The Bertra Connected group work on protecting the sand and grass dunes at Bertra Beach, Co Mayo. The dune system on the beach is shrinking rapidly and does not appear to building back up and recovering naturally as it once did. The very popular beach is under pressure from climate change and from over-use for recreation.
The community in Bertra has come together to find ways within nature to preserve these dunes…
From a small organic farm in Ballyseedy a much larger inspirational education project has grown. Ian and Eileen spread the message of permaculture
and sustainable farming. Their farm not only produces healthy food, it also gives spaces where nature can live and grow. They then show how others can follow this sustainable example that cares for people and nature.
Galway County Council identified na hOileáin Árann as their decarbonization zone. It is made up by three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland, with a total area around 46 km2. From west to east, the islands are Árainn (Inis Mór), which is the largest; Inis Meáin, the second largest; and Inis Oírr. There is a population of 1,347 (as of 2022) and the area is designated as an official Gaeltacht.
A local community saw that their bog was being harmed by commercial harvesting of peat for horticulture. They believed this was not in the best interests of local nature and biodiversity. They began a campaign that took eight years to protect the bog with the agreement of the owners. The active raised bog habitat increased by 1,130% from 2009 to 2020. They created a vital local amenity for the community and its visitors.
This garden has made a habitat for nature so that biodiversity has increased in this space so close to the city of Cork. But at the same time it is clear that Mandie, Marie, and everyone else in the project sees how important it is to include many people and groups. “It was a challenge at the start to convince people that the garden wasn’t going to be vandalised and that if it was, then we would just fix the issue not highlight it in the community not to be negative about any vandalism. It was important to include the kids and teenagers…”
The Presentation Sisters of the South West Province who owned a 20 acre bog in Lixnaw allowed it to return to nature. They themselves took on the costs of rewilding. At the same time they made sure to talk to the local people who had access to the bog. Long absent species of bog plants and animals were given a chance to return to what became a wetter bog and therefore a healthier bog.
West Kerry Dairy Farmers set up a Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) in 2020 to cut electricity use and carbon emissions in the dairy sector in the area. Led by local farmer Dinny Galvin, supported by a small steering committee, Dingle Hub, and SEAI mentors, the group co-created an Energy Master Plan (EMP) with outside consultants. They went on to run a collective solar PV meitheal . The SEC combined a collective tender for solar, and farmer-to-farmer learning to move farms toward energy efficiency and visible climate action.
Swift Conservation Ireland is a volunteer led initiative working on the conservation of the swift in Ireland. The project began with Lynda Huxley. Her interest in swifts began while working at ATU Mayo campus in Castlebar, where there is an established colony of the birds. She began recording numbers and studying nest sites on campus in the summer months, and noticed that fewer birds returning each year. She decided to set up a nest box project to provide secure breeding sites to help conserve – and then grow – their numbers
Boomtreebees is a conservation and natural beekeeping project in Ireland which is all about protecting the native Irish honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera). They make semi‑natural habitat (log hives) to serve as nesting sites, and do research and education to share what they have found out about how to help bring back the Irish honey bee in the wild. They have helped Irish bees make more than 200 wild bee hives.