Leafy as it is, the Dublin 6W district is not known as a bastion of wildlife but an event this week aims to prove differently.
The hedgerow cycle, organised by the Dublin Cycling Campaign, will take cyclists on a tour of the local greenery, exploring the various shrubs and trees and explaining their importance for nature in a city setting.
It is just one of dozens of events taking place daily during National Biodiversity Week which began at the weekend and continues until next Sunday, May 24th.
The week is organised by the Irish Environmental Network (IEN), an umbrella of 40 national environmental NGOs, and is supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
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Local wildlife groups, conservation and sustainability organisations, national parks, local parks, libraries, education centres and exhibition venues all over the country are holding a wide range of events to coincide.
Walks, talks and workshops are taking place on bogs, beaches, woodlands and riversides.
Participants can learn about identifying invasive species, farming for nature, planting for pollinators and how to home compost.
For those who prefer keep their shoes and hands clean, there are art exhibitions, readings and indoor discussions.
Those who do not even want to leave home are also catered for as armchair naturalists can tune into online seminars.
They can also follow a nestcam where a blue tit pair’s eggs are due to hatch any day now, or help with a Dutch citizen science initiative where underwater cameras are livestreaming from a canal and people can digitally ‘ring a fish doorbell’ to alert authorities that a fish is coming through and needs one of the special fish gates opened.
IEN chief executive Karen Ciesielski urged people to visit the biodiversity week website and find something they will enjoy among the 300-plus scheduled events.
“The beauty of National Biodiversity Week is that it not only educates but brings the fun and wonder of nature back into our lives,” she said.
Niall Ó Donnchú, director general of the NPWS, said it was an important example of the kind of partnership that nature needed.
“Nature protection thrives when communities feel ownership of place,” he said.
“Our collective efforts in communities around the country can make a difference for nature, and this week is testament to that.”
Minister of State for Nature Christopher O’Sullivan said: “Small changes in our own communities contribute to a bigger, global vision of nature which is healthy and vibrant.
“The success of our efforts to restore nature relies on all of us, in communities and across Government, working together.”
All events are detailed on biodiversityweek.ie. Some need booking in advance. The Dublin 6W cycle on Wednesday evening is currently operating a waiting list.
