The Save Our Magnificent Meadows verge project is in full swing once again
THE quest to protect our rare and special wildlife here in Fermanagh is continuing once again this year, as the “Save Our Magnificent Meadows” project continues to grow and grow.
Motorists may have noticed the now familiar signs going up on grass verges around the county in recent weeks, with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council once again teaming up with the Ulster Wildlife led project in agreeing not to cut the verges during the summer months, allowing wild flowers to flourish and thus providing a boost to the local ecosystem.
Ulster Wildlife’s Giles Knight said the project was “going from strength to strength”, with millions of motorists expected to pass the verges this year.
Explaining how the project was about “raising awareness of what we have under our noses”, Mr Knight said we were very fortunate in Fermanagh to have such a fantastic and valuable array of wild flowers, unlike many other places in the UK and Ireland that have lost such meadows due to development and modern farming practices.
“It’s like a giant jigsaw and you need to look after every piece,” he said of the wild flowers’ importance to the county’s ecosystem.
“They are the building blocks for the wildlife. They support the plant life, which supports the insects, and the insects support the birds, and so on.”
Mr Knight added the “very grounded” project was continuing to work with farmers, showing them they can protect wildlife while “still making a pound or two” and continuing their farming, through grant funding, for example.
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