Irish Wildlife Trust Summer 2022 by Ashville Media Group

ISSN - 1649 - 5705 • SUMMER ’22

S AND’ IREL

SIT BIE FE LDL E

MAGAZINE OF THE IRISH WILDLIFE TRUST

AZIN MAG

Shores SPOTTED

IN IRELAND:

• CARNIVOROUS PLANTS • IVY • DRAGONFLIES • CURLEWS

CLIMATE ACTION

OFC_IWT Summer2022_Cover_FINAL.indd 1

BIOLOGICAL FARMING

WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE

11/05/2022 14:20

Everything for wildlife, ecology and conservation Bat detectors Camera traps & accessories Moth traps & insect nets Field guides Conservation handbooks Binoculars & spotting scopes Hand lenses & microscopes Pond dipping nets 1000s of natural history books Huge product range

Rapid shipping

Exceptional customer service

Over 140,000 books & equipment products

UK & Worldwide

Specialist help and advice

www.nhbs.com | Serving conservation since 1985 | +44 1803 865913 2L_NHBS_JM_IWT Summer.indd 1

19/05/2021 15:30

Donate to the Irish Wildlife Trust to help us connect commnities with Nature

Donate online at ww.iwt.ie/donate Registered Charity Number (CRA): 20010966 2L_IWT_Donate_JM_IWT Summer.indd 1

IFC_IWT Summer2022_FINAL.indd 1

19/05/2021 15:18

11/05/2022 14:34

WELCOME

Chairperson’s Comment

ISSN - 1649 - 5705 • SUMMER ’22

D ND’S IRELA

STE BE LDLIF E

MAGAZINE OF THE IRISH WILDLIFE TRUST

ZIN MAGA

Shores SPOTTED

IN IRELAND:

• CARNIVOROUS PLANTS • IVY • DRAGONFLIES • CURLEWS

CLIMATE ACTION

BIOLOGICAL FARMING

WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE

Cover Image Credit Small white butterfly by Robert Carroll

Contents page credits: Common Hawker by Kevin Collins Hedgehog by Andrew Kelly Compass jellyfish Apis mellifera mellifera Red fox by John Sherry Puffin by Mike Brown

Published by Ashville Media Group www.ashville.com

All articles © 2022 No part of this publication including the images used may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. Opinions and comments expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure that all information contained in this publication is factual and correct at time of going to press, Ashville Media Group and the Irish Wildlife

Printed on

Trust cannot be held responsible for any inadvertent errors or omissions contained herein.

Please recycle this copy of Irish Wildlife

ear members of the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT), greetings from beautiful Donegal where the dawn chorus never rests, the landscape is rich with every shade of green, and the lambs are dancing in the field next door. This time of year brings longer days and anticipation of sunny summer days with warmth on our faces - albeit often with four seasons in one day! In the IWT, we are excitedly planning for Bloom which returns this year, and is a super time to meet with people, have a chat and share the work we do. We’d love to hear from you so please pop by to say hello if you’re there. Thank you for your continued support through your membership, subscriptions and donations which fund our work in nature conservation and raising awareness. Your support is critical to our success and advocacy for wildlife. This summer edition of our magazine brings insight and inspiration on conservation, marine protection, pollination and fascinating lessons on Ireland’s carnivorous plants. We’ve a beautiful poem on the curlew of Cloghane and an article on the importance of ivy - one of my personal favourite plants, as it gives sustenance to wildlife all year round. You’ll hear from Tim who writes about the Irish Native Rare Breeds Society; Regina who shares the magic of Irish oceans and recommendations for holiday exploration, and Pádraic encourages action to create marine protected areas. There is a real urgency to saving the ocean to save the climate, and we learn more about our wild shores and Ireland’s islands in other articles. It’s exciting to see the study on dragonflies and damselflies from the National Biodiversity Data Centre. They are simply fascinating creatures and there’s a real opportunity to get involved through recording sightings in the biodiversity app. Beyond our magazine, an important role the IWT plays is with the local branches, and the events are in demand now that lockdowns are lifted and the good weather has returned. I had the pleasure of joining the Dublin branch for a nature walk in St. Catherine’s Park, and plan to visit more of the branches through the year. Our branches are run by volunteers and we appreciate everything they do in advocating for nature. Over the next year or so, we aspire to have a branch in every county, so would love to hear from you if

you’re passionate about getting involved. This summer, I plan to spend some time exploring our fabulous country and have a long list of books on nature to read and learn from as I explore - starting with the Irish Nature Year by Jane Powers, and Tree Dogs, Banshee Fingers and other Irish Words for Nature by Manchán Magan. There are so many wonderful books and so I’m curious as to whether there’s an interest in having book reviews and recommendations on the IWT website. Perhaps you’d like to do a review if you’ve a recommendation, or have authored one? Feel free to drop me a note if there’s anything you’d like to share. The IWT operates with a small team, and as we grow our impact, we are still keen to build out our expertise. We’re specifically looking to engage with volunteers with HR, legal or board governance experience. If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out with a CV or note detailing your relevant experience. All input and ideas for our strategy are also welcome. Nature is a sanctuary to so many and something as simple as a walk in the park can lift the spirits. This is the perfect time of year to get into the great outdoors and enjoy nature all around us. As we embrace the summer days, we hope for peace in our world, and solace for those who need it. As you’ll see throughout this magazine, there is cause for hope for nature as we see the extensive work underway. To help us raise awareness even further, perhaps you could help us to grow our membership by recommending or gifting a subscription to a friend, family member or colleague who may be interested in our work. I love to hear from our readers and welcome your ideas for action as we craft plans for the future. Wishing you the very best for a summer season filled with peace and long sunny days. It’s a time for optimism and action to make a difference for wildlife in Ireland!

