National Biodiversity Week starts today, 13 May, running until 22 May, 2022. Over 100 nature-related events will take place across Ireland. This year’s focus is to be launched by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, Irish Environmental Network’s chief operating officer (COO) Justin Byrne, and Heritage Council CEO Virginia Teehan at Enniscoe House on the shores of Lough Conn in Co. Mayo.
Minister Noonan has commended the Irish Environmental Network for coordinating such a diverse range of events, saying “National Biodiversity Week is a great opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to get out into nature and learn how to make space for it in our own communities.”
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) is also hosting a range of events for the public. They begin the week with a Day of Action on Lullymore West on 14 May from 11am to 3pm. Join them at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre in Co. Kildare for a walk to Lullymore West and explore the butterflies and bumblebees that call it home. Learn how management is key to their survival. Attendees will have the opportunity to take action by removing small invasive saplings on the grassland, or installing a temporary electric fence in preparation for their local conservation donkeys.
The Bog of Allen Nature Centre will be open from 11am to 3pm for tours of the museum and wildlife gardens. Pond dipping will be available to explore some of the mini-beasties that live within freshwater habitats for the younger ones. You can register for this event here.
On 15 May from 2pm the IPCC presents The Conservation and Restoration of Girley Bog. Meet at Causey Farm in Co. Meath and walk to Girley Bog where you will gain a better understanding of peat formation, and all the restoration works completed to date by IPCC and the National Parks and Wildlife Service which benefit the habitat, biodiversity, people and Ireland’s climate change goals. Register for this free family-friendly event here.
On 21 May from 11am to 1pm, join them on Fenor Bog in Co. Waterford for an outing dubbed Peatlands, a home for wildlife and the heart of Fenor village community. Learn all about peatlands, biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide us. For the younger audience, they will also look at what lives within the bog pools. Register here.
If you are not able to participate in-person for Biodiversity Week, the IPCC will be uploading a series of three 2-minute videos of the flora of fens, blanket and raised bog habitats which you can watch. These videos will be shared on IPCC’s social media accounts.
See the full National Biodiversity Week programme here. There are free events everyday.