Biodiversity and the Natural Environment 6.56 Cork City’s natural heritage includes flora, fauna, geology and landscape. This variety of life is often referred to as biological diversity or biodiversity. Wildlife habitats occur throughout Cork City and include rivers, recreation areas, gardens and graveyards with many mammals, birds, invertebrates, trees and plants having adapted to live alongside humans in the urban environment. Although buildings are not traditionally associated with biodiversity, they often support bird nests and bat roosts, and there is potential to promote greater integration of measures to support biodiversity in new buildings and their curtilage.
6.57 In May 2019 Ireland became only the second country in the world to declare a ‘climate and biodiversity emergency’. It followed the publication of the United Nations-backed report by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) ‘Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, 2019’ which concluded that around one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades, more than ever before in human history. It is in this context that this Development Plan seeks to protect, promote and enhance Cork City’s natural heritage and biodiversity informed by the strategic goals set out below.
Strategic Biodiversity Goals
1. To protect and enhance designated areas of natural heritage and protected species and to adhere to all relevant biodiversity legislation;
2. To ensure that sites and species of natural heritage and biodiversity importance in non-designated areas are identified, protected and managed appropriately;
3. To create green and blue infrastructure network thereby creating ecological corridors linking areas of biodiversity importance;
4. To implement the recommendations of the GBI study and integrate green and blue infrastructure solutions into new developments;
5. To ensure all citizens are within 5km of a green and ideally wild space;
6. To protect and maintain the integrity and maximise rivers and watercourses within the city;
7. To protect and enhance the city’s trees and urban woodlands; and
8. To promote best practice guidelines for management, control and eradication of invasive alien species.
Table 6.13: Strategic Biodiversity Goals.
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Cork City Draft Development Plan 2022-2028
Volume 1 I Chapter 6
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