Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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256. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if local authorities are mandated to conduct surveys on wildlife, flora and fauna. [5735/22]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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Local authorities may undertake surveys on wildlife of their own accord and from their own resources. Additionally, my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service, since 2018, provides funding to local authorities through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund.

This grant scheme is open to all local authorities where there is a biodiversity officer, or a heritage officer, and is intended to support locally led biodiversity projects in their areas. Applications for funding under the scheme are a matter for the individual local authorities but may include wildlife survey work.

In 2021, I allocated an amount of €1.35 million to this scheme to assist local authorities in the vital work they do to support the implementation of the National Biodiversity Action Plan and to tackle invasive alien species. The Local Biodiversity Action Fund is now open to applications from local authorities with an increased budget of €1.5m for 2022.