All Ireland Pollinator Plan will help citizens play their part in reversing biodiversity loss
Waterford TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh welcomed the launch of the second All Ireland Pollinator Plan which equips every individual, school, community, local authority, farmer and business to play their part in reversing biodiversity loss.
Speaking after the launch Deputy Ó Cathasaigh said: A third of our 98 species of wild bees face extinction and we all have to do whatever we can to reverse this. The first All Ireland Pollinator Plan was transformative and with 186 actions we can all take to address biodiversity loss, this one can be too. Implementation of the plan will be co-ordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre which is based at WIT’s Carriganore campus in Waterford.
Biodiversity is a measure of the variety of plant, animal and insect species in a given area and how they relate to each other. A common way of measuring it is by the number of species in an area. It’s crucial that our eco-system remains in balance and the numbers of species facing extinction is affecting that balance.
“Our pollinators are the honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees, hoverflies, butterflies, moths, and beetles that we were all familiar with as children. The decrease in their numbers is visible now but simple changes such as dedicating a portion of your garden to wildflowers or weeds can help. Local authorities making a change to the frequency of mowing grass verges and schools leaving unused sport pitches uncut during the summer holidays will have significant impact on the biodiversity in an area. We are experiencing a biodiversity crisis and we can all do something small”.
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan for 2021-2025 is a new five-year road map that aims to help bees, other pollinating insects and our wider biodiversity. The new Plan is even more ambitious than the first (2015-2020) – with more partners coming together to deliver more actions this time around. It is about encouraging a better way of managing our whole landscape to permanently support our struggling biodiversity. It was developed by a 16-member steering group who provide oversight, with implementation coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
Responsibility for delivering the actions contained in this new Plan is shared out between the main partner organisations. The Plan does not have a project budget. Instead, those organisations who have committed to taking action, agree to fund those actions themselves. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is voluntary.
More information on the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan here: http://pollinators.ie
