2. How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those th

I think it is really important to incorporate the needs of nocturnal creatures into our school biodiversity plan. Children should also play a big part as it further highlights the importance of this for them. The first thing we should consider is the lights in the school area at nighttime. We can ensure that all lights that are non-essential are turned off at a certain time. We can consider our security lights – are there ways in which we can minimise their impact and reduce their light pollution. We can change our security lights to motion centred lights to ensure that these lights are not on at all times. We can also look at the types of bulbs we use to minimise disruption to different insects, animals etc. We can also ensure the lights don’t shine unnecessarily upwards.
We can also look at our sensory garden. We have built bug hotels and habitats. We can research ways to promote nocturnal pollinator patches, such as planting particular flowers to attract moths, bats and nocturnal insects. We can ensure safe habitats by not over cutting grass / hedges etc. We can ensure there are safe habitats for different nocturnal creatures.
We can also incorporate more teaching in STEM across the school – educating about light pollution and the importance of minimising the effects of this. We can reference resources from Dark Sky Ireland to assist with this.