Festival of Farmland Biodiversity

Biodiversity and how farmland is managed are closely linked. Recent years have seen a reduction in the biodiversity value of farmland, and much of the variety and diversity which was once such a characteristic feature of the Irish countryside has been lost. But the Irish farming community presents an opportunity for arresting this decline. farmers and their families can be a positive driver of change by ensuring that biodiversity features of value on their land are retained. These retained features could then be the basis upon which biodiversity enhancement measures could be delivered.  Ensuring there is diversity in the Irish landscape is one important contribution that the farming community can make and are making to building resilience to address the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

• Sharing advice on evidence-based actions on farmland to help biodiversity
• Highlighting seasonal actions for pollinators on farmland
• Videos highlighting actions farmers have taken to help pollinators for the Protecting Farmland Pollinators EIP project
• Sharing examples of actions framers have taken to help biodiversity
• Highlighting the value of wetlands for biodiversity
• Highlighting the threat posed by invasive alien species
• Profiling species that occur on farmland
• On-line ‘How well do you know your biodiversity’ quiz
• On-line course to learn how to identify aspects of biodiversity on farmland
• Getting farmers involved in biodiversity surveying and monitoring

The possibilities for transformative change where farmers across the island of Ireland take small and large actions on their farm to help biodiversity are enormous. We know from the science what works for biodiversity, and for many aspects of biodiversity a lot of small actions can deliver surprisingly successful results.  We are seeking the help of the farming community to deliver this transformative change by taking actions for biodiversity.

Click on one of the links below to find out more about some species commonly found on farmland. The profiles show some of the data on the species countained in Biodiversity Maps, Ireland’s biodiversity mapping and data portal.

If you find one of these species on your land, why not submit details of the sighting to Ireland’s Citizens Science Portal so that it can be added it to the biodiversity database?

Throughout the Festival of Farmland Biodiversity, we will be holding various events to promote more positive engagement around farmland biodiversity and highlighting other organisations important events.