31st May 2023
Today I announced a combined €2.7 million in funding for local biodiversity projects. Over €2.5 million is being awarded to local authorities to carry out biodiversity projects through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF), and a further €193k is being granted to the natural history recording community through the Small Recording Grants scheme.
A total of €209,432 has been awarded to projects in Carlow and Kilkenny, which include swift and barn owl surveys, pollinator projects and biodiversity awareness programmes in both counties, along with phase one of a Hedgerow Survey in Kilkenny.
The Local Biodiversity Action Fund is a hugely impactful scheme that supports local authorities and communities to deliver on Ireland’s national objectives for nature, from tackling invasive species to restoring habitats to awareness-raising, surveys and monitoring work.
Looking after the nature that’s in our local areas is so important for Ireland’s biodiversity and that’s why I increased the local biodiversity action fund by over €1 million this year, so 188 community projects across Ireland will share in a record €2.5 million Local Biodiversity Action Fund. On top of that I’ve increased our Small Recorders Grant three-fold to just over €190,000, and that’s going to fund a further 67 applicants who will use their expertise in recording and identifying species to support the work of our National Parks and Wildlife Service in this area.
With this combined €2.7 million for biodiversity projects, we're empowering more communities to do more for nature - and every project we’ve funded today is supporting the objectives of Ireland’s National Biodiversity Action Plan.
188 community projects across all 31 local authorities have received funding through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF)
LBAF projects include restoration, invasive species management, surveys, education and awareness projects.
13 projects have been funded in Carlow, totalling €110,180.
6 projects were funded in Kilkenny, for a total of €99,252.
We’ve just enjoyed an incredible National Biodiversity Week, which saw hundreds of free events taking place around the country, bringing people together to discover, enjoy, study, and celebrate nature. That packed calendar of events that’s growing year-on-year is a reflection of the grassroots work that’s happening across the country, and many of the projects we’re funding today will contribute in a really meaningful way to that groundswell of grassroots action for nature.
At the same time, we have more and more Local Biodiversity Officers joining the ranks of our local authorities, so the benefits for nature and for people that the Local Biodiversity Action Fund brings are only going to keep growing. Through schemes like this we’re really laying the groundwork for healthy, thriving nature at the heart of all our communities.
Minister Malcolm Noonan with Ricky Whelan, Biodiversity Officer for Offaly County Council at Portach an Fhéir Bháin (Ferbane bog)