Laois County Council

Tag: wetlands

  • Funding for Biodiversity projects in Laois

    Funding for Biodiversity projects in Laois

    Over €63,000 funding for biodiversity projects in Laois has been announced by Minister Malcolm Noonan through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund.
    The Laois Wetland Survey continues this year, with field survey underway by consultant ecologists Wetland Surveys Ireland of these crucially important sites for biodiversity and climate change.
    Laois Heritage Officer Catherine Casey, Patrick Crushell, Wetland Surveys Ireland; Barbara Bermingham, Anna Rothwell and Willie Crowley, Wetland Surveys Ireland at the Ridge of Capard for the Wetlands of Laois Walk.
    Picture: Alf Harvey.

     

    The Laois County Council awareness-raising campaign on Midlands 103 radio continues in partnershi p with Offaly and Westmeath County Councils;
    Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council said “We are working with the Irish Wildlife Trust Laois/Offaly Branch on a project to install next boxes for birds and roost boxes for bats as well as some community awareness-raising at Timahoe Monastic Site. We are also delighted that additional funding made available this year allowed us to work in partnership with the Laois County Council Environmental Awareness office and the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce to deliver an Choill Bheag, tiny native woodlands at three Portlaoise School campuses (Holy Family campus, Scoil Bhríde and Summerhill Campus) and at Laois Education Centre, as part of the Portlaoise Low-Carbon own initiative.”
    Full details of all biodiversity projects funded nationally by Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are here
    Ricky Whelan and Anne Sundermann of Irish Wildlife Trust Laois Offaly Branch planning biodiversity enhancement at Timahoe Monastic Site
  • Laois Wetland Survey

    Laois Wetland Survey

    The Heritage Office of Laois County Council with funding from the the National Biodiversity Action Plan, plans to undertake a survey of wetlands in Laois.

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    Wetlands includes rivers, lakes, bogs, fens, wet woodlands, wet grassland and a range of other wet habitat types. All are hugely important for Irish biodoversity and have become increasingly rare with changes in agriculture and loss of habitat to development.

    Proposals are now being sought from suitably qualified professionals to carry out the two phase survey. Phase I (to be completed in 2021) will comprise desktop research and phase II (to be completed in 2022) will involve field survey of a selection of the most important or threatened sites identified in Phase I.

    Both phases of the project will involve communication, collaboration and engagement with local people – community groups, landowners, NGOs, agencies, local authority staff and others in relation to the value and importance of wetlands.

    The Project is funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the National Biodiversity Action Plan.

    Details of the project and how to tender are at the etenders website.