State spending €110,000 on rare toad and protected butterfly studies

The State is spending over €110,000 on studies concerning the only toad species in Ireland and a rare butterfly.

The Department of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht confirmed it is spending €56,413 to carry out a monitoring project on the natterjack toad, which is found mainly in Co Kerry.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, the department also confirmed it is spending €54,500 on the first ever national study of the marsh fritillary butterfly, the only legally protected insect out of 12,000 Irish insects.