Shannon Airport launches Biodiversity Action Plan

SHANNON Airport has launched its new biodiversity action plan which will see thirty bat, bird and bee boxes being erected in the surrounding lands of the Shannon Campus to lend a hand to nature.

The nest boxes are part of The Shannon Airport Group’s new Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), which was launched by renowned Environmentalist and Broadcaster, Éanna Ní Lamhna.

They will be located at the Group’s Community Biodiversity Garden, in woodlands and other areas of suitable habitat across the campus.

The launch of the plan took place in the Group’s community Biodiversity Garden in Shannon where students from St John’s National School Shannon received an educational workshop on flora and fauna by Ms Ní Lamhna and guest speaker Philip Brennan, the Shannon Airport Ornithologist. Also in attendance were local community groups, including Shannon Tidy Towns, Shannon Wetlands Community Group and the Men's Shed.

The BAP, which is a key initiative of the Group’s Sustainability Strategy, aims to gather data of the biodiversity present across the Group’s lands and to protect and conserve it using the most appropriate and eco-friendly methods available.

It outlines a number of actions, which includes a “Low Mow” regime, pollinator-friendly planting, woodland enhancement, monitoring habitat transition, and education, outreach, and engagement.

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Sinead Murphy, Head of Sustainability at The Shannon Airport Group commented: “We are proud to launch our Biodiversity Action Plan and take those necessary steps in the conservation and protection of our environment. 

“Our mission for this plan is to become a biodiversity-friendly airport and business campus. We aim to protect, conserve, and enhance the valuable habitats and species present across The Shannon Airport Group lands.

“This includes not only the EU Natura 2000 sites designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA), and the nationally important proposed Natural Heritage Area (pNHA), but also the undesignated sites which exist within the airport lands and commercial properties.”