Biodiversity achievements: expanding conservation and community engagement
An Post remains committed to advancing biodiversity restoration and enhancement across our operations. Our initiatives not only foster healthier local ecosystems but also contribute to the goals outlined in Ireland’s National Biodiversity Action Plan. In 2024, we have made great progress against our ambition to restore biodiversity within the An Post land and property portfolio to 1984 levels by 2030, as well as engaging with communities and raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity.
• We continued our initiatives to meet our ambition to designate 100% of available land to biodiversity activities which support and protect endangered species by 2030, by restoring over 32,000 m2 of our landscaping footprint through the planting of wildflower meadows and native tree/ hedgerow species. This brings our total to date to 39,836 m2 or 41.7% of our available land. Our activities included:
- Rewilding over 13,265m2 of grassland
- Planting 127 native Irish trees
- Planting 315m2 of hedgerows and 175m2 of perennial flowering plants, all selected for their high biodiversity value
- Installing an additional 57 swift nest boxes, 10 small bird nest boxes, and 30 bat nest boxes to support local wildlife
• We also expanded the implementation of our new landscaping plan to an additional 37 sites in 2024, creating biodiversity-rich spaces across An Post locations.
We continued to champion the national conversation on biodiversity in 2024, through the following initiatives:
• Beach and Waterways Clean-Up Day: In June, in conjunction with the issue of two new marine life stamps, we organised a national Beach and Waterways Clean-Up Day to protect Ireland’s marine life and waterways. In partnership with Panda Waste Management, industrial bins were placed at key coastal locations across Ireland to encourage community participation in reducing litter. Prominent conservationists, including young environmentalist Flossie Donnelly, sustainability advocate JP McMahon, and biologist Éanna Ní Lamhna, supported this collaborative effort. This campaign reached 1.15 million people and addressed critical environmental issues, such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change.
• Bee Stamp Series: To celebrate World Bee Day on 20th May, we issued a new series of honeycombshaped stamps, dedicated to Native Irish Bees and highlighting the vital role these pollinators play in Ireland’s ecosystem. The campaign reached over 306,000 people and generated more than 317,000 video views across our social media channels.
• No Mow May: We continued our support of the national No Mow May campaign through our social media channels, to encourage people to allow pollinators and wildflowers to thrive during the month of May, reaching over 10,000 people and generating over 14,500 video views.
