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Tidy Towns Notice Nature Award

Lorraine Power/Billy Flynn Flynn, Furney Environmental Consultants. Tidy Towns Notice Nature Award. Tidy Towns Competition. Ireland’s longest running env project Specifically rewards groups & areas that relate their work & area to wider living environment. Tidy Towns Competition.

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Tidy Towns Notice Nature Award

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  1. Lorraine Power/Billy Flynn Flynn, Furney Environmental Consultants Tidy TownsNotice Nature Award

  2. Tidy Towns Competition • Ireland’s longest running env project • Specifically rewards groups & areas that relate their work & area to wider living environment

  3. Tidy Towns Competition • Represents a chance for environmental well-being to be assessed & celebrated • Highly supported by local authorities and & other bodies

  4. Notice Nature Campaign • Ireland’s NN campaign aims to: • 1. raise awareness of importance of biodiversity • 2. encourage everyone to play their part • Convention on Biological Diversity • EU goal - halt loss of biodiversity by 2010

  5. TT Notice Nature Award • Biodiversity Award • Separate applic, in TT pack • Total prize fund €8,000 • 7 regional prizes of €1,000, overall prize of €1,000 • Get credit if you are doing it anyway! • It’s all connected - let’s help protect it!

  6. What is Award for? • Reward communities making efforts to: • 1. Ensure protection of nature • 2. Create new areas for nature • 3. Enhance what’s already there • 4. Raise public awareness of nature

  7. What is Biodiversity? • The total number of different living things in a given area • Won’t it always be here? • What use is it anyway?

  8. Some of the 'Services' provided by Biodiversity • Clean Food • Clean Air • Clean Water • Medicines • Materials • Landscapes • Inspiration • Recreation…

  9. What Projects Can You Enter? • 1. Protection of biodiversity sensitive area (e.g. woodland/hedgerow) • 2. Enhancement of biodiversity areas • 3. Dev. of new area of biodiversity importance • 4. Communicating importance of biodiversity issues

  10. First, can you find out what’s there? Surveys often recommended Allows for ‘baseline’ data Alerts you to anything really good (or bad!) Helps to plan work, set priorities Lets you understand the area better Essential for interpretation

  11. Wildlife Begins with Plants • Think wild and go native • Colourful annuals often of little use • Lots of resources out there • Garden centres are now as good a place as any to ask.

  12. Native Trees and Shrubs are Best • Choose locally suitable species- what’s there already? • Think long-term • Keep other areas in mind • Avoid invasive aliens

  13. Such as… • Rhododendron • Cherry Laurel • Bamboo • Fuschia • Box privet

  14. Grasslands and Wildflowers • Many options out there • Choose only suitable for area, • experiment if space • Can look messy at first • Results can be spectacular

  15. Be bird-brained • Of around 200 birds studied over the last decade, 25 are on the so-called Red List. • Less than half are ‘Green-listed’

  16. There’s much we can do • Protect habitat when you can. It’s key. • Leave space in your places and plans • Step in and lend a hand when you can

  17. You can: • Put up and maintain feeders • Plan, place and take care of nesting boxes • Keep track

  18. Remember that: • We are trying to keep a balance • Rear and release schemes not always best • Allowing native species to become established is better

  19. Water • Teems with life when healthy • Can greatly add to the diversity of an area • Broadens scope for types of species

  20. Water • Features can be created • Survey important • Always seek as much information as possible on this

  21. Mammals • Much fewer species of mammals than other groups • Very vulnerable to many pressures • Development is biggest threat

  22. Room for Wildlife in a Busy Area?

  23. Don’t forget the flying mammals..! • All bat species in Ireland are protected • All are potentially vulnerable • Are very difficult to survey • More popular than you might think!

  24. Where do you go to get information?

  25. Where to get help • Your local conservation ranger (National Parks and Wildlife Service) www.npws.ie • Your local authority Environmental Awareness Officer • Your County Heritage Officer • Heritage Council - ‘Conserving & Enhancing Wildlife in Towns & Villages’

  26. Where to get help • TT handbook - Wildlife & Natural Amenities • Birdwatch Ireland www.birdwatchireland.ie • Irish Wildlife Trust www.iwt.ie • An Taisce www.antaisce.org

  27. Helpful Web Sites • www.noticenature.ie • www.greenwave.ie • www.irishwildflowers.ie - identify wild flowers by month & colour • www.wildflowers.ie - useful site for creating & maintaining wildflower meadows & gardens • www.biology.ie - great website on general Irish wildlife & lots of interactive surveys

  28. And then tell the world! • Spread of information is very important • Modesty doesn’t get you points • Don’t be afraid to have high hopes for the environment.

  29. Lorraine Power/Billy Flynn Flynn, Furney Environmental Consultants lor.power@yahoo.ie Thank You

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