18th August 22- Supporting Nature on Farmlands

Louise Duignan Presenting 18th Aug 22
Mary O'Malley
Group walk with Louise Duignan 18th Aug 22
Mary O'Malley
Identifying Grasses 18th Aug 22
Mary O'Malley
LIFE on Machair logo
Mary O'Malley

What an absolutely fantastic presentation by Louise Duignan in Killeen Community Centre on Thursday afternoon!

Once you know a little about the delicate eco systems of our locality, you will never look at them the same way again. Everything is inter dependant on each other. Louise explained about the different types of farmland around Louisburgh-Killeen and their value and relationship to traditional farming practices. The dominant farming practices can promote nature aspects on their land. It will just require some education and guidance towards a more nature aware practice. One of the goals of our biodiversity project is to have a tool kit available with helpful resources and information regarding our sustainable land management. This is something that Louise has started and we are so thankful for her support with this.

After refreshments we walked a short distance along the road from Killeen crossroads and found an abundance of grasses, wildflowers, herbs and botanicals. As always having the advice of professional ecologist and botanists means we will appreciate the verges much more now that we can name a few species.

There are many new great initiatives emerging to support farmers and landowners and we were delighted to meet with Darren Reidy, Ecologist with LIFE on Machair, who will be working along our coast line for the next few years.

LIFE on Machair is an EU LIFE funded project running until 2028.

Focusing on nine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and 4 Special Protection Areas in counties Donegal, Mayo and Galway, a voluntary Results Based Payment Scheme (RBPS) will be linked to the quality of the habitat, putting the landowner, their skills, expertise and knowledge of their land central to the development of this project.

The LIFE on Machair project is being coordinated by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage through collaboration with project partners the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Teagasc and Fáilte Ireland.

Contact the team at LIFE on Machair please email this address: info@lifeonmachair.ie.

We look forward to many more information sharing workshops over the autumn.

Special thanks to Louise Duignan for such a wonderful presentation and for all her professional support with our biodiversity project.

Thanks to Darren Reidy from LIFE on Machair for introductions to their project.

Thank you to Killeen Community Council for the use of the community centre, a wonderful adaptable central location to meet and greet.

AND thank you to all who participated in the event. It would not be a success without your support!

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