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A Guide for Community Groups Working with Water, Biodiversity and Climate Change

A new guide designed to help communities develop local environmental projects has been launched by Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan.

Cover of the Working with Water, Biodiversity and Climate Change guide, showing a lakeside landscape and information on community environmental projects supported through the LEADER programme.

Developed by the River Basin Management Service in partnership with the Local Development Companies Network, Working with Water, Biodiversity and Climate provides practical guidance on a wide range of community-led initiatives that can help protect and enhance local water bodies, support biodiversity, build climate resilience and access funding opportunities through the LEADER Programme.

View and download A Guide for Community Groups Working with Water, Biodiversity and Climate Change

The guide highlights how communities can develop projects that deliver multiple benefits for local areas, including improved water quality, habitat restoration, flood resilience, citizen science, outdoor education and sustainable recreation. Importantly, the guide also outlines how environmental projects can be developed and supported specifically through LEADER funding, including training, feasibility studies, development plans and practical projects that deliver tangible benefits for local communities and wildlife.

Among the project ideas featured are:

Development of local water body management plans
Wetland creation and restoration
River restoration and fish passage projects
Nature-based solutions to address flooding and pollution
Community ponds and outdoor biodiversity classrooms
Citizen science initiatives focused on water quality and biodiversity
Tree planting and riparian habitat enhancement
Invasive species control and biosecurity planning

The guide emphasises that protecting water quality delivers wider benefits for communities, from supporting biodiversity and ecosystem health to enhancing recreation, tourism and quality of life. It also encourages communities to think beyond individual projects and take a catchment-based approach, recognising the connections between water, land, biodiversity and climate.

Commenting at the launch, Minister O’Sullivan said:

“Our local communities have an enormously important role to play in protecting Ireland’s natural environment. People know their local rivers, lakes, streams and landscapes better than anyone, and this publication provides them with practical ideas and guidance on how they can make a positive difference. Protecting water quality, restoring biodiversity and preparing for the impacts of climate change are interconnected challenges. We need to support communities to take action, and Local Development Companies provide an important vehicle to turn local ideas into meaningful environmental projects.”

Participants attending a demonstration of a planted rain garden and sustainable drainage features designed to manage runoff, improve water quality and support biodiversity.

The guide was funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and compiled by the River Basin Management Service with support from the Local Development Companies Network (LDCN) and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht.

Learn More:

Minister Christopher O’Sullivan launches practical guide helping communities protect water quality, biodiversity and tackle climate change – River Basin Management Service

https://riverbasin.ie/app/uploads/2026/11/Working-With-Water-Biodiversity-and-Climate-2026_compressed.pdf

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the River Basin Management Service.

River Basin Management Service

The River Basin Management Service coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.