Louth biodiversity projects to benefit with doubling of funding

Local biodiversity projects in Louth are to receive extra government support this year, following the announcement by Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, of a doubling of funding to the Local Biodiversity Action Fund to €3 million for 2023. 

Local Authorities can now apply to the National Parks and Wildlife Service to avail of this funding to deliver local biodiversity projects. Over €57,000 was allocated to local projects through the Louth Local Authority in 2022.

First launched in 2018, the Local Biodiversity Action Fund offers funding to help Local Authorities achieve actions identified in the National Biodiversity Action Plan, recognising the important role they plan in addressing the biodiversity emergency. This funding stream enables the development of projects that address biodiversity loss in Local Authority areas by helping to create new habitats, restoring existing ones and by tackling invasive alien species.

The scheme, operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has proven hugely popular, with 109 projects funded in 2022. A wide variety of projects were financed including in the areas of Wetland Restoration, Bird Surveys, Dune restoration, Biodiversity Awareness and Invasive Alien Species.

Examples of projects in Louth that received funding in 2022 include:

• A survey to establish a detailed picture of the distribution of breeding Swifts in 49 localities across Louth to allow decision-makers to effectively manage for Swifts at site level.
• A project to maintain the favourable conservation condition of Little Tern in the Boyne Estuary. The little tern (Sterna albifrons) is an Annex 1 species of high conservation concern and an inter-continental migrant.
• A short film to enhance learning in local schools about Irish raised bogs, Ardee Bog specifically, and all the flora and fauna living there.

Commenting on the announcement, Minister Noonan said:

“I’m delighted to be able to double the funding for this vital biodiversity funding scheme, which has proven immensely popular with Local Authorities, who have carried out really impactful projects with the funding. We have seen increasing participation in biodiversity and invasive species projects year-on-year, and the benefits of this are shared by all of us, not least local communities. 

"Reversing biodiversity loss is among the greatest challenges of our times. Locally-led initiatives can be extremely impactful – supporting them is an important part of the response. Local Authorities play an important role in these efforts. Combined with our announcement last year of the appointment of Biodiversity Officers in the Local Authorities, today’s funding increase will allow the Local Authorities to play an ever more active role in our plans to address biodiversity loss.

"The State has increased its funding to the NPWS in light of the biodiversity crisis and I’m delighted that we’re able to in turn increase funding to important initiatives such as this.”

An amount of €3 million has been made available in 2023 for the NBAP Local Biodiversity Action Fund. The funding was made available, in line with a grant application and award process, to biodiversity officers in the counties that have them, and heritage officers. Funding awarded is:

1. Subject to provision of an agreed level of co-funding from the local authority’s own resources;
2. Spent on a project directly related to one or more actions of the National Biodiversity Action Plan or targeting Invasive Alien Species projects, including species which are included on the on EU IAS list of Union concern;
3. The project outputs must be reported to the Department before the end of the year.

Targeted project areas include:

• Preparation of restoration plans for degraded habitats
• Implementation of conservation measures arising from restoration plans
• Preparation of county Plans for IAS (Invasive Alien Species)
• Removal of IAS
• Projects that support conservation measure implementation in Natura 2000 sites
• Invasive alien species projects, including county IAS Plans
• Pond creation - urban or rural
• Improving habitat connectivity
• Biodiversity & IAS training across local authority staff
• Communications and education projects targeting site users, to raise awareness of biodiversity and to encourage site stewardship