The Monaghan Branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust has been shortlisted for the National Lottery Good Cause Awards.
The Dromore River Catchment Mapping Project began in 2022 and came to life in 2024 through funding from the Heritage Council, NPWS, and Monaghan County Council.
The project is a collaboration between the Irish Wildlife Trust and the community group, Friends of Drumore.
It aims to map the Dromore river catchment and its remaining rich habitats.
The goal is to make the catchment visible as a potential biodiversity corridor, and to connect a network of volunteers committed to caring for the river system.
By highlighting the existing network of rivers and streams, the project demonstrates how an economically viable and achievable model of connectivity corridors can protect biodiversity.
It also promotes sustainability by identifying and restoring degraded areas.
Brian MacDomhnaill from the Monaghan Branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust said that in the past, there was a lack of understanding about wetlands.
He said: "Water Quality has been an issue, we've seen it in the Blackwater in Cork recently, and Lough Neagh, and many other water catchments, where human pressures are creating major difficulties.
"What our group focused on, is trying to remediate those problems, working with local farmers, Úisce Éireann, and with communities, to try and improve water quality.
"In improving water quality, we improve the entire national world, the biodiversity, along the river course," MacDomhnaill added.
