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Biodiversity Plan for Killorglin
Killorglin Tidy Towns (KTT) with support from South Kerry Development Partnership and Kerry County Council has commissioned the preparation of a biodiversity plan for the mid Kerry town.
Biodiversity, which is short for biological diversity, is the variety of all life on Earth. This includes plants and animals and the areas where they live (also known as habitats). Humans are an integral part of biodiversity and can influence it in both positive and negative ways. While many people now understand the threats to society and the planet posed by climate change, the threats posed by loss of biodiversity are less commonly understood. Biodiversity provides us with food, fuel, medicines and other essentials that we simply cannot live without and is a critical component of the services that nature provides free of charge to all of human society. Such services include; water and air purification, fisheries, timber, nutrient cycling, floodwater storage, and recreational facilities. It is now accepted that the current rate of biodiversity loss presents a major threat to the ability of our natural environment to provide these essential services. It is therefore of vital importance that this valuable resource is protected.
The current study aims to collect information on the present status of biodiversity within and surrounding the town of Killorglin. This will assist in identifying those issues that are most relevant to protecting the biodiversity of the area. The plan will set out a broad range of actions that can be undertaken at a local level to halt the loss of, and possibly even enhance, biodiversity within the local community.
Rosie Magee of KTT stated that ‘We have a rich biodiversity here in Killorglin with the River Laune and associated wildlife habitats on our doorstep. We hope that this plan will help us to promote its value and ensure its protection into the future.’
The plan will also include proposals to improve the understanding of the wider public on the value of biodiversity and the measures that can be taken to ensure its protection.
Wetland Surveys Ireland, a Kenmare based ecological consultancy are undertaking the work in preparing the plan. KTT would encourage interested parties or individuals that wish to make submissions on the plan to contact Dr Patrick Crushell of Wetland Surveys Ireland at info@WetlandSurveysIreland.com.
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Marsh Fritillary survive winter storms and flooding on Bull Island
On 9th of March made a visit to the Marsh Fritillary site on Bull Island to see how the larvae had survived new year weather on the site. Although some of the low lying areas at the northern end of the Bull were still under water, over 70 colonies of basking caterpillars were observed.
Most of the colonies were observed on south facing elevated ridges throughout the dune slack area. Larval webs were mostly absent or in poor condition, indicating that the larvae were no beginning to live less "colonially". In a number of locations, the larger caterpillar groups had already divided into smaller groups of larvae that were moving off in separate directions in search of their food plant the Devils Bit Scabious.
No caterpillars were observed in the low lying wet areas that had been flooded and were still under water in parts.
