Have your say on Donegal’s new Biodiversity Action Plan

Public consultation has opened on the Draft County Donegal Biodiversity Action Plan, with Donegal County Council inviting residents, community groups, landowners, businesses and organisations to help shape the county’s blueprint for protecting nature over the next five years.

The draft plan, which covers the period 2026-30 and on which public consultation opened this week, sets out a framework for biodiversity action across the county with a stated vision to protect, restore and celebrate Donegal’s biodiversity so that nature thrives alongside people and future generations inherit a landscape rich in wildlife and healthy ecosystems.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life around us - the plants, animals, habitats and ecosystems that make our county such a distinctive place. From its coasts and islands to its uplands, bogs, rivers and farmland, Donegal supports a remarkable range of species and habitats. Albeit, those habitats are under severe pressure in Donegal, as is the case across many parts of Ireland, with significant declines in habitat diversity and wildlife.

Ireland’s own assessment shows that 85% of EU-protected habitats are in unfavourable condition and almost half are still declining; more than half of native Irish plant species have declined; 30% of the country's wild bee species are threatened with extinction; and a quarter of regularly occurring bird species - including iconic species like the corncrake, curlew and hen harrier - are on the Red List.

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Prepared by Donegal County Council and the County Donegal Biodiversity Working Group following public submissions and stakeholder engagement, the draft plan responds to national commitments and the local authority’s biodiversity duty. It aims to align with national and international targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, restore degraded habitats to good condition and embed biodiversity considerations across council functions and partner organisations.

The Donegal biodiversity action plan document is beautifully illustrated with drawings by Robert Vaughan, Ruth Graham and Leah Sweeney.

The plan is structured around five core themes. These include improving data collection, mapping and research to better inform biodiversity action; embedding biodiversity into council operations through strengthened policy and staff training; turning policy into practice by integrating nature-friendly management across green spaces and public areas; increasing awareness and connection to Donegal’s biodiversity through education and community initiatives; and building strong partnerships with communities, landowners, agencies and businesses to support collective action.

In total, the draft contains more than 50 proposed actions across the five themes, signalling what the council describes as a practical and ambitious roadmap for the years ahead. Implementation will rely on collaboration with local, regional and national bodies, including government departments, state agencies, NGOs, researchers, community groups and the farming and business sectors.

The council is also encouraging residents to explore “Backyard Biodiversity” by getting outdoors and discovering the wildlife in their own gardens, parks and walking routes. The draft plan outlines how different groups, from farmers and landowners to businesses, community organisations and individuals, can play their part in protecting and enhancing biodiversity locally.

Another of Robert Vaughan's illustrations taken from the Donegal biodiversity action plan document

As part of the consultation process, the draft plan is accompanied by an Appropriate Assessment Screening Report and a Strategic Environmental Assessment Screening Report. All documents are available for review during the consultation period.

Members of the public can make submissions through the council’s online consultation portal (consult.donegal.ie) or in writing to the Biodiversity Officer at County House, Lifford. The deadline for submissions is Monday, 23 March.

A series of public biodiversity drop-in clinics will also take place across the county, offering an opportunity to meet the council’s biodiversity officer and discuss the draft plan in person.

Clinics are scheduled for Buncrana Community Library on February 25 from 3.30-6.30pm; Donegal County Museum in Letterkenny on March 2 from 3.30-6.30pm; The Old Courthouse in Lifford on March 3 from 2-5pm; Leabharlann Phobail Ghaoth Dobhair at Aislann Ghaoth Dobhair in Doirí Beaga on March 4 from 3-4pm and again from 5-6.30pm; and Bundoran Community Library on March 21 from 11am -1pm.