Claire Walsh, Chair of the Irish Wildlife Trust claire@iwt.ie

Pass it on. If you’re finished with your Irish Wildlife don’t throw it in the bin. Pass it on to someone who you think may enjoy it – or ask your local library or doctor’s office to leave it in the reception. You’ll help the environment and the IWT while you’re at it. Irish Wildlife is 100% recyclable, so if you do choose to throw it out, please put it in the green bin.

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

001_IWT Summer22_Welcome_FINAL.indd 1

11/05/2022 14:39

FIELD REPORT

Irish Wildlife Summer “22

002_IWT Summer22_Contents_FINAL.indd 2

11/05/2022 14:42

CONTENTS

Contents 04 ABOUT US

Discover more about the work of the IWT and how you can get involved.

05 CONSERVATION NEWS

Tim Carbon compiles the latest national and international news from the world of conservation.

10 ACTIVITY UPDATE

Updates on IWT campaigns and activities

16 WILD SHORE

Richard Nairn on the allure of Irish islands

20 DANÚ

A new project is reducing inputs on farms through biological farming

22 GORDON D’ARCY

Why we should all love ivy

24 SUMMER FOCUS

Billy Flynn on the emergency of a circular economy

26 CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

The amazing world of the Irish plants that trap and eat insects

29 THE CURLEW OF CLOGHANE by Susan Hitching

30 OUR FISH

Why ending overfishing is climate action

32 DRAGONFLIES

You can get involved in tracking these stunning insects

FACEBOOK PHOTOS

36 COMPETITION

Your chance to win a copy of an exciting new nature book

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

002_IWT Summer22_Contents_FINAL.indd 3

11/05/2022 14:42

IRISH WILDLIFE TRUST

About Us The Irish Wildlife Trust was founded in 1979 and aims to conserve wildlife and the habitats it depends on throughout Ireland, while encouraging a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world.

IMAGES THIS PAGE: TOP: Ivy flower by P. Fogarty BELOW: Kingfisher by Gilbert Smyth

The IWT is dedicated to creating a better future for Ireland’s wildlife through: Motivating and supporting people to take action for wildlife. Education and raising awareness of all aspects of Irish wildlife and conservation issues. Research of the natural environment. Acquiring and managing nature reserves to safeguard species and habitats. Lobbying decision-makers at all levels to promote policy in Ireland that provides a sustainable future for wildlife and people. Working in partnership with other organisations to achieve results that matter for conservation. Irish Wildlife is published quarterly by the IWT.

HAVE COMMENTS? Editor: Pádraic Fogarty Magazine queries email: editor@iwt.ie Information on campaigning and policies email: irishwildlife@iwt.ie Snail mail: The Irish Wildlife Trust, 8 CABRA ROAD, DUBLIN 7, D07 T1W2 Web: www.iwt.ie Social media: facebook.com/IrishWildlifeTrust twitter.com/Irishwildlife instagram.com/irishwildlifetrust/ Registered Charity Number: 20010966

HOW CAN YOU HELP? You, our members, make the IWT what it is. Through your subscriptions and support we can undertake the projects that are benefiting Ireland’s wildlife. If you would like to help more, here’s what you can do: • Make a one-off donation to the IWT. • Give IWT membership as a gift. • Volunteer – we are always looking for people to help out. There are lots of ways to get involved, from helping with important admin work in our office to helping us increase membership by volunteering at public events. See our website www.iwt.ie for details or contact the office directly.

The IWT encourages action at a local level and has a number of branches around the country: Dublin: dublinbranch@iwt.ie facebook.com/DublinBranchIrishWildlife Trust, dubliniwt.blogspot.ie Waterford: Denis Cullen, iwtwaterfordbranch@gmail.com, deniscullen@eircom.net, irishwildlifetrust. blogspot.ie Kerry: Ger, iwtkerry@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/KerryIWT Limerick: limerickbranch@iwt.ie / https://www.facebook.com / IWTLimerickBranch Galway: Dan, iwtgalway@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/IWTgalwaybranch Laois/Offaly: Ricky, iwtlaoisoffaly@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/IWTlaoisoffalybranch Monaghan: monaghanbranch@iwt.ie

• Do you have land that you would like used for conservation? We are always on the lookout to establish new sites to enhance wildlife or provide education opportunities. • Remember us in your will. Why not leave a lasting legacy towards conserving Ireland’s natural heritage? The IWT uses all funds towards our campaigns, managing reserves and our education programmes. Please visit www.mylegacy.ie. • Set up a branch. Are you passionate about wildlife and are in a county that does not have an IWT branch? Contact the office and we can give you the support you need to get up and running.

Keep up to date on all the latest news from the Irish Wildlife Trust on www.iwt.ie 4

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

004_IWT_Summer22_About Us_FINAL.indd 4

11/05/2022 14:44

CONSERVATION NEWS

The latest national and international news from the conservation world, compiled by Tim Clabon

IRISH NEWS

New Website for Irish Native Rare Breeds Society  Apis mellifera mellifera

The Irish Native Rare Breeds Society (INRBS) launched their new website to promote indigenous domestic breeds of farm animals and their use in conservation grazing. Conservation grazing is a tool that can be used to manage semi-natural and natural habitats in sensitive upland and coastal habitats using indigenous native breeds. The aims of conservation grazing in Ireland has three goals: • Increasing the use of traditional Irish breeds among farmers;

