Biodiversity Plans and Funding

Meath Biodiversity Action Plan

The Meath Biodiversity Action Plan (MBAP) 2025 – 2030 is designed to provide a structured approach to biodiversity conservation at the local authority level. It recognises and celebrates the rich diversity and importance of Meath’s natural heritage including its flora and fauna and their habitats from Meath’s coastal environment to its inland countryside, towns and villages. It acknowledges the essential role of nature and the outdoors in our society as:

• A cornerstone to our health and wellbeing.
• An integral element of our economy.
• A safeguard for younger generations facing significant environmental challenges into the future.

The MBAP has been written for the people of Meath as an informative and important steer for those interested in biodiversity conservation. This includes people who work and live in the county and those involved in local environmental organisations, heritage organisations, community groups, schools, local businesses, faith communities, sports clubs, local landowners and farmers. Not all the actions will apply to each reader, but there is a role for everyone in helping to make this plan a success.

Biodiversity Working Group

The Biodiversity Working Group of the County Meath Heritage Forum guide the implementation of the plan by providing key expertise and oversight. The MBAP is delivered through a series of annual work programmes subject to available funding and resources.

In County Meath, the Biodiversity Working Group operates under the umbrella of the Meath Heritage Forum. The primary role of the working group is to provide guidance and expertise throughout the planning, implementation, monitoring and review phases of the Biodiversity Action Plan.

Public Consultation

Public submissions were sought in a pre-draft phase of public consultation on the Meath Biodiversity Action Plan. This helped to frame Meath County Council’s approach to the development of the plan. Following the publication of the Draft Meath Biodiversity Action Plan 2025 – 2030, a second phase of consultation took place. This phase once again sought submissions from the public and stakeholders.

The draft actions contained within the draft plan were screened by suitably qualified environmental consultants. This screening gave the plan the greenlight to proceed to the Council for adoption.

The Plan

The draft Meath Biodiversity Action Plan 2025 – 2030 was adopted by Elected Representatives at a full Council meeting on 3rd November 2025. The creation of the plan was co-funded by Meath County Council, The Heritage Council and Creative Ireland.

A total of 55 actions make up the MBAP 2025 – 2030. The actions are based upon recommendations made during ecological studies, proposals put forward by the Biodiversity Working Group of the Meath Heritage Forum, views shared by members of the public, input from various council departments, and the objectives and actions laid out by pre-existing plans and policies at national, regional and local levels.

The actions of the plan are organised under five broad, strategic objectives:

Objective 1

Reaching a deeper spatial understanding of nature in county Meath.

Objective 2

Leading the way in policy, planning and practice.

Objective 3

Action for biodiversity.

Objective 4

Research and monitoring.

Objective 5

Raising awareness and appreciation of biodiversity.

Wildlife Memories from Meath: Meath Biodiversity Action Plan

Following extensive engagement with members of the public over the course of development of the Meath Biodiversity Action Plan (MBAP) 2025 - 2030, Meath County Council (MCC) invited passionate participants in the pre-draft public consultation to share their memories and experiences of nature.

It remains imperative that as a society and generation who are living in a more impoverished natural landscape than previous generations, we must not forget the nature that has been lost around us. Society must challenge the acceptance of our degraded environment as the new normal and hold on to those memories of what a healthy environment looks like. For these memories not only serve as a baseline which can be used to illustrate how we have allowed nature to decline but can also serve as a vision for what we are striving to restore. 

Guided by the above objective MCC was able to create a short visual oral history documentary with several local participants. Those involved told us their stories of growing up connected to the outdoors and recalled their experiences with nature in the past. They point out the changes they have observed over time and what species or features of our countryside seem to have been lost.