Part of Butterfly Conservation Ireland’s strategy to save our butterflies is to advocate for the protection of high-nature value land, especially land in public ownership.
The Bog of Allen in North-West Kildare and East Offaly is such an area. The quality of the habitats is clear in spring and summer, when the abundance of invertebrate and bird life cannot fail to impress. The bird life over the winter months is impressive, with Whooper Swans, Golden Plover and Lapwing in good numbers. There are five areas in the region set aside for nature at present, but all are small. One is Butterfly Conservation Ireland’s reserve in Lullybeg. The overall area of the bog is estimated at 5,581 hectares.
A proposal to create Ireland’s largest, tallest wind farm, complete with over 60km of industrial road, would deliver a devastating blow to the region’s nature and nature restoration. This flies in the face of the need to restore habitats in 20% of Ireland’s land (and sea) area by 2030 under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. We have produced a campaign leaflet to highlight this important issue. We propose that a National Park be established in the region. Ireland has no national park in the midlands and no national park on deep peat.
The leaflet, a collaboration by various conservation organisations, contains advice on what we need you to do.
All Kildare politicians need to understand your feelings on this vital issue for nature.
All of Kildare’s councillors’ contact details are here: https://kildarecoco.ie/YourCouncil/YourElectedCouncil/CouncillorsDetails/
All the Kildare Oireachtas members are here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/
For the Oireachtas members, enter their name in the Find A Member field.
Kildare’s TDs are: Réada Cronin, Aidan Farrelly, James Lawless, Joe Neville, Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North) and Martin Heydon, Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh, Seán Ó Fearghaíl and Mark Wall (Kildare South).
Offaly’s TDs are: Carol Nolan, John Clendennen and Tony McCormack.
The TDs’ contact details can also be found at: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/constituencies/
Enter the constituency name for their contact details.
You can use details from the leaflet to support your contact.
