Over €120k for 17 Offaly biodiversity projects
Over €120,000 is being awarded to Offaly County Council to carry out some 17 biodiversity projects through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF).
The funding was welcomed by Green Party Minister Pippa Hackett who said: “The Offaly Council heritage team is doing a fantastic job to protect and promote our wonderful native wildlife and plant life. This funding supports that work and many of the projects, like the work at Syngefield Demesne and protection of the barn owl population, are ongoing over a number of years.”
Operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Local Biodiversity Action Fund was first launched in 2018 and supports actions in the 3rd National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP). This year the funding allocated to Offaly Council is more than double the amount awarded in 2022.
Minister Pippa Hackett said: “It seems fitting that the first year Offaly has a Biodiversity Officer, the funding under this scheme is doubled. In order to protect our native species it is really important to contain invasive species and most of us have heard of Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam. But there are other invasive species which are recently arrived and probably less familiar to us. I am delighted to see that Offaly is joining with seven other local authorities to monitor the Quagga mussel invasive species in the Shannon. One I am not familiar with is the alpine newt and note that an amount of €4,800 is allocated for monitoring their presence in Offaly.”
Other projects which attracted significant funding include the County Swift Survey, €23,500, a hedgerow survey, €10,200 and a widening of the riparian zone along the Tullamore River, €15,050.
Minister Hackett concluded “I am particularly delighted to see the Council’s engagement with Offaly people in sharing the joys of our native species. Funding of €6,375 is allocated to pollinator awareness radio ads and €4,250 for citizen science.”
The full list of projects, are, as follows:
Treatment of Himalayan Balsam in Offaly €17,000
Riparian Zone Widening for Biodiversity Enhancement at Tullamore River €15,050
County Swift Survey €13,540
Hedgerow Survey €10,200
Graveyards Grassland Enhancement Proposal €8,500
County Tree Map Survey €10,625
Offaly County Council Staff Biodiversity Training €8,500
Pollinator Awareness Radio Ads €6,375
Monitoring the Alpine newt population €4,809
Syngefield Demesne Management €4,250
Citizen Science and Engagement €4,250
Treatment of Japanese Knotweed in Offaly €4,250
River Shannon Quagga Mussel project €4,120
Barn Owl Conservation Measures €3,868
Geashill Community Yellow Lough Swale and SuDS Information Board €2,337
Barn Owl Booklet €2,303
Daingean Tidy Towns AIIP guidance €1,275