Festival of Farmland Biodiversity celebrates hedgerows
The National Biodiversity Data Centre is currently hosting the month-long Festival of Farmland Biodiversity, which is focused on our hedgerows.
This year's virtual festival celebrates the value of the native species-rich hedgerows that crisscross the Irish landscape.
Hedgerows provide food (such as blossom and berries), create wildlife corridors, help with shade and shelter for livestock as well as field drainage, and offers a habitat for beneficial insects.
The festival, which continues until the end of May, will also highlight some of the ways that farmers can work to support nature on their farms.
Festival of Farmland Biodiversity farm walk. Source: Ruth Wilson
As part of the festival, there are a series of walks and talks on farms across the country which will allow farmers to see this work firsthand.
The walks will be hosted by National Biodiversity Data Centre, Farming for Nature and and the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) Breifne team.
Ruth Wilson, farmland pollinator officer with the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, told Agriland that some of the work being undertaken by farmers for nature and biodiversity on their lands will be showcased during these events.
'You can notice year-on-year greater interest from everybody, and the farmers are keen to share what actions they are taking on their farm,' she said.
Hedgerows
This year's festival will include a photography competition where people can submit images of hedgerows under four categories: Best Blossom; Best Shelter or Shade for Livestock; Best Margin for Wildflowers and Best Hedgerow Network.
Along with prizes for the categories, the judging panel will also select the overall best hedgerow photo which 'really stands out'.
The festival includes a photography competition
Wilson added that the National Biodiversity Data Centre will be launching an online course focused on pollinator-friendly hedgerows this month.
'The course covers the wonderful native species that we find in our hedgerows, and how best to manage them as well to benefit pollinators and biodiversity,' she said.
Farmers are being invited to take part in the Festival of Farmland Biodiversity by sharing content on social media about biodiversity on their farms (using the #FarmlandBiodiversity tag), in particular hedgerows.
They can also submit biodiversity sightings of different species and plants on their farm as part of a long-term project being run by the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
'If you see it on your farm, you can learn more about it and send your records in. We're always very keen to get records in to know the species is there,' Wilson said.
Further details on the festival and the various events can be found on the National Biodiversity Data Centre website.
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