Clare community efforts to protect and promote local plants, wildlife and nature are getting a major boost with seven projects being supported to develop and implement local action plans.
The plans are being supported under a long-standing partnership between Community Foundation Ireland and its philanthropists with the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Under the partnership communities in Clare and across the country are provided access to expert ecologists to decide the best ways to protect or promote wildlife and then to implement through the Action Plan.
Some 252 communities across the country have been supported by the Community Foundation and the Parks Service since 2019. The latest Clare Groups are:
Connolly Tidy Village (€5,000) to carry out local mapping with the assistance of experts which will identify areas of biodiversity and nature loss and appropriate actions.
Inch Tidy Town (€5,000) to engage an ecologist to map and review current biodiversity and identify areas requiring protective action.
Labasheeda Community Pride Tidy Towns (€5,000) to examine and identify actions required to protect nature and habitats both on land and in the local Shannon Estuary.
Cratloe Community Council (€10,000) to upgrade an area of scrubland at the entrance to the village to enhance the habitat for local nature. This will include a fluctuating pond, wetlands as well as a wildflower and grass meadow.
Doonbeg Tidy Towns (€5,000) to restore hedgerows, remove invasive species of plants and replace them with native pollinators.
Inagh Development (€10,000) Creating habitats for a local wild Bee population including the provision of Bee Hotels. In addition, new signage to increase awareness of native wild-plants and local bats.
Parteen Town Team (€3,000) to provide new bird boxes, bat boxes and bug hotels around the village.
Making the announcement of support for the latest biodiversity projects, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan TD said: “If we are to successfully tackle our national biodiversity crisis, we must all work together. This partnership between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Community Foundation Ireland is a great example of how we can empower and support community organisations to learn about their local biodiversity and use that knowledge along with their creativity to come up with a plan which is unique to their area. I’m really impressed with the range of projects involved and excited to see the outcomes of their work.”
Congratulating all the projects, Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland said: “We are particularly proud that local efforts in Clare to protect habitats, plants and wildlife are increasingly growing into a national movement. The fact that this current grant round is impacting in every county shows the groundswell of support for biodiversity action. The partnership of the Foundation, its philanthropists and community partners together with the National Parks and Wildlife Service is effective and works. Our natural heritage is being protected for generations to come.”