1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Dublin (FUA)
Region
Europe
Short description of the intervention
The aim of the FitzSimons Wood Biodiversity Education Programme is to highlight the value of, and to promote the use and care of biodiversity and green space in the local area through learning exercises and activities taking place in FitzSimons Wood park. To support such educational activities in the park, enhancement of the habitat was carried out by developing footpaths, planting native trees and management of invasive species. Also, a detailed handbook for school teachers was produced with guidance on how to lead school activities where students investigate local wildlife. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2)
Address

Fitzsimons Wood
Sandyford
Dublin
Ireland

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary
POINT (-6.236369 53.26963)
POINT (-6.231849 53.269897)
POINT (-6.230574 53.266173)
POINT (-6.235749 53.266388)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
Google maps. Available at: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fitzsimon's+Wood/@53.2679036,-6.2352473,636m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x4867099dbfcf1b43:0x33e55cf86dc452c3!8m2!3d53.2694875!4d-6.2319313. Accessed on 9th September, 2020.
Total area
170000.00m²
NBS area
170000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Public Greenspace Area
Website of the intervention
https://www.dlrcoco.ie/sites/default/files/atoms/files/biodiversityfitzsimons.p…
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2008
End date of the intervention
2008
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Please specify "other" stage of the intervention
Unknown
Goals of the intervention
- Highlight the value of, and promote the use and care of biodiversity and green space in the local area through learning exercises and activities taking place in FitzSimons Wood park.
- Encourage children to experience nature in stimulating and creative ways, and help them acquire a greater appreciation for green areas and the wildlife they support (Ref. 1).
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
- Biodiversity: the number and type of plant species identified and the difference between mown and non-mown grasslands; the number of individuals from different bird species over time and between different habitats (Ref. 1).
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity conservation
Green space creation and/or management
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Species-focused
Ecosystem-focused
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Protect and enhance urban habitats
Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
Protect species
Undertake specific measures to protect species
Undertake specific measures to protect native species
Control and clean invasive alien species
Means for conservation governance
Raise public awareness
Public engagement
Implementation activities
- Improvements to the woodland habitat were carried out in 2008 by the Friends of FitzSimons Wood voluntary group. Through community involvement, works included developing footpaths to create a nature trail, planting native trees, and management of invasive species. These enhanced the green ecosystem functions of FitzSimons Wood, including environmental education opportunities and protection of key species (Ref. 2).
A handbook with a series of teachers’ notes and student activity sheets that provide useful information and guidance on investigating wildlife in FitzSimons Wood was produced. (Ref. 1).
Type of NBS project
Maintenance and management of urban nature
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Vegetation Type
Trees
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown
Amenities offered by the NBS
Educational or biodiversity trails
Educational and research amenities (nature protection centre, monitoring stations)
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Local climate regulation (temperature reduction)
Carbon storage/sequestration
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Inspiration for culture, art and design
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Young people and children
Governance
Governance arrangements
Government-led
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The FitzSimons Wood Biodiversity Education Programme is an initiative of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. It was developed together with The Heritage Council (a public body), the Irish Wildlife Trust (a non-governmental organisation), and also with the support of Blackrock Education Centre, and Airfield Trust. Volunteers from the Friends of FitzSimons Wood voluntary group helped create the educational nature trail. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2)
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
National government
Local government/municipality
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Citizen science
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan
FitzSimons Wood is a proposed Natural Heritage Area (pNHA) under the Irish Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. This encourages conservation actions on the site, such as the Biodiversity Education Programme. (Ref. 1; Ref. 3)
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
The FitzSimons Wood Biodiversity Education Programme was implemented as part of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown's Biodiversity Plan 2009-2013 (Ref. 1)
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Mandatory (based on policy)
Intervention is mandatory
Environmental regulation
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The FitzSimons Wood Biodiversity Education Programme was implemented as part of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown's Biodiversity Plan 2009-2013 (Ref. 1)
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
Biodiversity strategy or plan
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
Monitoring biodiversity is part of the activities for school children in the park. This is done through observation and identification of species using different guides: Wildflower Collins Field Guide (for identifying plants); A Bird Identification Guide; A Guide to Mammal Tracks and Signs. (Ref. 1)
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
Improvements to the woodland habitat were carried out in 2008 by the Friends of FitzSimon’s Wood voluntary group. Funding for the improvements came from a NeighbourWood grant in 2008 from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food (Forest Service). (Ref. 2)
Co-finance for NBS
No
Co-financing governance arrangements
No
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
No
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Public national budget
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Business models
Green education model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Type of innovation
Social
Cultural innovation
Please specify social innovation
The Biodiversity Education Programme promotes shared responsibility for maintaining the biological diversity and preserving the natural heritage of FitzSimons Wood. This is accomplished by organizing learning exercises and activities in the park for students and teachers which highlight the value of, and promote the use and care of biodiversity and green space. (Ref. 1)
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Reduced biodiversity loss
Increased number of species present
Description of environmental benefits
1. The place provides habitat protection for key species;
2. FitzSimons Wood is also important for the presence of the Smooth Newt, which is one of only three amphibian species in Ireland;
3. The Wildflower meadow provides both a home and a source of food to a variety of insects, including Butterflies such as the Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Common Blue;
4. Within a small area it contains several different habitats including broadleaf forest (mainly oak, ash and birch), grassland and gorse. This helps in controlling the local climate. It also supports a wide variety of fauna and flora, notably a small herd of Sika deer. (Ref. 3; Ref. 5; Ref. 6).
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Health and wellbeing
Improved mental health
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Education
Increased support for education and scientific research
Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Description of social and cultural benefits
The project mentions the following impacts:
1. Promotion of environmental education and nature trail; 2. Creation of recreational access to open space; 3. The redevelopment of the place provided walking trails and improved biodiversity trail to the visitors; 4. Students and children are encouraged to participate in the biodiversity education programme and gain knowledge about nature in the park and its ecological value; 5. The place also provides a welcoming park for visitors to relax and enjoy nature. (Ref. 1; Ref. 4; Ref. 6)
Owls the Children's Nature Charity have been organising Survival Birthday Parties in FitzSimons Wood, which incorporate education, awareness, team building, and enjoyment. These events have received positive feedback from participants and there is high demand (Ref. 5; Ref. 6).
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Unknown
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of September 2020.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Yes
Mode(s) of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
Submission of monitoring data (citizen observation)
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Yes
Please specify
Having identified the level of species diversity in the different grassland sites, the students can be asked to draw a comparison between the mown and non-mown grassland based on the findings. As a result, conclusions can be drawn about the management of the grasslands by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Staff (when grass grows tall, a greater the amount of wildlife can normally be found). (Ref. 1)

