Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 July 2022
345. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is any other scheme to help farmers to carry out work on their land that is overgrown with rhododendrons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38818/22]
View answerMy Department does not provide specific funding for landowners to manage invasive alien species on their land. Under the current legislative framework, responsibility for dealing with invasive alien species (IAS) rests with the landowner. While a good deal of work dealing with rhododendron is carried out by my Department in its National Parks, it does not have the resources to extend this work into the wider countryside.
The Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF) is a stream of grants administered by my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service to assist local authorities with projects in their areas that engage with and fulfil actions in the National Biodiversity Action Plan. Each year, projects that target invasive alien species are a priority in this funding stream. In 2021, funding totaling €407,184 was provided through this scheme to local authorities for IAS projects and a further €328,361 has been awarded to IAS projects in 2022 to date.
However, the LBAF is not open to individuals or private landowners and is specifically targeted at local authorities.
