Kildare Community Biodiversity Project
The Kildare Community Biodiversity Project was approved for LEADER funding in December 2019. It was organised as an in-house project in collaboration with Bridget Loughlin, Kildare Heritage Officer. Ten localities in Co. Kildare took part in the project: Allenwood, Ballitore, Ballymore Eustace, Carbury, Celbridge, Clane, Kilcullen, Kill, Monasterevin, and Newbridge.
As part of the project, volunteers from these ten towns and villages took part in a series of tailored workshops and co-designed local Biodiversity Action Plans with trainers Brian Gaynor and Dr. Fiona MacGowan. This training was originally planned to start in March 2020 but had to be postponed due the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions that were in place.
During the summer and to keep momentum while the training was postponed, a series of newsletters were produced for the participants that had signed up for the training to give them tips on what to look out for each month.
When it became apparent that in-person group training sessions would not be possible in the short or medium term, the training sessions started online in September. These involved virtual walks through each town and village and discussion about conserving and enhancing the biodiversity in different sites. Specific actions were identified for each locality and these are set out against a timeline of 2021-2025. Out of this work and the valuable contribution by local communities, we now have ten Biodiversity Action Plans that are filled with ideas and resources.
These are available to download on this webpage for anyone who is interested.