NATURAL HERITAGE & BIODIVERSITY

Q How do we continue to develop the County while protecting and enhancing natural heritage and biodiversity?

The review of the current County basic needs, and as we are in an era Development Plan provides an of significant challenge for opportunity to build strong biodiversity, strong action is required. foundations to incorporate actions This needs to be reflected in our land for biodiversity across all sectors in use planning and development our operations. The Plan must ensure policies. that a balance is achieved in terms of land use and development and the protection of our environment. Biodiversity is the sheer variety of living organisms on the planet and how all of these interact with one another to form habitats and ecosystems. It exists everywhere even outside the boundaries of protected habitats. As we rely on biodiversity for so many of our own Ecosystem Services Approach

So why does biodiversity matter to us?

We benefit from many of theday to Europe are judged to be day actions of the species and ‘degraded’ — no longer able to habitats in nature such as the deliver the optimal quality and provision of food, medicines and raw quantity of basic services such as materials, clean air and water and the crop pollination, clean air and management of flood waters. These water, and control of floods or benefits from nature are sometimes erosion. The Ecosystems Services called ‘ecosystem services’ and can approach recognises that a be negatively affected by poorly well-planned interaction between planned development and by the humans, the economy and the effects of climate change. environment can aid in protecting and managing our environment, What is Green Infrastructure Research in Europe has shown that support our survival and promote and how does it help us? most of the ecosystem services in a better quality of life for us all.

Green Infrastructure (GI) can be The landscape of South Dublin is defined as aninterconnecting one of its greatest resources. The network of natural and semi-natural landscape setting comprising of green spaces like parks, gardens, the urbanised lowlands; the hills rivers, woodlands, trees and and mountains provide essential G P IN RO T V hedgerows. A healthy green network ecological and cultural functions R I O S P IO not only supports species and as well as offering extensive views P N S U oil I N S Fo

r F habitats but supports a wide range of across Dublin Bay and the ma G P o h od ot ti lean Water o o h synthesi n C is ecosystem services like water and air Wicklow Mountains. A landscape F ood s W Biodi ve on rsi inati purification, pollination, flood Character Assessment will ty Poll

Cool Habitat Ecosystem management, climate adaptation, and accompany the Plan. Temperatures C Services on ip Fl tro dsh oodin l space for non-damaging recreations. ar g Stew Pu ic r et ify h St Wa est n C o A io te Implementing a Green Infrastructure n r le e at r io C e an r a at r ec c A bo

R i r Strategy in the Development Plan du n C E G U IN provides the means to undertake the L T T U A recommended ecosystem services R L A U L G approach in the Plan preparation RE process. This will result in a green infrastructure network that provides County Boundary for high quality residential, Rivers employment and other areas where Grand Canal biodiversity and ecosystem services Regional Parks can be promoted and protected. Woodlands Dublin Mountains Environmental Assessments

Policy in the new Plan will be informed by these assessments and monitoring of environmental indicators will occur after the Plan is adopted.

The Development Plan must contain:

Appropriate Strategic Flood Strategic Assessment Risk Assessment Environmental Assessment (SEA) The EU Habitats (SFRA) The EU Floods The Council is required Directive (92/43/EEC) Directive and the to carry out a Strategic seeks to protect a “Planning System and Environmental number of habitats with Flood Risk Management Assessment on the CDP. flora and fauna of Guidelines for Planning This process ensures European importance Authorities” (DoEHLG/ that environmental by designing these sites OPW, 2009) set out the considerations are fully as Special Areas of requirement for a assessed and are Conservation and development plan to be integrated into the Special Protection Areas accompanied by a preparation and collectively known as Strategic Flood Risk adoption of the Plan. Natura 2000 sites. All Assessment. land/projects are assessed for impacts.

DELIVERY: Working together we can protect, restore and enhance our natural environment and biodiversity in order to contribute towards the development of sustainable communities.

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