A gravel ban in urban gardens might sound radical. But it has happened in one German state. Last summer Baden-Württembergâs Nature Conservation Act outlawed the landscaping staple for environmental reasons. Education and advice was planned to prevent a wave of âyou can take my freedom but youâll never take my pea stoneâ protest.
Why is gravel bad? Entombing soil in rock creates pollinator deserts and adds to the heat-island effect where temperatures in cities climb higher than surrounding countryside.
Those of us lucky enough to have outdoor spaces know they morph from one thing to another as circumstances change.
Legislators must act urgently to stem biodiversity loss, committee told Investing in nature ‘doesn’t cost the earth, but it gives us and the Earth a chance’
Tue, May 4, 2021, 17:19
Most fields “are practically devoid of life while even the ancient system of hedgerows is vanishing due to neglect and outright destruction”.
Nearly two years since the Dáil declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency, the collapse of Irish biodiversity “is happening – and it’s countrywide”, the OireachtasClimate Committee has been told.
In a damning assessment, Pádraic Fogarty of the Irish Wildlife Trust said legislators needed to act with urgency by pursuing readily available solutions – the committee is examining how a 51 per cent cut in carbon emissions can be achieved by 2030, including the possible contribution from enhanced biodiversity.
Volunteers are being sought to track and monitor hedgehogs around the country.
The second Irish Hedgehog Survey will run over the summer months, with special kits being made available to help detect the presence of the super-cute spiked mammals.
Buzzing for bees!
If you keep an eye on RTÉ Learn and listen to the Ecolution podcast this month you will hear a lot about bees and other pollinators!
The new All Ireland Pollinator Plan was launched and it tells everyone the importance of the little creatures who keep our food chain going.
On Thursday, 20 May it is World Bee Day, but in the meantime you can learn loads about these little buzzers at Pollinators.ie.
Host in Ireland extends DCs for Bees scheme
8h | Melanie Mingas Host in Ireland marked Earth Day by extending its DCs for Bees scheme.
Launched in 2019, DCs for Bees promotes urgent action to save bees, which are facing extinction across the world. However, in Ireland, which has 98 wild bee species, one third of these are threatened with extinction.
Now, the DCs for Bees Pollinator Plan will unite Host and 40 of its industry partners to help preserve bees in Ireland. It s a first of its kind =plan for the global data centre industry, it intends to highlight ways for individuals and businesses to take action in addressing Ireland’s biodiversity plight.