Biodiversity study to go ahead

Funding to the tune of €7,000 has been secured by Kilcullen Community Action for a biodiversity study of the River Liffey's publicly accessible areas, writes Brian Byrne.

The Kildare Leader Partnership has granted €5,500 towards the project, which it is hoped will lead to a comprehensive nature trail extending from the Bridge Camphill to New Abbey. Kildare County Council is providing €1,500 towards the survey, which is to be carried out by ecologist Mary Tubridy and Associates.

The Camphill Community has already gone a long way towards providing their end of the trail, and it is planned to extend it through the Valley park. The coordinated development on both sides of the bridge would have environmental, leisure and tourism potential, with improved infrastructure and interpretive facilities in both areas.

The biodiversity study will include the compilation of all the natural resources in the area, including its geodiversity, habitats, flora and fauna. The results will provide the basis for sustainable development and environmental education.

An interpretive plan will then be developed, designed to provide environmental education through the use of signage, literature, and internet.

The plan will also give guidelines for future developments in the area so that the existing biodiversity is not threatened.

The survey will involve an examination of the habitat, the flora, the three known species of bats in the bridge area, and a bird and mammal survey.

Elements of the survey will involve local people with an interest in the subject, who will be invited to a 'walk and talk' along the river to discuss the findings. It will be carried out in coming months.