Dundalk Selected for Entente Florale

According to the Argus Dundalk has been selected for the EU Entente Florale, a sort of European version of the Tity Towns. The assessment criteria for the Entente Florale are a little different though, with a much stronger emphasis on biodiversity and integrating wildlife with town life. Points are allocated as follows:
- Vegetation and Landscape 50%
- Environment 26%
- Tourism and Involvement 24%

For example in terms of landscape the judges consider: Integration into the landscape, green corridors, long term objectives, programs, plans/strategies. Quality and maintenance of natural and protected areas, and of rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and their banks.

In practice the judges were very interested in native species being planted and allowing grass verges to grow wild. The reason is because it is now widely recognised that concentrating on native species and allowing the grass and "weeds" to grow has a much bigger impact on overall biodiversity than non-native exotic species. This is because Irish invertebrates co-evolved with our native flora and so are much more productive, more invertebrates means more food and better cover for native birds and mammals. An Taisce recommends various shrub and tree species for hedge planting, and as for the native wild flowers and grasses, they Will likely colonise naturally!

Best of luck to the hardworking Dundalk team in the competition and we look forward to the assessment report!

Louth Biodiveristy Action Plan

There are just two days left to make submissions to the excellent Louth Biodiveristy Action Plan published on the LCC web site. To make submissions or just send an email supporting the plan, just email brenadn.mcsherry@louthcoco.ie.

The key points of the plan are laid out in the first few paragraphs:

"This plan represents an opportunity for Louth to lead the way in sustainable development and thereby create value across all sectors of society – enhancing the quality of life for communities and creating new business opportunities.

The actions under this plan can be placed under five main objectives:

1. To create a system for the protection of local biodiversity areas
2. To integrate biodiversity and Local Authority activities
3. To raise awareness and appreciation of Louth’s natural heritage across all sections of society
4. To gather information and enhance Louth’s biodiversity
5. To monitor the effectiveness of the Biodiversity Action Plan"

A particularly impressive feature of the is the proposal to create and protect Local Biodiversity Areas. These are areas that would fall under the threshold of current designations such as Special Area of Conservation under the Habitats Directive, Special Protection Areas under the Birds Directive and Natural Heritage Areas under the Wildlife Act.

Apart from providing a wealth of information about Louth's biodiversity, the plan also lists dozens of detailed practical actions to support and protect Louth's it.