Ireland's Local Biodiversity Action Fund is set for a significant increase in 2022.

This scheme will secure €2.1 million funding in 2022, with €600k of the investment made available to support the roll out of a Biodiversity Officer Programme in local authorities around the country. The investment marks a 300% increase in funding for this scheme since 2019.

First launched in 2018, the re-named Local Biodiversity Action Fund offers funding to assist local authorities in the implementation of actions in the National Biodiversity Action Plan.

Local authorities play a vital role in addressing the biodiversity emergency. This funding stream enables them to develop projects that address biodiversity loss in their localities by helping to create new habitats, restoring existing ones and by tackling invasive alien species.

The scheme, operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has proved hugely popular, with all 31 local authorities seeking funding in 2021. A wide variety of projects were financed, ranging from the surveying of breeding birds and the creation of pollinator-friendly initiatives, to projects raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity to our well-being.

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Announcing the investment, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcom Noonan TD said: "I'm delighted to be able to increase this vital biodiversity funding scheme, which has proved immensely popular with local authorities. They have increased their participation in biodiversity and invasive species projects year-on-year, and the benefits of this are shared by all of us, not least local communities.

"I'm particularly pleased that the increased funding includes a new stream to extend the Biodiversity Officer programme across the country. In the Programme for Government, we committed to ensuring that all local authorities have a sufficient number of Biodiversity Officers among their staff complement, and I'm looking forward to seeing this grow over the coming years. Reversing biodiversity loss is among the greatest challenges of our times. Locally-led initiatives can be extremely impactful – supporting them is an important part of the response."

Minister for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke TD added: "Local Authorities and their staff are the closest arm of the State to our citizens so it is great to see them supported to lead the charge against biodiversity loss. Local Authorities experienced great success so far this year rolling out their Biodiversity Projects, so this increased investment will go a long way to boost their efforts."