Ministers announce €800,000 in funding for community projects under the Peatlands and Natura Community Engagement Scheme
- Published on: 2 April 2025
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
- funding will support a wide range of projects, from monitoring of Bottle Nose Dolphins in Clare, to a BioFest in Cork, and a ‘Bog Bothy Festival’ in Dublin
- heritage groups, environmental organisations and Tidy Towns groups to benefit from support for their conservation work in peatlands areas and Natura 2000 sites
- forty-five projects will benefit from additional funding allocated under this year’s scheme
Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government James Browne and Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan have today announced €800,000 in funding under the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Peatlands and Natura Community Engagement Scheme 2025. This year the scheme will support forty-five community groups with their conservation work in seventeen counties around the country.
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan said:
“The health of our natural world is inextricably linked to the health of our communities. Successful conservation efforts must be driven by and rooted within those communities. Local knowledge, and a sense of ownership are vital to safeguarding our precious ecosystems and species and mitigating the impact of climate change. This scheme is an example of how we will solve the biodiversity crisis in Ireland by fostering strong partnerships, empowering local initiatives, and putting communities at the heart of nature conservation."
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne said:
“Community and voluntary groups play a vital role in conserving nature and heritage around the country. Funding provided through the scheme will support these groups to engage their own communities in their conservation efforts and protect their natural heritage for future generations. I am really impressed with the diversity of projects and wish them well with their work.”
The Peatlands and Natura Community Engagement Scheme supports local initiatives for the conservation and revitalisation of Natura 2000 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA) and all peatland areas. It is aimed at community-led and volunteer groups and promotes awareness of, and engagement with our natural heritage and environment.
Projects funded through the scheme this year will support the following activities:
- conducting surveys to inform management plans for Natura 2000 and peatland sites
- public outreach, such as the production of information booklets, brochures and training manuals, awareness and education events, education programmes and hosting of seminars with expert speakers
- invasive species training and management
- Nature and Heritage events nationwide
Notes
Natura 2000 is a European network of sites designated for the protection of threatened species and habitats, on both land and sea. The Natura 2000 network, compromising over 27,000 sites, is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world. The Natura network of sites is comprised of Special Protection Areas (SPAs), established under the EU Birds Directive, and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), established under the Habitats Directive.
Projects awarded funding
A list of all the projects awarded funding this year can be found here: Projects awarded funding under the Peatlands Natura Community Engagement Scheme 2025.