Latest Laois News: Biodiversity grants for Laois announced
€27,370 Biodiversity grants for Laois
Sean Fleming TD, Minister of State in the Department of Finance welcomed the announcement today of €27,370 for Biodiversity projects in Co. Laois as follows:
“There is good news for nature and biodiversity in the county.”
The funding will assist local authority heritage/biodiversity officers with an exciting range of projects. All of the projects to receive funding promote actions contained in the National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) 2017-2021, which is operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity Pippa Hackett also welcomed the funding news as follows:
“Biodiversity has been to the forefront of many minds this month and this announcement today of funding for a wetlands survey in Laois is great news. Our wetlands are precious and we need to understand them better. A huge part of tackling the biodiversity crisis is public awareness so the survey, along with the radio campaign for Midlands counties will bring home to people just how important this is.”
Engagement with communities and local authorities is crucial to the implementation of the Plan and the grants help raise awareness of biodiversity issues locally, regionally and nationally. Under the scheme exchequer funding meets 85% of the cost of the projects, with the local authority providing the remaining 15%.
The projects funded are:
Wetland survey to determine the extent, distribution and types of wetland in County Laois, to provide biodiversity information to be used in decision making and public awareness. – €14,323.00
Radio awareness campaign on All- Ireland Pollinator Plan alongside Westmeath and Offaly Co.Co. and support Birdwatch Ireland podcasts series “In your Nature” – €13,047.00
The Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD, has today, (Friday 21/5/2021) announced that all 31 Local Authorities have received funding under The National Biodiversity Local Authority Biodiversity Grant Scheme.
An amount of €1.35 million has been made available in 2021 for this scheme, which is operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The funding offers funding to assist local authority biodiversity officers (and heritage officers in local authorities without a biodiversity officer) and an exciting range of projects have been funded this year. All of the projects to receive funding promote actions contained in the National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) 2017-2021. This year the funding was double that of 2020.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister Noonan said the following:
“There is good news for nature in every Local Authority in Ireland today! I’m thrilled to see so many excellent biodiversity projects receive funding under the Local Authority Biodiversity Grant Scheme, which I doubled funding for this year. Community-level action is so important, and the initiatives provided for through this grant demonstrate the scale and breadth of interest in biodiversity and the natural world across the country. I can’t wait to get out and visit them over the coming year.”