National Biodiversity Week, which takes place in May every year, was a busy and exciting time at the National Ecology Centre at Sonairte.
Entry to the Organic Garden and Nature Trail was free for both weekends and, thanks to funding from the Depatment of the Environment via the Irish Environmental Network (IEN) there was also a series of free events.
These included a guided Herbalist Walk with medical herbalist Isabel Fanning, a guided garden and nature trail walk, a night time bat walk with Brian Keely Chair of Bat Conservation Ireland and a community action day cleaning up rubbish from the River Nanny estuary.
On Saturday May 21st Sonairte hosted the launch of their LEADER funded Biodiversity Action Plan for East Meath “Our Biodiversity – from the Nanny to the Boyne”.
Funded by the EU LEADER programme “The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas” and supported by the Meath Local Action Group, Sonairte commissioned a local Biodiversity Action Plan for East Meath, encompassing the area between the River Nanny and River Boyne, and bordered to the west by the M50 motorway.
It examined how our natural and built areas may be managed in order to maximise their value for wildlife and biodiversity and sets out a number of actions that can be implemented to protect and enhance our local biodiversity.
Presentations were given by Dr Kim Reilly, Chair of the Board of Sonairte; Billy Flynn and Louise MacElwain of Flynn Furney Environmental Consultants and Liam Keane of Bettystown Tidy Towns, followed by a networking buffet lunch.
The event was open to the public and was well attended with many local groups and individuals attending, as well as several of our Laytown/Bettystown county councillors including Elaine McGinty (Cathaoirleach/Chairperson Municipal District) and two TDs Ged Nash and Fergus O’Dowd in attendance.
The Biodiversity Action Plan is available to download from the Sonairte website.
