Find out about the work our Council Partners have carried out in 2022 in support of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan
In September 2022, local authorities from across the island of Ireland met to discuss ‘How Local Authorities Can Address the Biodiversity Emergency’. This conference, run by Limerick City & County Council and the National Biodiversity Data Centre, aimed to assist local authorities and their key partners in exploring some of the issues, challenges, and opportunities around addressing the biodiversity emergency at the local level.
Local authorities are carrying out significant work to protect biodiversity and pollinators, and some of these actions are reflected in this annual review.
Now in its seventh year, the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has gathered a momentum of support and actions throughout the island from councils, over 100 governmental organisations and NGOs, as well as many thousands of community groups, farmers, schools, and gardeners.
As part of the Council Partner agreement for the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2021-2025, each of the Local Authority or Council partners provide a mandatory short update on their activities in support of the Pollinator Plan each year.
This report demonstrates some of the great work being done by Councils to tackle the biodiversity emergency. Each Council is different, as reflected in the differing areas of focus and the wide range of actions reported. The Pollinator Plan advocates prioritising the protection of existing natural and semi-natural habitats, creating natural meadows through reduced mowing, sustainable pollinator-friendly planting, and eliminating pesticide use. This report shows how these actions are becoming more and more widespread, as councils embrace this approach and manage their landscapes for the benefit of pollinators. In 2022, two further local authorities became Council Partners to the Pollinator Plan, bringing the total number of partners to 40 of the 42 local authorities on the island of Ireland.
The intention of this report is to showcase the positive work being carried out by Councils, and to provide a mechanism for knowledge exchange within the sector, inviting Councils to reach out to one another to learn from each other’s experiences and expertise.
For each Council Partner, the point of contact was requested to provide up to five short bullet point updates on their activities in 2022. You can read the updates provided by each local authority in this report:
We sincerely thank all our Council Partners for their support of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan in 2022
McIlroy Park, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council
Apple trees at Lacken Walk, Kilkenny
Uncut meadow in Scariff Riverside Park, Co. Clare