• Encouraging the appropriate management of some of Ireland's most vulnerable habitats; • Promoting Sustainable farming practices. Both nationally and internationally there are examples where conservation grazing has been used to manage habitats for the conservation of many threatened species. The website is in its early stages but is in the process of matching Ireland’s traditional breeds with broad habitat types of conservation importance. As work on the website progresses it is hoped to develop a

detailed understanding of how Ireland's traditional breeds can be used to support sustainable farming. Of most importance to conservation grazing is matching the right type of grazing animal to the habitat. This includes species, breed, body size, sex and age of the animals. Stocking density must also be considered where suitable stock densities are dependent upon site specific conditions. The website matches breeds and species to habitats regardless of if there is a native breed suited to the habitat, so the website will also list non-native species of upland, woodland and coastal breeds suitable for these habitats. As well as pages for officially recognised breeds the website hosts information on breeds not yet officially recognised such as the Cladoir sheep or Old Irish goats as there is a potential for them to be recognised on the basis of proven genetic distinctiveness. Not forgotten on the INRBS website is the role of pollinators. In particular the native honeybee Apis mellifera mellifera which, while still a popular bee among beekeepers, is threatened by hybridisation with imported non-native sub-species. As the website develops, information will become available to support farmers with an interest in conservation and keeping alive the past traditions that were once associated with Irish farming practices, passing this heritage on to the next generation of farmers. The aim of the INRBS is to advocate for rare breeds in Ireland with a particular focus on indigenous breeds. They hope to reflect the positions and interests of affiliated breed societies. They also aim to assist those who seek to gain official recognition for currently unrecognised breeds where there is a reasonable basis for the belief that, on the basis of genetic analysis, there is sufficient genetic distinctiveness for the recognition of breeds adhering to a recognisable breed standard. More information and information on Conservation Grazing can be found at https://inrbs.ie/ Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

005_IWT_Summer2022_Conservation News_FINAL.indd 5

11/05/2022 14:46

CONSERVATION NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS The devastating effects of coral bleaching

as a result of the Global El Nino weather event and subsequent climate change.

One Ocean Summit Over one hundred delegates from countries representing all oceanic areas and more than half the world’s exclusive economic zones recently met in Brest, France for the One Ocean Summit to state their determination to preserve the oceans by contributing to the “Brest Commitments for the Oceans”. These powerful commitments were made alongside the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Director General of UNESCO and the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The One Ocean Summit was held from 9 to 11 February 2022, bringing together 41 states and representatives of civil society and businesses, in a milestone of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which is committed to a proactive European ocean policy. Aware that the position of the oceans on the international political agenda is not currently corresponding with its role in climate, environmental and social balances or taking into account the threats to marine life, the leaders in Brest undertook to work together swiftly and tangibly to put a stop to the degradation of the oceans. Together they have chosen to take action to preserve biodiversity, stop overexploitation of marine resources, fight pollution and mitigate climate change. To meet these commitments the creation of protected areas is an essential pillar for preserving biodiversity. It is now essential to continue to increase momentum by setting high ambitions for the coming decade. Since the launch of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People at the One Planet Summit in January 2021 more than 30 additional countries have joined. Now, 84 countries aim to protect 30 % of the world’s land and sea by 2030. Two thirds of the ocean lies beyond 6

national jurisdiction and represents 45% of the surface of our planet, but cannot currently enjoy marine protected area status. The 27 Member States of the European Union, joined by 16 countries from outside the block, have therefore launched the “High Ambition Coalition on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction” (BBNJ) in order to foster the conclusion this year of an effective, global agreement on the sustainable use of the high seas and the protection of their biodiversity.

Fisheries Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing accounts for almost a fifth of global catches. This undermines efforts to manage fish stocks sustainably and often involves very poor safety and working conditions for workers in the fishing industry. At the One Ocean Summit, 14 participating countries committed to step up the fight against illegal fishing on several fronts. Six countries committed to ratify the IMO’s Cape Town Agreement, which will then at last come into force, by the October 2022 deadline, setting safety standards for fishing boats. Two more countries will ratify the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Agreement on Port State Measures, to better control fishing activities at ports where catches are landed. Several EU Member States committed to deploy their navies in overseas operations to step up surveillance of illegal fishing, in accordance with the European Regulation of 2008 to prevent, deter and eliminate (IUU) fishing.

Climate Change and Shipping The strong growth of shipping, driven by global trade, means action in this area is essential to substantially reduce the damage

it causes. 22 European ship owners have committed to the new Green Marine Europe label, which entails tangible measures in eight fields: underwater noise, pollutant air emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, aquatic invasive species, residues, oily discharge and ship recycling. 35 actors including 18 major European and global ports have committed to speeding up the supply of electricity to berthed ships to limit greenhouse gas emissions and reduce atmospheric pollution in often densely populated port cities. In order to reduce atmospheric pollution, all Mediterranean countries, along with the EU, have committed to ask the IMO to create low sulphur emission zones across the Mediterranean starting on 1 January 2025. This summer, France, Spain, Italy and Monaco will also ask the IMO to establish a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area for the protection of cetaceans, in order to limit sailing speeds and reduce collisions. The oceans play a crucial role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Some marine and coastal ecosystems (salt marshes, seagrass beds and mangroves) can absorb and store large quantities of carbon. This capacity now needs to be highlighted to speed up projects to protect and restore such ecosystems, to enable genuine “blue carbon offsetting”. In Brest, France and Colombia launched a global coalition for blue carbon, which will bring together national and multilateral actors in the field to contribute to financing the restoration of coastal ecosystems, using shared and rigorous methodologies.

Deep sea mining Deep sea mining has become of interest to many companies looking to mine minerals such as nickel and cobalt found beneath parts of the ocean floor. This is a controversial subject given the impact such activities will have on deep sea biodiversity. Unfortunately a moratorium is not progressing quickly enough, which could risk many deep sea habitats. Given the hostile nature of the environment it is difficult to fully understand how the ecosystem there works or how it will be impacted. Overall many commitments were made, but what is needed (as with all environmental commitments) is action. Our deep seas are a shared resource, out of reach to many, yet important to all.

