Farmers and landowners can now apply for National Park and Wildlife Service (NPWS) plan which has been expanded three-fold.
The scheme supports the management of some of Ireland’s most important areas for nature conservation and farmland biodiversity.
Minister of State for heritage and electoral reform Malcolm Noonan said: “I look forward to seeing a new group of farmers and landowners working with us to agree plans for farming and seeing the fruits of these plans over the coming years.”
Since 2006, around 800 plans covering birds, habitats, eskers, coastal dunes, fens and turloughs have been delivered across the country.
The NPWS is prioritising three categories of plans:
- Type A: Conservation Measure plans for sites of strategic importance, such as Natura 2000 sites;
- Type B: Intervention plans for sites where there is a need to intervene and address the management of a particular area of land;
- Type C: Research and Innovation plans, aimed at advancing knowledge and testing new methodologies.
The deadline for applications is Friday 9 April, 2021. It is understood that about 200 new plans will be approved in the process.
LSL News.