Good Practice Guidelines for Developers

Helps developers understand the importance of biodiversity and natural habitats and advise how biodiversity conservation can be integrated into the development process.

Good Practise Guidelines for Developers (446kB)

Good Practice Guidelines for Householders

Provides information about biodiversity and outlines simple steps to promote awareness of wildlife habitats and natural heritage.

Good Practise Guidelines for Householders (523kB)

Good Practice Guidelines for Local Authorities

Advises local authority officers on biodiversity issues and promotes the consideration of biodiversity and natural heritage as part of the planning process.

Good Practise Guidelines for Local Authorities (490kB)

Plants of Westmeath

A publication which compiled the plants associated with Westmeath.

Plants of Westmeath (486kB)

National Biodiversity Plan

Ireland’s National Biodiversity Plan, showing a range of measures and the time-scale within which they might be implemented.

National Biodiversity Plan (12,324kB)

Landscaping for Rural Housing

A guidance document which advises home owners, on the suitability of tree and shrub species for their gardens and promotes the use of native species in the rural setting.

Landscaping for Rural Housing (2,585kB)

Mullingar Town Swift Survey 2015

The national Countryside Bird Survey revealed a 39% decline in the common swift (Apus apus) population in Ireland between 1998 and 2013. While the cause of this decline is not fully understood, it is likely that it is partly due to a loss of nest sites.
In 2015 Westmeath Branch of BWI carried out a swift survey of Mullingar town. The survey established some baseline information to help inform conservation measures, if any, required to maintain and increase the swift population within the town. The results of that survey were compiled in a report written by Triona Finnen.

Mullingar Town Swift Survey 2015 (2,000kB)

County Swift Survey

BirdWatch Ireland was contracted to undertake a survey of the swift population in the county in the summer of 2018. Swifts are a migratory bird that are of significant conservation concern in Ireland and elsewhere. The survey was funded by the Westmeath Heritage Office with help from the Heritage Council and the Local Agenda 21 Fund. Futher details are available here.