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

005_IWT_Summer2022_Conservation News_FINAL.indd 6

11/05/2022 14:47

MARINE CONSERVATION

IWT NEWS

IRELAND

– an ocean lover’s paradise NOT YET SICK OF STAYCATIONS? HERE ARE 4 IRISH SEASIDE ACTIVITIES TO DO THIS SUMMER. BY REGINA CLASSEN

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

007_IWT_Summer_2022_Marine_FINAL.indd 7

11/05/2022 15:32

MARINE CONSERVATION

didn’t get the chance of snorkelling in ‘warm’ countries until a couple of years ago, when I visited South Africa. By that stage I had already taken a couple of scuba dive lessons in Ireland and had spent the odd weekend snorkelling around the Irish coast, so taking a look at marine life in the Indian Ocean was a must. However, I distinctly remember being somewhat underwhelmed when looking down at some fish swimming around a rocky reef on Africa’s east coast. It was nothing like what I was used to from Ireland – and I’m not just talking about the difference in temperature! When I stick my head underwater over a kelp forest or seagrass bed on Ireland’s west coast, it’s like entering another world. To be so completely immersed in nature is a rare experience nowadays. Snorkelling in South Africa was still incredible, don’t get me wrong (and a half day’s snorkel is nowhere near enough to explore SA marine life), but it got me thinking about how little we appreciate what’s right on our doorstep. There is an avid scuba diving community in Ireland who knows this all too well, but for most people Ireland is not really the destination you have in mind when you think of underwater paradise. And it’s not just underwater – one of my best outdoor adventure experiences so far has been a sea kayaking tour in Donegal. On a fine day, this little country is truly marvellous. Here are my top four seaside activities to do this summer.

Snorkelling

Imagine being in forest, but instead of walking on the ground you’re flying over the top ofw the tree canopy. That’s what it’s like to snorkel over a forest of kelp, or a meadow of seagrass. Add a bit of weight, and you can free dive down into the forest to get the full threedimensional experience. It’s like scuba-diving, but with a lot less hassle. With the right thickness of wetsuit (5mm thickness allows snorkelling throughout the year), neoprene hat, gloves, shoes, a decent snorkel, goggles and fins, you can have incredible fun. It’s a true eye-opener to see kelp floating upright instead of lying flat on the ground on a beach. It’s a beautiful habitat and home to countless organisms that few people know exist. You want to find an interesting and sheltered spot, of which there are countless in the many bays and estuaries on the west coast. Make sure you bring a buddy or two for safety and avoid any areas with fast currents. Ideally you also want to plan your snorkel trip close to the low tide mark – the lower the water level, the closer you’ll be to the interesting stuff on the bottom of the sea. In Derrynane, Co. Kerry, Vincent Hyland developed Ireland’s first underwater nature trail for scuba divers (see www.vincenthylandartist.com/ underwater-nature-trail). This looped trail can be snorkelled at low tide and promises sightings of many typical Irish rocky reef inhabitants. It’s accessible

from the shore and located on a blue flag beach with toilets and parking facilities.

Sea kayaking An incredibly worthwhile past time which is increasing in popularity in Ireland is sea kayaking. There are many cliffs and sea caves along the Irish coast that can be explored in this way. Kayaking tour operators usually provide kayaks, wetsuits and shoes, so all you need to bring is some lunch. I went on a brilliant tour in Donegal kayaking around Owey Island. We got to enter some of the sea caves and kayak along the cliff and through some of the impressive arches – definitely places you wouldn’t otherwise get to. However, this also means that kayakers are able to reach areas where animals were previously undisturbed. So, if you see any animals, such as seals or seabirds resting or nesting, do not approach them. Please observe from a distance and respect their home.

Whale watching To-date, 25 species of whales and dolphins have been recorded in Irish waters, according to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. The west coast of Ireland is part of a superhighway for these species, which move north to south and back again hunting migratory fish and krill. The Shannon Estuary is home to the Shannon dolphins, a pod of at least 145 individual bottlenose dolphins resident in the estuary. Several whale watching operators are located in the

"WHEN I STICK MY HEAD UNDERWATER OVER A KELP FOREST OR SEAGRASS BED ON IRELAND’S WEST COAST, IT’S LIKE ENTERING ANOTHER WORLD. TO BE SO COMPLETELY IMMERSED IN NATURE IS A RARE EXPERIENCE NOWADAYS".

Compass jellyfish

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

007_IWT_Summer_2022_Marine_FINAL.indd 8

11/05/2022 14:49

MARINE CONSERVATION Snakelocks anemone

west of Ireland that can take groups on boat tours several hours in length. However, not all whale watching requires you to go on a boat. Sometimes, if the sea is calm and you are lucky, you can even spot a whale from shore. Spotting whales and dolphins requires patience and luck, but regardless of whether you see any of the friendly giants out there, you’re guaranteed a great day out at sea.

Explore tide pools If you’re not too keen on going into or onto the water but are nevertheless interested, or perhaps you have some little ones to look after, you can explore some incredible habitats in a tide pool. The animals and plants in tide pools have to adapt to very harsh conditions. Tide pools get filled with seawater twice a day at high tide, but they can get very warm and salty in the interim. The National Biodiversity Data Centre runs a citizen science programme called Explore Your Shore! which includes instructions to a Rocky Shore Safari. Visit www. exploreyourshore.ie to find out more. If you plan to enjoy any of these activities this summer, please abide by all environmental codes of conduct. Do not remove anything from the sea, disturb animals or damage habitats - just observe and enjoy!

