Kilkenny could lead the way in nature restoration - Noonan

Kilkenny City and County could be a leader nationally on restoring nature according to Senator Malcolm Noonan, who formally launched the Kilkenny Biodiversity Action Plan in Woodstock Gardens.

Senator Noonan, who was previously Ireland’s first-ever dedicated Minister for Nature, spoke at the launch and said that already many initiatives to restore nature were under way in the county. He pointed to the work of farmers across the county who were improving water quality, allowing hedgerows to flourish and putting in ponds on their land.

As minister, he announced a new nature reserve for Kilkenny in Cullohill which is now among the great semi-natural grasslands of Ireland and is being managed through conservation grazing.
READ: 'You can see the impact of the plan from the city in Kilkenny right out into the countryside'

"The launch of the plan is the culmination of a huge amount of public participation led by Biodiversity Officer Bernadette Moloney and her biodiversity working group," he said.

"It is practical, concise and fully aligned with the National Biodiversity Action Plan which I launched two years ago. We know now too that we will have to implement a national Nature Restoration Plan in line with the work that I led on in the EU over the past five years and the ambition for this can be met if government resources communities, local authorities and farmers to implement it.

"Kilkenny was the first county in Ireland to adopt the All Ireland Pollinator Plan and announce a county insect; bombus hortorum (garden bumblebee). We have such a range of diverse habitats here from the river Nore and its tributaries, to our estuary in south Kilkenny. This plan is for the entire community to be part of and I am encouraged by the work being led by Kilkenny County Council, tidy towns groups and by individual volunteers."

Senator Noonan acknowledged the uphill battle to restore nature at scale to strengthen our resilience to extreme weather, manage flooding, regulate temperatures in our towns and to underpin our food security in a climate unsafe age.

"Kilkenny County Council is starting to roll out Nature Based Solution (NBS) measures to manage surface water run-off in towns and slow down water for extreme rainfall events," he said.

"All of these actions combined will deliver co-benefits for nature, water and climate. I want to commend Bernadette, Kilkenny County Council staff and members for leading on and adopting such an ambitious plan for nature in our county. Now we need to get on with the work ahead to restore nature."