Biodiversity

Our biodiversity commitment

We are committed to supporting biodiversity across the city. We’ve developed and are currently involved in a range of initiatives to support biodiversity right across the city.

City of Wildflowers

Wildflowers support insects including butterflies, bumblebees and hoverflies, which then feed mammals and birds. As part of our City of Wildflowers initiative, we’re working to create a cityscape of wildflowers for everyone to enjoy. Our main aim is to develop a network of flower-rich areas of all shapes and sizes throughout the city. We’ve distributed over 5,500 packets of NI wildflowers to community groups and residents and will continue to enhance our sites and work with communities to develop an engaging, healthy, vibrant, wildlife abundant city.

Wildflower sites across Belfast

From larger parks and open spaces to your garden or even a window box, we can all do something to help our declining wildflowers and the species that rely on them.

Pollinators

We’ve been working for many years to help pollinators such as bumblebees, hoverflies, moths, butterflies and beetles to thrive in our city. Our previous projects include Bee-licious and Hedgerow Hopes. Under Bee-licious we worked with local communities to restore networks of semi-natural habitats where pollinators can find food and shelter. This project was developed with eight councils across Northern Ireland, who are concerned by the decline of our pollinating insects.

Current projects include Belfast’s Buzzing a partnership project with BugLife and the National Trust which aims to help the recovery of Northern Ireland’s bees and other pollinating insects by restoring wildflower meadows and grasslands across Belfast.

The loss of natural and semi-natural habitats has been a key driver in pollinator declines and we own and manage a number of significant sites including Cave Hill, Barnetts Demesne and Lagan Meadows. We’ve signed up to the All-Ireland Pollinator plan and agreed to take actions to support pollinators on our land. 

City Cemetery biodiversity

A key part of the City Cemetery Heritage Project is enhancing the natural heritage on site. The project is focussed on connecting habitats within the cemetery and to the Belfast Hills. 

We restored species rich meadows on site and used traditional scything skills to manage these.  We’ve provided learning and training opportunities for staff and communities on habitat management, plant identification and survey techniques. Interesting finds on the site include holly blue butterflies and the elm flower bug previously thought to be extinct in Northern Ireland. There’s even a biodiverse roof on part of the new visitor centre.

This is an ongoing project and we will be running a range of workshops and learning opportunities on biodiversity, so please keep an eye on our social media channels for updates or get in touch at biodiversity@belfastcity.gov.uk.