Marine Protected Areas and Commercial Fishing by Pádraic Fogarty The Irish government has committed to designating 30% of Irish territorial seas as Marine Protected Areas (MPA) by 2030. It should not be surprising that productive and biodiverse parts of the sea which need protection are also areas which are of great interest for commercial fishing. Under the Common Fisheries Policy, EU member states can create MPAs in their waters but where another country has fishing interests inside that area, there must be agreement on any conservation measures, including any restrictions on fishing activities such as bottom trawling and longlining. In many instances there is more than one country with an interest so this makes agreement very difficult to reach. In fact, member states have shown that they are more interested in defending their national fishing industry than protecting ocean biodiversity, so the reality is that while many EU countries have extensive

networks of MPAs there are practically no restrictions on industrial fishing activities in these areas, meaning they are merely ‘paper parks’, providing very little actual protection for marine life. This was underlined recently when the UK announced that it would ban bottom trawling in the Dogger Bank MPA starting this summer. The Dogger Bank lies in the North Sea and efforts to exclude bottom trawling date back to 2015. However, it is only now that the UK has left the EU that they have the authority to unilaterally exclude boats from other nations. This shows the EU in a poor light as the block wants to be seen as a leader on ocean protection but so far has been unable to meet its own commitments to end overfishing, the dumping of unwanted catches or the creation of MPAs that are worthy of the name. Unless we see the protection of the ocean prioritised over the commercial interests of industrial fishing it is difficult so see how we will have meaningful MPAs any time soon. Irish Wildlife Summer '22

007_IWT_Summer_2022_Marine_FINAL.indd 9

11/05/2022 14:49

IWT NEWS

M E M B E R S A C T I V I T Y U P D A T E By IWT Coordinator Kieran Flood

TOGETHER OUTDOORS AGAIN!

This spring at the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) we remained busy with our online engagement, such as our fantastic webinars and wildlife articles. However, the warmer weather and changing circumstances also saw the IWT make a welcome return to inperson events and field trips. We ran a field trip as part of our Erasmus+ project with Galway Community College and our branches hosted some great events. The IWT is a partner in an Erasmus+ funded project in which we are supporting students from the Galway Community College to research and produce publications on endangered Irish species. The project is running across three countries: Ireland, Spain and Croatia. This spring it was Ireland’s turn to host a field trip for our international partner from the Croatian and Spanish schools. Galway Community College is situated on the south side of Galway City so we decided to take the students to a nearby site of international conservation importance: the Burren. It was a fantastic day out. For more information visit ww.galwaycc.ie/page/ErasmusProject. To download a copy of the Species Report visit https:// iwt.ie/what-we-do/education/galway-erasmus. En route to the Burren, we stopped at a local park to give the students a practical lesson in pollinating insect identification. This was a great success with all the students getting to try their hand with the butterfly nets and up-close bee identification. It being spring, lots of queens were on the wing much to the excitement of the students. The weather turned on us as we reached our destination of Gortlecka crossroads in the Burren National Park but the brave 10

guides of the National Parks and Wildlife Service fought the April rain and gales to guide us through this amazing landscape. Due to the harsh weather and cold temperature there was not too much flora or fauna on show but the Burren landscape speaks for itself. The Burren is formed from limestone made up of compressed ancient marine life and today much of the exposed rock one encounters contains fossils visible to the naked eye. The fossils we found in the rocks were of great amazement to our guests. So even on a wet and windy day the Burren always has something to offer to the interested mind. We look forward to welcoming our guests back to Ireland next year and hopefully to better weather. Waterways are great refuges for wildlife and our Dublin and Limerick Branches have started the year with guided walks along the rivers and canals of those counties with visits to the Shannon, the Liffey and the Grand Canal. Our Limerick branch went in search of the botanical life of the banks of the Shannon within Limerick City such as the unusual summer snowflake. Our branches are volunteer run and we are extremely thankful to all the volunteers for the work they do to organise events to engage and educate our IWT members and the public. We are planning to increase the level of our in-person events over the year and build back to and above pre-pandemic activity. Keep an eye on https://iwt.ie/events/ to find out if there are any events near you.

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

010_IWT_Summer2022_Activity Update_FINAL.indd 10

11/05/2022 14:52

IWT NEWS

The IWT is a partner organisation of the All Ireland Pollinator Plan and this summer our People for Bees programme returns to in-person events with bee conservation and identification workshops being delivered around the country. People for Bees is all about sharing knowledge with our members and the general public on how to take action to monitor and protect bees. The project delivers workshops on the identification of common Irish bumblebees, bee monitoring techniques and bee habitat creation as well as habitat protection. Check out our website and social media to see which People for Bees events are happening near you. People for Bees is a great programme because it empowers people to take action. Attendees of our workshops learn how to conduct bee surveys and to share their records with the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Once these skills are learnt attendees can continue to share more and more biodiversity records from their locality thus contributing vital species data to the conservation effort in Ireland as citizen scientists. The programme also encourages people to conserve local wildlife habitat and to create new habitat for pollinating insects. Habitat conservation and creation is a transferable skill and one could even call it an outlook as well as a skill. We hope that attendees of our People for Bees workshops will keep seeing their gardens and community spaces as potential wildlife habitat and continue to create and conserve. Afterall we are in a biodiversity and species extinction crisis primarily due to habitat destruction and deterioration, so all action to protect habitat is of great value. At the IWT our goal is to promote action. Our Mission is “to create a better future for Ireland’s biodiversity by motivating and supporting people to take action to protect biodiversity.” With this in mind we have started a new space on our website to share actions we can all take to protect biodiversity:- https://iwt.ie/action/ We work in advocacy, citizen science, education, and practical conservation. Each of these areas is an opportunity to take action for nature. It can be empowering, and sometimes even quite easy, to take action to affect your individual area of influence such as your garden. Encouragingly we are also seeing people come together to take action as a community. Actions on the individual and

Taking Action for Wildlife community sphere of influence are absolutely essential however all too often the responsibility for saving the environment is placed solely on individuals and communities which can let others off the hook such as our local and national government. Much of the action we really need to see to stop the biodiversity crisis needs to come from government. We need action on land use management, policies to support close to nature farming, a wellfunded state nature protection agency to enforce wildlife law, but how do we influence the government? Well, you do this through your vote but if you want to do more you can also take part in public consultations. Public consultations are surveys about certain government plans and laws. Engaging in these consultations can send clear messages to decision makers that the people want genuine biodiversity action at the heart of government decisions. The IWT frequently engages in such consultation (as you will read in our campaign update) but you can have your voice heard too. At the IWT we try our best to support people to take action to protect biodiversity

