Thirty-one local authorities will share a €1.35m grant to promote biodiversity, tackle invasive species, conduct wetlands surveys, and much more.

More than 100 projects will benefit from funding under the National Biodiversity Local Authority Biodiversity Grant Scheme, announced by Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan.

The scheme, which saw funding doubled for 2021, is operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

It assists local authority biodiversity officers (and heritage officers in local authorities without a biodiversity officer) with the implementation of projects that promote actions contained in the National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) 2017-2021.

First launched in 2018, it supports actions for biodiversity in local areas and is an important element of the overall NBAP implementation.

Under the scheme exchequer funding meets 85% of the cost of the projects, with the local authority providing the remaining 15%.

Seventy biodiversity projects totaling €789,785, as well as 31 individual invasive-alien-species projects amounting to €391,000 will receive funding.

The invasive alien species that will be tackled include: hogweed; Himalayan balsam; Japanese knotweed; American skunk cabbage; and rhododendron.