The ‘Return to Nature Clare Church Biodiversity Project’ is a project led and funded by Clare County Council with funding also from the Local Biodiversity Action Fund administered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
The project came about in 2023 when the Irish Bishops’ Conference agreed on a policy that parishes would return 30% of church grounds to nature by 2030. In September of last year, Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Officer Barry O’Loughlin gave a presentation of the potential biodiversity actions that could be undertaken on church grounds in Clare to Jane Mellett of the Laudato Si’ Working Group and the Bishop of Killaloe, Fintan Monahan.
As a result, Clare County Council worked with the Diocese of Killaloe and signed up 10 parishes to the Return to Nature Clare Church Biodiversity Project through the diocesan network. The project links a local parish priest with community members to deliver biodiversity actions on church grounds such as implementing pollinator friendly mowing regimes, barn owl and bat roost box installation, and planting of traditional orchards for pollinators on some of the church grounds to benefit biodiversity.
To coincide with National Biodiversity Week in May, Irish Seed Savers provided three training sessions on native orchard tree planting on church grounds that covered topics including choice of site, orchard layout, choosing rootstocks, soil preparation, orchard maintenance, health and disease management, choosing varieties, and pruning techniques.
The parishes (which include Broadford, Clarecastle, Kilmaley, Inagh-Kilnamona, Mullagh, Cooraclare, Miltown Malbay (including Moy), Kilkee, Kilrush, and Killimer) and Clare County Council continue to work with BirdWatch Ireland, the NPWS, Ennis Men’s Shed, Irish Seed Savers, the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, Tidy Towns Groups, local farmers, and local schools in delivering these actions.
Find out more here https://www.clarecoco.ie/your-council/[news]/clare-church-nature-project-responds-to-biodiversity-crisis-.html
Discover how orchards can benefit biodiversity in the How to Guide – Traditional Orchards and Fruit Trees for Pollinators on the Farm developed by Irish Seed Savers and the National Biodiversity Data Centre.