IWT YouTube Channel hits 1000

This Spring we celebrate reaching 1,000 subscribers on our IWT YouTube channel. As part of our communications work we publish videos on our YouTube channel on a regular basis. If you head over there now you will be able to watch back on all our IWT webinars. You can find us at https://www. youtube.com/irishwildlifetrust. at an individual, community and government level. We will strive to continue adding new actions to the ‘take action’ page of our website and to social media so that our members and the general public can be informed and inspired to keep taking action to protect wildlife whether it be gardening for nature, adding your voice to a public consultation or maybe even joining us on the streets for a demonstration. Keep an eye on https://iwt. ie/action/ and our social media for ideas of how to join the effort to save nature. Irish Wildlife Summer '22

010_IWT_Summer2022_Activity Update_FINAL.indd 11

11/05/2022 14:53

IWT NEWS

C A M P A I G N U P D A T E By Pádraic Fogarty

Peat mining hits political impasse…

AGAIN

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

012_IWT Summer2022_IWT Campaign_News_FINAL.indd 12

11/05/2022 14:56

IWT NEWS

 Small scale peat mining

In April, Minister for Transport, Environment, activities into line with environmental law, Climate and Communications and Green Party however this has not been acted upon. Even leader, Eamon Ryan, answered a parliamentary the regulation that prohibited the cutting of question on the banning of turf for commercial peat in raised bog Special Areas of Conservation sale, confirming that the measure would go over a decade ago is widely ignored. Politicians ahead this autumn. The move had been planned calling for more delays are effectively endorsing for some time and after previous attempts to an unregulated, destructive commercial activity ban smoky coal failed due to the threat of legal that is killing thousands of people. And that is action from coal merchants. Burning dirty fuels not even to mention the carbon emissions results in the premature death of 1,300 people spewing from the degraded peat. every year according to the Environmental Minister Ryan and his Green Party colleagues Protection Agency. It was concluded that only were keen to point out that cutting turf for a blanket ban on all dirty solid fuels, including private, domestic use is not being banned, only smoky coal, turf and wet wood would survive the commercial sale of peat. But why are we legal challenge. Minister not going all out to keep peat Ryan’s department conducted in the ground, regardless of a public consultation on the "IT IS ESTIMATED its origins? It is estimated measure in 2021 and had THAT UP TO that up to 400,000 people in planned to pass the legislation 400,000 PEOPLE Ireland are at risk of fuel later this year. poverty, a figure which may IN IRELAND ARE However, the announcement AT RISK OF FUEL overlap to a degree with resulted in uproar from many people who are dependent POVERTY, A of the usual quarters, upon turf to heat their particularly in the Fine Gael FIGURE WHICH homes. There are already party, with politicians saying MAY OVERLAP TO schemes to support the move needs to be delayed. A DEGREE WITH retrofitting of homes, Many people in Ireland still PEOPLE WHO including free retrofit for depend upon turf for heating ARE DEPENDENT people receiving some their homes with people welfare payments, as well as UPON TURF TO generally contracting out the fully funded schemes for cutting of turf on banks where HEAT THEIR public housing. The main they have ‘turbary’ rights. This HOMES". issue with the scheme is that is generally portrayed as they need to own their home small-scale and low impact when compared (many people in fuel poverty are in the rental with the large-scale industrial activities of Bord market) and to receive some forms of welfare na Móna and others. The media plays along payment. with this, typically illustrating articles on turf However, this is not going far enough fast mining with pictures of people enjoying picnics enough. My impression of the debate on this on the bog or digging turf with the sleán… the issue is that people are ready and willing to stop traditional spade. However, the serious negative burning turf. The fond memories for days on effect of turf mining for domestic use has been the bog with flasks of tea and having the craic recognised. In 2015, the National Peatlands are not matched by a desire to be outdoors all Strategy highlighted how this industry is day long footing turf. But the alternative energy unregulated, with a booming black market, sources must be there. The Green Party at least uncertain property rights and lack of any see the need for change, it’s depressing hearing environmental controls, e.g. where extraction other political parties calling for yet more delays is resulting in pollution of waterways. The to environmental action without any alternative Peatland Strategy committed to reviewing the solutions to our serious environmental and regulatory regime to bring all peat mining public health challenges. Irish Wildlife Summer '22

012_IWT Summer2022_IWT Campaign_News_FINAL.indd 13

11/05/2022 16:11

IWT NEWS

C A M P A I G N U P D A T E By Pádraic Fogarty

THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE

 Otter by Mike Brown

All life depends upon water and in Ireland a significant 88% of our Special Areas of Conservation and 90% of our Special Protection Areas have water dependent habitats and species. These range from sea birds, important estuaries for wintering wading birds, fish, freshwater pearl mussels, otters and peatlands. Water is also vital for people’s health and our economy and this is the same water that is so vital to our wildlife. Pollution and degradation of rivers, lakes and coastal ecosystems is not just a problem for birds and otters but something that directly impacts every person on this island. In 2019, 27 drinking water supplies had pesticide concentrations above 14

required standards while at the end of 2021 15,500 people were on boil water notices for longer than a month. As I write this, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is advising against swimming at four beaches (Clifton in Galway, Merion Strand in Dublin, Lady’s Bay in Buncrana in Donegal and Balbriggan in Dublin) while the beaches.ie website recommends that “after a heavy rainfall event it is important to avoid contact with the water for at least 48 hours to prevent the risk of getting a recreational water illness”. This is not because rain water is contaminated with microbes but because rain can overwhelm poorly-designed public sewers, which frequently combine surface run-off with

foul wastewater, so leading to overflows and discharges of poorly – or completely untreated sewage. Although, with investment by Irish Water, the number of water bodies impacted by urban wastewater is decreasing, the EPA has highlighted that in 2020 12 of our large urban areas were not compliant with standards for wastewater treatment while in 2021 raw sewage from the equivalent of 75,000 people was flowing into the environment every day from 34 towns and villages. They have criticised Irish Water for continually missing targets to upgrade infrastructure that would eliminate these problems. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is EU legislation that was approved in 2000,

