors in their own counties.

Lee Worrell, The Hare's Corner coordinator, said that by "enabling thousands of small, tangible actions for nature we can have the collective impact that we need to turn the tide on biodiversity loss".

"The Hare’s Corner has been oversubscribed each year, which clearly demonstrates the public appetite for becoming involved in biodiversity initiatives.

"We would be delighted to welcome new sponsors interested in helping us to expand the reach of The Hare’s Corner next year," Worrell added.