This article is from page 26 of the 2008-12-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 26 JPG
IF variety is the spice of life, then biodiversity is the very fabric of life and the Clare Biodiversity group of the county council is celebrating the Banners rich heritage of plants and animals with a new website.
The new Clare Biodiversity web- site, 1s a central information point for biodiversity in Clare, linking up other organisations working in biodi- versity, biodiversity events, projects and competition, and gives useful information on how to help the en- vironment.
Biodiversity is the variety of all life on earth from the largest whale to the smallest micro-organism, includ- ing human beings, along the way. The website incudes information on how we can help stop the decline of biodiversity, with good advice about avoiding insecticides and herbicides in the garden, having a compost heap, recycling, using public trans- port, walking or cycling to save on fuel, turning off sockets to save en- ergy, feeding birds in the winter and buying local and/or organic foods.
The website, which is also as Gaeilge, has information about the various biodiversity initiatives and projects in Clare as well as sections on habitats, competitions, video clips, action plans, news and events, biodiversity areas, and links to other organisations involved with environ- mental concerns.
The site is designed as a tool for schools, groups, individuals and families who want to know more about taking care of the rich variety of life in the county.
The new site can be found at www. clarebiodiversity.ie
Among the projects which the Bio- diversity group has carried out in Clare are the mapping of habitats in the county and a survey of the Clare wetlands.
Approximately a third of County Clare has been mapped on a field-by- field basis and put into digital format and a desktop survey to accumulate all the information available on the wetlands of County Clare was car- ried out in 2008. This information is now accessible in digital map for- jeatelm