An Taisce spotlights two important habitats on the south shore of Dublin Bay during a hands-on nature workshop 
 

As part of the Clean Coasts Roadshow series and to celebrate National Biodiversity Week, Dublin locals joined forces with An Taisce and the Coastal Research Group, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) School of Natural Sciences, to learn about the importance of two vital habitats on the south shore of Dublin Bay. 

The Booterstown Marsh and Sand Spit Workshop empowered participants with a greater understanding of the biodiversity and natural processes of Dublin Bay, the threats facing this important ecosystem, and the work being done to protect it.  

The workshop consisted of two field study experiences. The first was an investigation of the flora and fauna of the Booterstown Nature Reserve salt marsh, facilitated by botanist, Sylvia Reynolds, and Sean Hogan of BirdWatch Ireland's South Dublin Branch. 

The second field study was led by research fellow, Dr. Erica Terese Krueger, and research assistant, Conor Fox, from the Coastal Research Group, Geography, School of Natural Sciences. The study focused on an emerging sand spit in Dublin Bay and its vital role in storm protection and biodiversity. 

Speaking about the event, Clean Coasts Biodiversity Officer, Liane Costello, said “Dublin Bay and the Booterstown Nature Reserve are internationally important ecosystems that deserve our care and attention. Engaging, collaborative events like The Booterstown Marsh and Sand Spit Workshop highlight their importance, delve into the interconnections between habitats, and encourage local guardianship of our dwindling natural spaces.”  

Climate Action Officer, Aisha Devoy, added that "Taking the time to simply be in Nature is one of the most important things we can all do to maintain momentum, and move from a place of care and connection in climate action. The afternoon we spent on Booterstown Marsh and Sandspit reminded us of the constant dialogue between natural ecosystems and processes, necessitating that our adaptation and mitigation actions follow this example." 

The Clean Coasts Roadshow is a series of informative talks and workshops tailored for coastal communities across Ireland, taking place between January and May each year. This initiative brings together individuals interested in protecting their local beaches, seas, and marine environments. 

The Roadshow events cover a range of topics, including biodiversity, dune systems, marine litter, wildlife, sustainable developments, and the work of local groups and organizations. These events also serve as a platform for community groups to discuss practical matters, such as building volunteer capacity, attracting new members, and sharing responsibilities. 

This event was headed by An Taisce's Clean Coasts and Climate Ambassador Programmes and The Booterstown Nature Reserve Management Advisory, Committee, in close collaboration with the Coastal Research Group, Geography, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Dublin City Council and Dublin Bay Biosphere (UNESCO). 

IMAGES 
Image 1 Booterstown Workshop Group.jpg 
Description: Locals joined An Taisce and the Coastal Research Group, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) School of Natural Sciences, to learn about the importance of two vital habitats on the south shore of Dublin Bay 

Image 2 Botanist Sylvia Reynolds.jpg 
Description: Botanist, Sylvia Reynolds, empowers workshop participants with a greater understanding of Booterstown Nature Reserve salt marsh flora 

 
About Clean Coasts   
An Taisce’s Clean Coasts programme engages communities in the protection of Ireland’s beaches, seas and marine life.  
Since 2003, Clean Coasts has been working with communities to help protect and care for Ireland’s waterways, coastline, seas, ocean and marine life. Clean Coasts strives to create tangible and immediate improvements to Ireland’s coastal environment, involving thousands of volunteers removing large quantities of marine litter from our coastline each year.      
For the past two decades, Clean Coasts has grown from strength to strength and now includes two main national clean-up drives, as well as other initiatives, including the Green Coast Award, the Love Your Coast Photography competition, the Clean Coasts Roadshows for coastal communities and the Ocean Hero Awards. All these initiatives are aimed at celebrating the beauty of our coast and the efforts of our volunteers across all of Ireland.  
Currently, there are over 2,000 registered Clean Coasts volunteering groups and 40,000 volunteers. There are a variety of group types such as community groups, residents’ associations, tidy towns groups, sports clubs, schools, businesses, universities etc. Clean Coasts organises hundreds of beach clean-ups annually mobilising thousands of volunteers, removing considerable quantities of marine litter from Ireland’s beaches and waterways.   

About LEAF Ireland 
The programme was initiated in 1999 by the Forest in Schools programmes in Norway, Sweden and Finland in cooperation with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and rolled out in the spring of 2000. Today, the Learning about Ecosystems and Forests programme is coordinated by FEE at an international level.  
The programme is well-recognised internationally, with over thirty countries from around the world participating. The programme aligns itself with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the Global Action Programme (GAP) and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
The Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce runs the LEAF programme nationally. 
LEAF is an ambitious educational, restoration programme, restoring grounds and educating about the important role healthy, resilient ecosystems play, while meaningfully contributing to biodiversity, climate and well-being goals. 
LEAF focuses on educating the educators across all educational institutions (primary, secondary and third level) about the importance of healthy resilient ecosystems.