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

012_IWT Summer2022_IWT Campaign_News_FINAL.indd 14

11/05/2022 14:56

IWT NEWS

 Significant pressures

 At risk water bodies

"THE BIGGEST SOURCE OF POLLUTION – BY A LONG SHOT – IS AGRICULTURE, AND IN PARTICULAR DAIRY EXPANSION HAS PLACED ENORMOUS PRESSURE ON WATER QUALITY FROM A COMBINATION OF DUNG AND ARTIFICIAL FERTILISER". yes, 22 years ago, and its aim was to achieve ‘good status’ of all water bodies by 2015. There could be exceptions to this but 2027 was the very latest deadline for compliance. Yet we are not only not meeting this target but, despite some local improvements, approximately half of our water bodies are failing to achieve good status and the situation overall is deteriorating. The biggest source of pollution – by a long shot – is agriculture, and in particular dairy expansion has placed enormous pressure on water quality from a combination of dung and artificial fertiliser. The beautiful rivers of the south and east, such as the Boyne, Slaney, Nore, Barrow, Suir and Blackwater are overwhelmed with nitrogen.

But throughout the country, where the soil is heavy, phosphorous and sediment are also important pollutants. The EPA has done impressive work in recent years to identify the kind of measures that are needed in different areas (phosphorus and sediment can be stopped by introducing buffers like woodland or wetlands while nitrogen must be stopped at source) however this information is not being transferred to the farm level where it is needed. An Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) has been set up to send advisors to farmers in some areas however this is not at the scale that is needed, is voluntary and there is no money for actual measures

to be implemented. At the end of the day, our model of food production does not reward farmers for protecting water or even keeping existing patches of habitat that could buffer water pollution. After agriculture, the next biggest pressure on water is physical modifications, that is, dams and barriers to movement and arterial drainage programmes that straighten and deepen rivers or strip them of their natural vegetation. This is mostly related to agriculture, even if it is not always carried out by farmers (the Office of Public Works is a major culprit here) but also over-engineered flood schemes that have destroyed rivers like the Bandon in Cork. After physical modifications we see forestry, urban wastewater, domestic septic tanks, peat mining, industry etc. The EPA calculates that 2,810 water bodies are at risk of more than one of these pressures. Essentially, every aspect of how we use land and dispose of our waste is driving a downward trajectory in water status. The WFD was supposed to have addressed these problems through the development of River Basin Management Plans (RBMP). The RBMP was to have identified water problems and tackle them through a ‘programme of measures’. This year, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage issued its draft of our third RBMP and this is due to be finalised by the end of 2022. The IWT, along with our partners in SWAN (the Sustainable Water Network, an umbrella group which includes the IWT), held a series of webinars with some of Ireland’s top experts on the various issues including an explainer of the WFD. These are all available on our YouTube channel. At the end of March, we made our submission to the public consultation on the draft RBMP and this is available on our website. We called for a transformation of how we farm, including the introduction of a licencing system for large dairy operations, a reform of the Arterial Drainage Act and a feasibility study into the introduction of beavers to Ireland. Above all we called for greater ambition (the draft RBMP does not aim to meet the requirements of the WFD) and greater policy coherence, in other words, that policies on farming, forests, peat and fishing are working towards environmental protection. Without that we will not see progress on reversing the degradation of our water bodies. Irish Wildlife Summer '22

012_IWT Summer2022_IWT Campaign_News_FINAL.indd 15

11/05/2022 16:11

FEATURE

Shores IN THESE EXTRACTS FROM HIS NEW BOOK, WILD SHORES, RICHARD NAIRN EXPLORES THE LOVE THAT ROBERT LLOYD PRAEGER HAD FOR IRELAND’S ISLANDS

 Inishbofin, Co. Galway

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

016_IWT Summer_2022_Wild shores_FINAL.indd 16

11/05/2022 15:01

FEATURE

he great Irish naturalist, Robert Lloyd Praeger (1865-1953), visited numerous offshore islands in Ireland at a time when many were still inhabited and he wrote with passion about them in his books, including The Way that I Went. “Islands are always fascinating”, he wrote, “particularly if they are small. Their aloofness makes a curious appeal. Picture the romance of approaching, after days of unbroken horizon, an unknown island!” Lambay is the largest island on the east coast and it remains a privately owned wildlife sanctuary. In 1904 the new owner of the island, Cecil Baring, came to the National Library seeking information concerning his new possession. Here he met Praeger and, in the words of the naturalist, ‘he told me how he and his wife saw in The Field an advertisement ‘Irish island for sale’, and how they promptly bought it and set about making habitable its old castle. Baring was keen to ‘enhance’ nature on the island, so he introduced a herd of fallow deer and, curiously, a group of wallabies from Australia. The descendants of both species are still present today. With common interests in natural history, Praeger and Baring quickly became friends and the former wrote how he and his wife spent ‘many a delightful holiday’ on the island as guests of the Barings. Praeger, who was deeply interested in island biogeography, the unique assemblage of species on an isolated area of land, relished this opportunity and wasted no time. ‘Shortly after he took possession of the island, I suggested to him that a detailed study of its natural productions – animal, vegetable and mineral – would be interesting, and might have important scientific results. He accepted the suggestion at once.’ Praeger immediately set about organising a team and, during 1905 and 1906, twenty different naturalists stayed on Lambay and, in his own words they ‘ransacked the island from end to end’. The result was a series of papers, published in

