Gardening for Biodiversity Booklet
A booklet to assist everyone to help wildlife in their gardens, no matter how big or small, has been launched. The brainchild of Juanita Browne, the booklet was produced by Laois County Council with the assistance of Local Authority Heritage Officers across Ireland, with support from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Heritage Council.
Taking a very practical approach, the book details projects to help wildlife of all kinds under a range of headings, with tasks suitable for everyone from the total beginner to the more ambitious DIY enthusiast. With clear instructions and step-by-step drawings by illustrator Barry Reynolds, the guide offers the gardener lots of options to help our biodiversity.
Anna and Sarah looking forward to trying out the projects in “Gardening for Biodiversity” in their garden. Their garden’s “wild corner” already contains ivy, bramble, hawthorn and dandelions that have been left to grow to provide food for pollinators.
As a companion to the book, a children’s book with child-friendly information on garden wildlife and colouring pages using Barry Reynolds’ fun original illustrations has also been produced. An Irish Version is also available.
All three books are free to download (see below) and free hard copies can be ordered from Laois Heritage Office.
With increasing agricultural intensification, gardens in many areas can be an oasis for wildlife, and with small changes we can make them even better. The guide outlines actions that can be taken to improve gardens for birds, bees, butterflies, bats and more, and the good news is many of the steps that can be taken are really easy. Just leaving an “untidy” corner of your garden for nature, leaving roadside verges to grow naturally or allowing some of the gold star plants for biodiversity – dandelion, willow, bramble, clover, ivy – a spot in your garden can reap huge dividends for wildlife.
Garraíodóireacht ar son na Bithéagsúlachta
Tá an leabhar “Garraíodóireacht ar son na Bithéagsúlachta” foilsithe i nGaeilge anois, le tacaíocht ón bPlean Gníomhaíochta Náisiúnta Bithéagsúlachta. Is féidir an leabhar a íoslódáil saor in aisce anseo agus beidh cóipeanna crua ar fáil go luath.
Buíochas ó chroí le Seán Ó Daimhín, Oifigeach Seirbhísí Gaeilge le Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall, as an leabhrán seo a aistriú go Gaeilge, agus le Joseph Gallagher, Oifigeach Oidhreachta, Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall, as a chabhair agus a thacaíocht.
Fuarthas maoiniú don treoirleabhar seo ón Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúilagus Oidhreachta trí Chiste Phlean Gníomhaíochta Bithéagsúlachta Náisiúnta na Seirbhíse Náisiúnta Páirceanna agus Fiadhúlra, le tacaíocht ó Líonra na nOifigeach Oidhreachta sna hÚdarás Áitiúla
The Gardening for Biodiversity book has now been published in Irish, The book can be downloaded for free here and hard copies are available on request (email the Heritage Office).
Our sincere thanks to Seán Ó Daimhín, Irish Officer with Donegal County Council, who translated the book, and to Joe Gallagher, Heritage Officer with Donegal County Council for all his assistance with this.
Funding for this guide has been received from the Department Housing, Local Government and Heritage through the National Biodiversity Action Plan of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, supported by Network of Heritage Officers in Local Authorities
Gardening for Biodiversity Films
A series of short films has been made to accompany the Gardening for Biodiversity book – click below for more:
“Gardening for Biodiversity”, funded by the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage as part of an initiative to encourage projects under the National Biodiversity Plan, is available to download here.
Gardening for Biodiversity Booklet
All books were supported by the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, through the National Biodiversity Action Plan. Funding for printing of hard copies was provided by the Local Authority Heritage Officer Network and the Heritage Council. Free hard copies may be ordered from your Local Authority Heritage Office.
Gardening for Biodiversity Newspaper Articles
During 2021 a series of newspaper articles was published in the Leinster Express, aimed at gardeners, outlining steps we can all take to make our gardens more biodiversity-friendly.
Click on the article thumbnails below to download a pdf of each of the articles.
The articles were written by horticulturist Lynne O’Keeffe Lascar, for the Heritage Offices of Laois, Offaly and Westmeath County Councils with funding from the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the National Biodiversity Action Plan. Our thanks to the Leinster Express for publishing the series in Laois.
