Offaly set to appoint biodiversity officer to bolster local action for nature

OFFALY will soon have a new Biodiversity Officer, with Offaly County Council one of ten local authorities awarded funding to appoint a national roll-out of biodiversity officers to deliver and drive local action for biodiversity.

The programme is being delivered by the Heritage Council and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) with the support of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

The new biodiversity officers will have a wide variety of responsibilities. Among other things, they will be required to:

Develop and implement a county biodiversity plan

Advise the local authority on biodiversity related issues and the authority’s obligations in relation to protecting biodiversity

Establish a county biodiversity forum

Assist local authority departments in integrating biodiversity into their actions and policies through training and supporting information dissemination

Promote new biodiversity initiatives based on best conservation practice.

Once appointed, this will bring the total number of biodiversity officers employed in local authorities around the country to 14*, with funding for a further 15 officers to be provided, as part of efforts to take greater action for biodiversity at the local level. A full national rollout is expected to be completed in the next three years.

This move represents a further practical step in the acceleration of the State’s response to the biodiversity crisis and follows several measures taken by Government to address biodiversity loss this year. This includes the publication of the 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan, which is currently out for public consultation, as well as Heritage Ireland 2030 published in February this year.