Kilkenny nature reserve receives substantial funding

Funding to regenerate an 11-acre nature reserve on an island in the River Nore at Thomastown is one of a number of projects to receive local biodiversity action funding under the Community Biodiversity Grant.

Co-funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Community Foundation Ireland, the initiative will support 78 groups or projects nationwide to develop a new Community Biodiversity Action Plan (CBAP), or to implement measures from an existing plan.

Announcing the news earlier, Kilkenny native and Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, said: "It's been incredibly impactful at a community level because it connects community groups and organisations with the scientific expertise they need to understand their local biodiversity better, and once they've developed a Community Biodiversity Action Plan they can then go on to take the actions that will help protect and enhance their local biodiversity."

The latest grant round of €376,000 will see communities supported in every part of the country in both rural and urban areas, and Minister Noonan said the funding for Kilkenny will help protect local wildlife for generations to come.

"Locally in Kilkenny we can now start planning for the regeneration of an 11-acre island on the River Nore at Thomastown, Kilkenny, with the engagement of an ecologist to work with and guide the fantastic local Community River Trust. As a child growing up in Kilkenny I relished the access to nature I had along the River Nore, so I'm thrilled to see that regenerating the nature reserve at Thomastown is going to be supported, so future generations can continue to enjoy access to nature on their doorsteps," Mr Noonan added.