Having identified bird species and the numbers of individual birds over time and between different habitats, a conclusion can be drawn on whether populations are increasing or decreasing in a given habitat(s) over time. (Ref. 1)
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Ref. 1. Document about the NBS
List of references
Ref. 1. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (2013). FitzSimons Wood. Biodiversity Education Programme. [pdf] available at: http://www.dlrcoco.ie/sites/default/files/atoms/files/biodiversityfitzsimons.pdf (accessed 9th September, 2020)
Ref. 2. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (2016). COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2016-2022. Appendix 14 dlr Green Infrastructure Strategy. [pdf] available at: http://www.dlrcoco.ie/sites/default/files/atoms/files/appendix14.pdf (accessed 9th September, 2020)
Ref. 3. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (2009). Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Biodiversity Plan 2009 - 2013. [pdf] available at: http://www.dlrcoco.ie/sites/default/files/atoms/files/biodiversity_plan.pdf (accessed 9th September, 2020)
Ref. 4. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (2017). Education Packs. [online] available at: http://www.dlrcoco.ie/en/heritage/biodiversity/education-packs (accessed 9th September, 2020)
Ref. 5. Owls the Children's Nature Charity (2017). Survival Parties. [online] available at: https://www.owls.ie/survival-experiences (accessed 9th September, 2020)
Ref. 6. DaySOut.ie (2017). Owls Survival Birthday Parties - Dublin. [online] available at: http://daysout.ie/owls-survival-birthday-parties-dublin/ (accessed 9th September, 2020)
Comments and notes
Comments
"6/impacts: it would be good to identify some. how many trees were planted? the educational programs identified so far. opinions published in media etc." I searched for such impacts yesterday and today but the only thing I managed to find was the Owls the Children's Nature Charity Survival Birthday Parties.
Pictures of the NBS
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