Longford Biodiversity Action Plan 2025-2030

In September 2025 Longford County Council approved the Longford Biodiversity Action Plan 2025 – 2030. The plan is a declaration of intent from the Council to protect and enhance the biodiversity within the county. The plan aims to bring together Longford County Council, other governmental bodies, community groups, and the public. The best chance for improving our habitats and species diversity is by having buy in from across a wide range of society. The 57 actions within the plan are set across the five areas of:

  • Conserving, enhancing and protecting biodiversity and habitats in County Longford
  • Improving our knowledge base on species and habitats present in County Longford
  • Promoting biodiversity in plans and strategies for the county
  • Developing training and monitoring programmes to help track and protect biodiversity in County Longford
  • Promoting Biodiversity education and awareness in County Longford

The Longford Biodiversity Action Plan aligns with the fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan and it highlights Longford County Council’s commitment to sustainable development.

We aim to work with a large variety of stakeholders for the betterment of biodiversity in County Longford. Biodiversity does not start and stop at our borders so collaboration with our neighbours and the wider population nationally will also be important as we seek to protect and improve upon what we have.

Biodiversity is important for a multitude of reasons. It is important to act to protect our biodiversity from various threats.

The EU Nature restoration Law also places a requirement on Ireland to develop a nature restoration plan and to restore at least 20% of habitats by 2030.

The Importance of Biodiversity

In 2019, Ireland declared a biodiversity emergency due to the declining numbers of many species and habitats. Biodiverse ecosystems clean our air and our water, store carbon, help to produce our food through pollination of crops and movement of nutrients within our soils. We look to nature to improve our food production and help develop our next medicines. Biodiverse ecosystems are also more resilient in the face of the threats that they face, with individual threats being less likely to wipe out areas where a number of different species exist, with different abilities to adapt and survive. We have seen a decline in more than 50% of our 102 bee species and a decline in over 50% of Irish plant species. It is estimated that 30% of Irish EU-protected sites are at risk.

Threats to Biodiversity

Extinction rates are increasing with over 25% of species now at threat of extinction. Both locally and globally, biodiversity is facing many threats. Some of the biggest threats faced by our plants, animals, and fungi, include:

  • Habitat loss and degradation
  • Climate change
  • Pollution
  • Overexploitation
  • Biological invasions from invasive species

It will require a huge effort to limit the damage from these threats, but it is certainly an effort worth making as we rely on biodiversity for our foods, clothes, medicines, climate control, and many other aspects of daily life.

Please find the Longford Biodiversity Action Plan 2025-2030 here: Longford Biodiversity Action Plan 2025-2030