New all-Ireland pollinator plan
AS we look to the future we can look to an initiative of the recent past that is playing a very real role in the shaping of that future, by addressing or indeed redressing the very real concerns of biodiversity loss and knock-on reductions in pollinator numbers. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, 2015-2020, has motivated and inspired groups and people the length and breadth of the country to undertake actions in their locality to improve conditions for nature to thrive and a publication remarking on some of these success stories, titled ‘Working Together for Biodiversity: Tales from the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020’ has just been published.
It shows the big difference that small actions can make by bringing together a selection of case studies to tell the story of how communities, farmers, schools, businesses, local authorities and many others have contributed towards the conservation of Ireland’s pollinators.
Welcoming the publication, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan said: “I’m proud to launch this inspiring publication. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is an incredible initiative that has engaged people across Ireland to take local action for bees and other pollinators and generate national impact for nature. It’s also inspired international ambition, becoming the benchmark for how other countries approach the important issue of pollinator decline.”
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 20152020 has achieved considerable impact and Chair of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, Dr. Una Fitzpatrick, Senior Ecologist at the National Biodiversity Data Centre, said: “The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has shown - across every sector and in every corner of this island – that people do care about nature, and that we can come together to make changes for the better.
“To those thousands of people, groups and organisations who got behind the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan with such energy and enthusiasm, we would like to express our sincere thanks. The publication of ‘Working Together for Biodiversity: Tales from the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 20152020’ is a celebration of all of their efforts.”
An even more ambitious plan for 2021-2025 is currently being finalised and is expected to be launched in the coming months. Looking ahead, Deputy Chair of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, Professor Jane Stout, Trinity College Dublin, said: “As we look forward to the next five years, we need to continue to engage across all sectors, monitor our pollinators, and manage more land for biodiversity. Ultimately, the AIPP will only be a success if in 10, 20 or hundreds of years from now, this island is buzzing with bees and we have diverse, healthy wild pollinator populations, providing us with the services on which we are so dependent.
“If we achieve this, we will also create a colourful and healthy environment for ourselves.”
Pollinators are in decline, with one third of our 98 bee species threatened with extinction from the island of Ireland. In publishing the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP) in September 2015, Ireland became one of the first countries in Europe to address this issue – in order to ensure the sustainability of our food, avoid additional economic impacts on agriculture, and protect the health of the environment, so that collectively we can reverse pollinator losses and help restore healthy populations.
The Plan identified 81 actions, shared out between over 100 governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Our current landscape does not provide enough food or safe nesting sites for pollinators. A large focus of the Pollinator Plan is to identify actions to improve the quality and amount of flower-rich habitat.
Actions range from creating pollinator highways along our transport routes, to supporting pollinators on farmland, in gardens, businesses, and on public land. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has been recommended as a template for the development of national pollinator strategies by EU Member States and to find out more visit https://pollinators.ie/new-publication-celebrates-first-five-years-ofthe
STORIES FROM THE WATERSIDE
A new website www.storiesfromthewaterside.ie has been launched to share stories about people and their connections to water from all around Ireland.
As an island nation the sea surrounds us, and our landscape holds an intricate network of natural waters. Our rivers, lakes and coasts are some of our most beautiful places, forever changing with the seasons.
The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) launched the Stories from the Waterside competition during Lockdown in May 2020 in partnership with The Heritage Council and The Heritage Officer Programme,
Inland Fisheries Ireland and Waterways Ireland.
The competition seemed to tap into public mood at the time as people reflected on fond memories of places near water and how things used to be. These stories are deep-rooted in Irish mythology, legends, and folklore, having inspired countless stories through the ages.
The competition received over 470 stories from people right across the island of Ireland, and even further afield from Irish diaspora. They included water themes involving wildlife, fishing, heritage, traditions, crafts, and ways in which nature can inspire the imagination and replenish one’s sense of wellbeing.
This new website is a celebration of these stories and will be a valuable resource for future generations.
‘LEAVE NO TRACE’
If we are to respect ourselves as a society, we need to respect the ground that we all walk on and share. This is particularly true when we wander through the countryside and navigate our hills and valleys – the ethos of ‘ leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photographs’ comes to mind.
In relation to our outdoor areas Ireland’s ‘Leave No Trace Ireland’ plays a central role in outdoor ethics and the education of the public in such matters. Leave No Trace is undertaking a new Strategic Plan 2021-2024. The public, stakeholders and other interested parties may share their views on this Strategic Plan 2021-2024 by completing an online survey which is open until 5pm on Thursday 25th February. For more information visit www.leavenotraceireland.org.
UPCOMING EVENT
In relation to upcoming heritage events, it is our past that is very often their substance, particularly when we look back at the Ireland of 100 years ago and consider all that was happening during the Anglo-Irish War of Independence.
The County of Cork witnessed so many key events with local men and women playing key roles. In relation to the many key roles played by women, an upcoming talk on Thursday 25th February looks at ‘ The Women of the Irish Revolution’. In this talk, which has been organised by Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage, speaker Liz Gillis will discuss the pivotal role that women played; women that were educationalists, socialists, community workers, radicals, feminists and realists, and who all had one thing in common: Independence for Ireland. Through their participation they proved their worth and showed that without their dedication and resolve the struggle for Irish independence would have been very different.
Highlighting many of the lesserwomen this talk will show that the women of Cork were among the vital revolutionaries who gave their all in the hope of a better future for their country. The talk commences at 21:00 on the Thursday evening (online via Zoom) and to register email duchaslecturesandfieldtrips@ gmail.com.
The weekend of Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st February are key dates in Cork’s commemorative calendar with regard to the War of Independence. In fact, 100 years ago it was at the Clonmult Ambush in East Cork that witnessed the greatest loss of IRA life at any one War of Independence occurrence. While Covid-19 has prevented a physical gathering on the ground to mark the event, the Clonmult Ambush Committee will have an online video to commemorate the Anniversary, available to view on their YouTube Channel – Clonmult Ambush Site. The group is requesting that all those in the local area and the wider community fly the Tricolour over the weekend as a mark of respect.
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