Biodiversity is fundamental to societal wellbeing and economic development, and its decline – both globally and in Ireland – poses serious threats to people.
In Ireland, almost a third of our EU-protected species and 85% of EU-protected habitats are in what has been described as ‘unfavourable status’.
Over half of native Irish plant species have declined in the last 20 years and 30% of our semi-natural grasslands have been lost in the past decade.
The list goes on and it is imperative that we arrest these declines and start the process of regeneration. To do this, we need to know the meaning and importance of biodiversity.
The ‘Return to Nature Church Project’ is a response to the global biodiversity crisis. This is a national environmental initiative aimed at returning 30% of church grounds in Ireland to nature by 2030.
The project has been taken on by local groups across Clare including Quin Village Tidy Towns. Volunteers met with an ecologist to explore ways to implement positive changes into the grounds of St. Mary’s Church.
Today we’ll hear from horticulturist Elaine Hiney Wall, fellow volunteer with Quin Village Tidy Towns, Liz Condron and pupils from CBS Primary in Ennis.
