Council in advanced stage in recruitment of biodiversity officer

Westmeath County Council is at an advanced stage in the recruitment process of appointing a biodiversity officer to deliver and drive local action for biodiversity.

That's according to the Heritage Council in charge of the programme, along with the County and City Management Association (CCMA) with the support of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Eleven more local authorities have been awarded funding to appoint biodiversity officers today, Thursday, in a bid to drive local action for biodiversity conservation, including Longford County Council.

This will bring to 25 the total number of biodiversity officers in local authorities across Ireland, following last year’s approval for the appointment of a further ten officers.

Westmeath County Council was one of those who received approval in September 2022, along with Offaly.

The announcement follows a commitment in the Programme for Government to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis, following the Dáil’s declaration of a Biodiversity Emergency in 2019, and the Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity Loss in 2022.

In addition to developing a Biodiversity Plan for their area, the new biodiversity officers will advise the local authority on biodiversity related issues and the authority’s obligations in relation to protecting biodiversity. They will help local authorities to fully integrate biodiversity conservation into all of their policies, plans and actions, through training and provision of expert advice.

Commenting on the development, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD, said:

“The appointment of another 11 biodiversity officers is further evidence of our commitment to addressing the biodiversity emergency and fulfilling our objectives as set out in the Programme for Government. These biodiversity experts are exactly the people we need at local authority level to engage local communities and to take practical action to conserve and restore wildlife species and habitats. I look forward to working with them shortly and to moving towards a full national rollout in the coming years.”

The new biodiversity officers will have a wide variety of responsibilities. Among other things, they will be required to:

- Develop and implement a county biodiversity plan

- Advise the local authority on biodiversity related issues and the authority’s obligations in relation to protecting biodiversity

- Establish a county biodiversity forum

- Assist local authority departments in integrating biodiversity into their actions and policies through training and supporting information dissemination

- Promote new biodiversity initiatives based on best conservation practice.