North Leitrim councillor welcomes funding for biodiversity officer

Cllr Justin Warnock has welcomed the funding for a Biodiversity Officer as he had a motion before the Council in July 2021 calling for this appointment.

“I look forward to working with the new officer as Leitrim has so much to offer in relation to biodiversity, with our extensive type of farming, our small field network, our bogs and wetlands. The whole of Leitrim is in the higher bands for High Nature Value Farmland (HNVF) and we also have 16,609 km of hedgerows, which in the coming weeks will be heaving with activity as the nesting season starts. We have many red listed birds, including the Curlew, Hen Harrier and the Meadow Pipit just to name a few whose habitats have been decimated by the continuous coniferisation of our county.

“The new biodiversity officer needs to be appointed immediately and that person needs to hit the ground running as the onslaught of the new Forestry Programme looms.

“Working and engaging with the communities in Leitrim will be paramount to the delivery of the County Biodiversity Plan 2023-2027 to protect and enhance our environment.”