Welcome to another episode of Ours To Protect, as we take a closer look at biodiversity and sustainability in Co Clare.
Hedgerows are essential for maintaining wildlife diversity, supporting species such as hedgehogs and birds, innumerable plants, bees, butterflies and other insects.
Not only are they an invaluable resource for much of our wildlife they are vital in providing food and shelter for pollinators, cleaning our air, defining our landscape and storing carbon.
Oonagh O’Dwyer is a food forager, cook, teacher and lover of the outdoors while Noel Leahy’s family always had bees on their farm and now operates Sliabh Aughty Honey.
Both know how critical it is that we protect our hedgerows.
Tips:
* Hedgerows are essential for maintaining wildlife diversity, supporting species such as badgers, owls, hedgehogs, stoats, blackbirds and innumerable plants, butterflies and other insects.
* They are an invaluable resource for much of our wildlife they are vital in providing food and shelter for pollinators, cleaning our air, defining our landscape, storing carbon and by holding back the flow of water off land they can alleviate flooding.
* Hedgerows provide habitat corridors for a very wide range of bird, animal and invertebrate species including many threatened ones. The are also important for flood and drought reduction as well as water filtration.
* Hedgerows also give the Irish landscape its distinctive character and field pattern.
* One third of our bee species are under threat of extinction. Hedges provide food and nest sites for bees.
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