Community group awarded grant to create biodiversity action plan for Liscannor Bay
BannerGleo Liscannor Bay Association have recently been awarded a grant by Community Foundation Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to create a biodiversity action plan for Liscannor Bay in West Clare
A local action group promoting and protecting local plants and wildlife in West Clare has received a boost with support for a Biodiversity Action Plan.
BannerGleo Liscannor Bay Association have been awarded a grant to create a biodiversity action plan for Liscannor bay by Community Foundation Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
BannerGleo is a coastal community association working to support the natural capital and ecological integrity of Liscannor Bay by engaging with visitors and local stakeholders, delivering educational events and activities and completing scientific research and surveys.
With this new support the group will work with experts, the local community and land-owners to complete a comprehensive assessment of coastal biodiversity in Liscannor Bay, thereby establishing important baseline data for the area. This data will be critical for setting out objectives for actions to improve the environmental status of the bay.
Monitoring of the bay will be carried out by local and external professionals but there will be a dual function of involving all interested members of the community.
Training and education will be an integral part of the project, instilling a sense of stewardship and pride of place.
Welcoming the announcement Secretary of BannerGleo, Patrick Cross said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this grant and look forward to working with an ecologist on the development of an action plan and involving the public as citizen scientists in the collection of data and the creation of a biodiversity baseline for Liscannor Bay."
"Many thanks to Community Foundation Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service for including BannerGleo in this important initiative”.
The overall aim of the BannerGleo Association is to create a cohesive coastal community with the common goal of a healthy and sustainable bay in terms of coastal life and livelihoods.
This project will provide an important stepping stone to achieve the long term goals of the Association.
The project is being supported by a unique partnership between Government and Philanthropy with funding being provided to communities across the country from donors to Community Foundation Ireland as well as the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Over the past three-years more than 200 communities have been supported to take action.
Congratulating BannerGleo Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said: “These grants are uniquely impactful because they connect community groups with scientific expertise, helping them to better understand their local biodiversity."
"Successful grantees work with ecologists to create a Community Biodiversity Action Plan and can then seek funding to implement it. All of the data they collect is shared with the National Biodiversity Data Centre, making a valuable contribution to citizen science in Ireland.
“This partnership between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Community Foundation Ireland began as a ‘Seed for Nature’ at the 2019 National Biodiversity Conference, so it’s particularly special to see it flourish and deliver so much impact all across the country, with 213 Action Plans in place and more to come.”
Niall Ó Donnchú, Director General of the National Parks and Wildlife Service added: “NPWS is delighted to partner with Community Foundation Ireland on the Biodiversity Fund and to support the work of community groups in restoring and protecting nature in their local area. Science and expertise can guide us but must be translated into action by and with local communities.”