Wild Fingal: Nature Needs Our Help
1. Bringing wetlands back to life
Wetlands are soggy places such as marshes, ponds and bogs. They act like giant sponges: they hold rainwater, give wildlife a home and help slow flooding.
The challenge
Some wetlands in Fingal were drained or cut off from their natural water. When a wetland dries out, birds, insects and water-loving plants lose places to feed and shelter.
Fingal’s solution
Fingal is restoring wetland habitats at Turvey and St Ita’s in Donabate. The wider plan also looks at blocking old drainage channels and letting water return to damaged bogs. This gives nature room to rebuild itself.
- More safe habitat for birds, frogs and insects
- Cleaner water moving through plants and soil
- Natural spaces that can store heavy rain
Nature clue: A healthy wetland can look messy—and that’s good! Reeds, muddy edges and shallow pools create lots of different mini-homes.
2. Helping rivers move naturally
Rivers are wildlife highways. Fish swim through them, insects hatch beside them, and birds and otters search their banks for food.
The challenge
Pollution can make water unhealthy. Straightened channels and hard banks can also leave fewer bends, pools and hiding places for wildlife. Growing towns must make space for people without breaking these natural connections.
Fingal’s solution
A river restoration project in Swords is part of Fingal’s conservation work. The county’s biodiversity plan supports letting rivers meander again and reconnecting them with nearby floodplains where possible.
- Bends and pools create different habitats
- Floodplains give high water somewhere safer to spread
- Connected riverbanks help wildlife travel
Word power: To meander means to twist and turn. A bendy river usually offers more kinds of habitat than a straight channel.
3. Four-legged habitat helpers in Howth
Howth’s heathland is a special open habitat. It supports plants, insects and birds that may struggle if scrub grows too thick.
The challenge
Without the right care, fast-growing scrub can crowd out smaller heathland plants. Busy outdoor places can also be disturbed by lots of visitors, while climate change adds extra pressure.
Fingal’s solution
Fingal uses goats, pigs and cattle to graze parts of Howth. Their different eating and rooting habits help manage the landscape in a natural way and keep a mixture of open spaces and vegetation.
- Grazing controls some strong-growing plants
- Different animals manage the land in different ways
- A varied landscape gives more species a chance to thrive
How you can be a nature hero
- Stay on paths in sensitive places.
- Take litter home and leave plants where they grow.
- Watch wildlife quietly and from a safe distance.
- Plant native flowers for bees and other pollinators.