Anja Murray: Making space for nature in our own plot of land

It won’t change the world, but it may just be enough to prevent another bee, hoverfly or butterfly species from disappearing in your townland. Catering to the needs of threatened wildlife will resonate in the values of those around you as well as bringing joy in 2025 and beyond

Assess what you can do to accommodate swallows, swifts and housemartins when they arrive back from their 9,000 kilometre return migration in April

Many of us care deeply about nature. We feel a tenderness toward the non-human creatures we encounter in our daily lives, for example the small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies; robins and blackbirds; and red-tailed bumblebees. The species we encounter on a regular basis tend to be those that have been able to adapt to human induced changes in the landscape. Some are even thriving.

We know too that many species haven’t been able to adapt to the rapid pace of change and are disappearing from places where they have been at home for thousands of years. These include the 18% of Ireland’s native butterflies and a third of the 100 bee species here that are under threat of extinction. A quarter of all resident bird species are now on the red list of Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland, meaning the highest level of concern for the future viability of their populations here.