BIODIVERSITY STUDY In November 2020, President Higgins received a report detailing the findings of a year-long study into the rich diversity of plant and animal life in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin. The President and Sabina have long been aware of the rich diversity of the natural environment around Áras an Uachtaráin, and it was out of a concern to ensure its protection, and to ensure its future flourishing, that the President asked the Office of Public Works to commission a team of ecologists to conduct a detailed ‘biodiversity audit’ of Áras an Uachtaráin and its grounds. The report, published by the OPW and a team of scientists from Trinity College Dublin, provides a scientific analysis of the diverse habitats and the great diversity of species on the 130-acre site around the home of the President of Ireland. The report notes that the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin are home to an abundance of plants and wildlife, with 297 different species of plant, 247 species of invertebrates, 188 fungi and 51 different bird species. Responding to the report, President Higgins said: “At a time when our natural world is in such acute danger, with so many of our planet’s fragile ecosystems being destroyed, polluted and plundered, today’s report provides not only a valuable overview of what already exists, but also it comes with a welcome set of recommendations of how, with small but targeted interventions, State bodies such as the OPW can make tangible and meaningful contributions to the health of our natural environment.”
“The Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit our societies so hard, has also revealed our profound connectedness to nature’s vulnerabilities. We have been painfully reminded of the great extent to which we are connected to, and depend on, healthy and vibrant ecosystems for our health, our food, our medicines, shelter and energy.” National Biodiversity Day, 22 May 2020
The report also provided recommendations on how to enhance the biodiversity at Áras an Uachtaráin - a landscape that was created and managed by people for people - by improving and restoring species-rich grasslands to creating habitat for insects, pollinators, birds and mammals to nest in – and possibly establishing new wetland habitats.
37 2020 IN REVIEW
