Green-fingered Limerick pupils get biodiversity grant boost

THE PARISH of Fedamore is set to get a bidoversity boost thanks to green-fingered pupils and staff in the local school.

Fedamore CNS, which was saved from closure last year, is going from strength to strength. The school has been awarded a new grant to support a local Biodiversity Action Plan to protect and promote plants, wildlife and habitats. 

The generous grant from Community Foundation Ireland, in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, will ensure  the steps to protect local biodiversity will be guided by the expert knowledge of ecologists.

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Jacintha Mullins, principal of Fedamore CNS, welcomed the news, saying the whole parish will benefit.

“We are delighted to be successful in gaining this strategic grant for the community of Fedamore. Biodiversity projects that involve pupils, parents and the local community foster a shared sense of responsibility for the environment. 

“With this funding we will be able to employ the services of a professional ecologist to assist us in drawing up a targeted biodiversity action plan which will focus on valuing and protecting nature in and around the village of Fedamore,” said Ms Mullins

Nationally, more 94 projects are receiving support with more than 250 communities implementing local action plans. The support being provided comes from philanthropists and donors to Community Foundation Ireland and is  matched with public funding.

More than €591,000 is being provided under the current round to 94 projects. 

Congratulating Fedamore CNS, Denise Charlton, chief executive of Community Foundation Ireland said: “We are particularly proud that local efforts to protect habitats, plants and wildlife are increasingly growing into a national movement. 

“The fact that this current grant round is impacting in every county shows the groundswell of support for biodiversity action. The partnership of the Foundation, its philanthropists and community partners together with the National Parks and Wildlife Service is effective and works. Our natural heritage is being protected for generations to come.”

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan said:  “If we are to successfully tackle our national biodiversity crisis, we must all work together.”

 Niall Ó Donnchú, director general of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, said: “This is exactly the whole-of-society approach we advocated for in the fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan.”