Biodiversity Plans and Funding

Why prepare a Biodiversity Action Plan?

The loss of the Earth’s natural resources was recognised on an international level at the 1992 ‘Earth Summit’. The Convention on Biological Diversity was signed by all nations at that meeting, including Ireland. Ireland’s first National Biodiversity Action Plan (2002 – 2006) called for all Local Authorities to produce Local Biodiversity Action Plans. The purpose of these plans is to ensure the protection and appreciation of nature at the county (local) level.

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.