Tidy Towns Notice Nature Award Lorraine Power/Billy Flynn Flynn, Furney Environmental Consultants

Tidy Towns Competition Ireland’s longest running env project Specifically rewards groups & areas that relate their work & area to wider living environment

Tidy Towns Competition Represents a chance for environmental well- being to be assessed & celebrated Highly supported by local authorities and & other bodies

Notice Nature Campaign Ireland’s NN campaign aims to: 1. raise awareness of importance of biodiversity 2. encourage everyone to play their part Convention on Biological Diversity EU goal - halt loss of biodiversity by 2010

TT Notice Nature Award Biodiversity Award Separate applic, in TT pack Total prize fund €8,000 7 regional prizes of €1,000, overall prize of €1,000 Get credit if you are doing it anyway! It’s all connected - let’s help protect it!

What is Award for? Reward communities making efforts to: 1. Ensure protection of nature 2. Create new areas for nature 3. Enhance what’s already there 4. Raise public awareness of nature

What is Biodiversity? The total number of different living things in a given area Won’t it always be here? What use is it anyway?

Some of the 'Services' provided by Biodiversity Clean Food Clean Air Clean Water Medicines Materials Landscapes Inspiration Recreation…

What Projects Can You Enter? 1. Protection of biodiversity sensitive area (e.g. woodland/hedgerow) 2. Enhancement of biodiversity areas 3. Dev. of new area of biodiversity importance 4. Communicating importance of biodiversity issues

First, can you find out what’s there? Surveys often recommended Allows for ‘baseline’ data Alerts you to anything really good (or bad!) Helps to plan work, set priorities Lets you understand the area better Essential for interpretation

Wildlife Begins with Plants Think wild and go native Colourful annuals often of little use Lots of resources out there Garden centres are now as good a place as any to ask.

Native Trees and Shrubs are Best Choose locally suitable species- what’s there already? Think long-term Keep other areas in mind Avoid invasive aliens

Such as… Rhododendron Cherry Laurel Bamboo Fuschia Box privet

Grasslands and Wildflowers Many options out there Choose only suitable for area, experiment if space Can look messy at first Results can be spectacular

Be bird-brained Of around 200 birds studied over the last decade, 25 are on the so-called Red List. Less than half are ‘Green-listed’

There’s much we can do Protect habitat when you can. It’s key. Leave space in your places and plans Step in and lend a hand when you can

You can: Put up and maintain feeders Plan, place and take care of nesting boxes Keep track

Remember that: We are trying to keep a balance Rear and release schemes not always best Allowing native species to become established is better

Water Teems with life when healthy Can greatly add to the diversity of an area Broadens scope for types of species

Water Features can be created Survey important Always seek as much information as possible on this

Mammals Much fewer species of mammals than other groups Very vulnerable to many pressures Development is biggest threat

Room for Wildlife in a Busy Area?

Don’t forget the flying mammals..! All bat species in Ireland are protected All are potentially vulnerable Are very difficult to survey More popular than you might think!

Where do you go to get information?

Where to get help Your local conservation ranger (National Parks and Wildlife Service) Your local authority Environmental Awareness Officer Your County Heritage Officer Heritage Council - ‘Conserving & Enhancing Wildlife in Towns & Villages’

Where to get help TT handbook - Wildlife & Natural Amenities Birdwatch Ireland Irish Wildlife Trust An Taisce

Helpful Web Sites identify wild flowers by month & colour - useful site for creating & maintaining wildflower meadows & gardens - great website on general Irish wildlife & lots of interactive surveys

And then tell the world! Spread of information is very important Modesty doesn’t get you points Don’t be afraid to have high hopes for the environment.

Thank You Lorraine Power/Billy Flynn Flynn, Furney Environmental Consultants