Funding worth €5m for urban nature-based solutions announced
Funding worth €5m has been pledged for urban nature-based solution projects to lessen flooding and increase biodiversity. Picture: Jim Coughlan
Countrywide funding worth €5m has been announced for urban nature-based solution projects at the annual nature-based solutions conference.
The announcement was made by nature and biodiversity minister Christopher O’Sullivan last week. The investment will support projects to help manage surface water, increase biodiversity, and reduce flooding in urban areas, and will be administered by the Local Authority Waters Programme.
Local government minister James Browne said: “Working closely with Minister O’Sullivan in my department, I am pleased to confirm this additional funding of €5m, which will be used for the construction of urban nature-based solutions in the public realm.
“It is a key principle of the Water Action Plan to deliver integrated, multiple policy objectives for water, biodiversity and climate wherever possible… This funding will facilitate the upscaling and mainstreaming of nature-based solutions over the next five years. I look forward to monitoring the progress.”
Mr O’Sullivan said: “The investment will build on a substantial body of work by the Local Authority Waters Programme and local authorities to pilot these approaches over the past two years.
"They are also best placed to bring together experts from a range of disciplines and sectors, and take the holistic approach that’s needed to drive nature-based solutions forward.”
Director of services with the Local Authority Waters Programme Anthony Coleman, said: “To be really effective, nature-based solutions must grow and become more mainstream. How we plan, design and roll them out is critical, and there must be a clear understanding of what they can deliver and how best they can be incorporated into projects of different scales.”
