01 May 2024
The Festival of Farmland Biodiversity
The Festival of Farmland Biodiversity is a virtual festival hosted by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. The festival takes place from May 1 to May 31, Saorla Kavanagh, Catherine Keena and Colm Doran preview the activities.
The purpose of the festival is to encourage a more positive attitude towards farmland biodiversity, and to highlight some of the ways that farmers can work to support biodiversity. It invites farmers to share content on social media about biodiversity features on their own farms using #FarmlandBiodiversity. The hope is that we can encourage farmers to take evidence-based actions to help biodiversity, no matter how small they are.
This year’s virtual festival is celebrating native, species-rich hedgerows. Good quality hedgerows provide the four essential needs of biodiversity:
- Sources of food – pollen, nectar and fruits;
- Places to breed;
- Places to nest and overwinter;
- Corridors to travel across the landscape.
What can you do to participate?
- Share images to celebrate native hedgerows.
- Share examples of hedgerow actions farmers have taken to help biodiversity.
- Promote the ‘Biodiversity on your Farm’ initiative to encourage farmers to record wildlife on their farm.
- Learn more about biodiversity by taking a free online course for example ‘Pollinator-friendly farming’.
- Encourage farmers to get involved in biodiversity surveying and monitoring.
- Promote some of the farmland biodiversity work they are already doing through social media using #FarmlandBiodiversity.
The Festival of Farmland Biodiversity is a vehicle for positive engagement and learning around farmland biodiversity. Teagasc are supporters of the Festival. There will be two upcoming Farm Walks in May.
- May 15, New Ross Wexford, Future Farm Walk;
- May 29, Hedgerow Walk in Gorey, Co. Wexford.
Click here for more information on these events.
Further details on the Festival of Farmland Biodiversity can be found here.
National Biodiversity Week 2024
National Biodiversity Week 2024 will run over 10 days from Friday, May 17, to Sunday, May 26. It is organised by the Irish Environmental Network (IEN), with funding provided to them by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Another great opportunity to participate in biodiversity related activities.