Biodiversity is essential to life on earth and plays a key role in tackling climate change, however it is under increasing threat from extreme weather events and climate change.
To mark National Biodiversity Week Ireland 2024, we would like to share a little more about biodiversity and how we address it at FuturEnergy Ireland.
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in the natural world. It is measured as the number of different species (plants, animals, microorganisms, etc.) that share the same home region.
How do we approach biodiversity in project development?
At FuturEnergy Ireland, we look to put biodiversity at the forefront of our work from the earliest stages of development and is one of the key factors that is considered at the project screening phase.
As part of this approach, we follow the mitigation hierarchy and always seek to avoid sensitive biodiversity in the first instance. When this is not possible, we first develop mitigation measures to reduce or minimise effects on biodiversity and if this is not possible, we move to enhancement or compensation initiatives, both inside and outside of the project area. For example, where suitable habitat and landscape is present, this could include the enhancement of hedgerows and treelines to provide better connectivity in the landscape to increase opportunities for bat species to move and feed. Such enhancement measures also benefit breeding birds, invertebrates and floral diversity in the landscape surrounding the wind farms.
Why is biodiversity so important?
Biodiversity and climate change are intrinsically linked. The earth’s land and ocean act as natural carbon sinks that absorb the ever-growing greenhouse gas emissions that are present in our atmosphere. However, these ecosystems are under increasing threat from the effects of climate change, in addition to other anthropogenic pressures.
Renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and battery storage, play a critical role in reducing carbon emissions and tackling climate change. At FuturEnergy Ireland, we are committed to delivering our 1GW portfolio of wind energy projects by 2030, which will displace approximately 1.1million tonnes of CO2 on an annual basis and will go a long way towards helping Ireland to achieve its emissions targets.