 Robert Lloyd Praeger and his wife Hedwig. c. Royal Irish Academy.

the Irish Naturalist on the natural history of Lambay. Some of the animal groups were poorly studied at that time so it does not seem surprising today that the surveys resulted in five new species to science and between eighty and ninety animals and plants that were previously unrecorded in Ireland. Praeger went on to say, “Several islands lie off the South Mayo coast which are well worth a visit by those to whom the heave of the ocean is an exhilaration and not a burden. […] Many a wild crossing I have had among these islands.” Praeger repeatedly mentioned the many values of the curragh, the traditional boat design of the west coast. “The curragh serves as a tent also, for the lobster-men often spend a night on homeless islands, sleeping comfortably under the overturned boat whatever the weather may be”. He then recalled an event where the crew of one of these rowing boats saved him and some colleagues from spending an uncomfortable night on an uninhabited island near Inishturk. Today you can catch a powerful ferry from Roonagh Quay to the island of Inishturk, which is sandwiched between Inishbofin and Clare Island. Praeger and his wife, Hedwig, spent “an interesting week” on the island in 1906 where they stayed in a shed perched on a low rock with deep water half surrounding it. To make it habitable they removed from the floor “a half-inch compacted layer of Portland cement, herring scales, petroleum and sawdust. Then we settled down, surrounded by coils of wire, boxes of dynamite, and bags of cement, and we fried fish, baked bread and cooked bacon and eggs on a small pan over a smoky stove”. Today, the island has a permanent population of about 60 although in 1861 more than twice as many people lived there and they were then entirely Irish speaking. I wandered right around the cliff-bound island, regularly leaving the circular road, following choughs and puzzling over heaps of rocks that might have been the remains of deserted cottages. Here too I saw a great skua, the newest addition to Ireland’s impressive list of breeding seabirds. It was traditionally confined to the northern islands of Scotland but has recently been expanding its range around Ireland as it adapted to preying on fish discarded by vessels at sea. The Clare Island Survey of 1909–11 was one of the outstanding achievements in Praeger’s life and was organised almost single-handedly by him. With characteristic energy, he organised multiple teams of up to a dozen of the leading experts in their specialist fields in Ireland, Britain and other European countries. They scoured Clare Island, neighbouring islands and the seabed for records of plants and animals while also describing placenames, agriculture, climate, geology and antiquities. In total, a hundred workers took part in the surveys including many well-known specialists. “For three consecutive years, six or eight parties went out in spring or Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

016_IWT Summer_2022_Wild shores_FINAL.indd 17

11/05/2022 15:01

FEATURE

 Saltee cave by R. Nairn

“A PRIZED SANCTUARY OF THE IRISH LANGUAGE, A PLACE OF PILGRIMAGE FOR STUDENTS OF THE ANCIENT TONGUE. HENCE ONE IS ABLE TO STAY THERE, IF FISH AND POTATOES ARE DEEMED A SUFFICIENT DIET.”

 Puffin by Mike Brown

summer or autumn, and indeed there was no month of the twelve in which one of our collectors might have not b een found investigating seaweeds or earthworms or mosses.” His own work in organising the massive undertaking including the publication of the results in three large volumes “occupied his leisure time for six years”. He described the whole exercise as “a full, stimulating and interesting time”. In retrospect, Praeger’s ground-breaking Clare

Island Survey is now seen as a thorough baseline measurement of an undeveloped area which has not been immune from the pervasive and long-term effects of habitat loss and land-use change as well as climate change. This was the understanding that led, a century later, to the Royal Irish Academy repeating the exercise with the intention of assessing and evaluating change on the island over the intervening years. Praeger visited the Great Blasket in Kerry at the beginning of the 20th century when most of the islanders were still in residence. He wrote that the village was then “a prized sanctuary of the Irish language, a place of pilgrimage for students of the ancient tongue. Hence one is able to stay there, if

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

016_IWT Summer_2022_Wild shores_FINAL.indd 18

11/05/2022 15:01

FEATURE fish and potatoes are deemed a sufficient diet.” His memories of the islanders are illustrated by one amusing event. “When I botanised there one of the party was A.W. Stelfox of the National Museum who was investigating the Mollusca. The island children, consumed with curiosity, followed us about, and watched with astonishment the collecting of box-snails and slugs. Presently we went home to our usual dinner of one herring and potatoes. When we emerged again a deputation was waiting for us – half the children of the island, bearing cans, boxes, saucers, cloth caps and what-not all full of crawling molluscs, which they told us, a penny or two might add to our possessions. It was difficult to explain to them that only certain rarer kinds were sought for; when they realized that their labour had been in vain, the whole of their spoils was emptied at our feet, and for the rest of our stay at the cottage, inside and out, was alive with these interesting but unwelcome animals which, with misdirected energy, penetrated to every corner, and wrote their slimy autographs on wall and floor and ceiling.” During this visit, Praeger collected a large number of plants and in 1912 he published a note in which he described the work done by previous botanists. Today, it is unlikely that any of the rarer plant species survive as the Great Blasket is grazed to a short sward by flocks of hardy sheep that survive the harsh oceanic conditions by sheltering behind stone walls and buildings left by the islanders. The Saltee Islands off Wexford have long held a

fascination for ornithologists due to their large seabird colonies. Praeger described the larger of the two islands, Great Saltee, as “one of the most populous and interesting breeding-grounds of seabirds to be found in Ireland”. He recalled, “I made the acquaintance of the wonderful avifauna of the Saltees during a pleasant week in 1913, as one of a party of zoologists and botanists. The birdmen were desirous of studying the night-life of this populous city, so we disclaimed the clock and all its works, and came and went as suited us, by day or by night, sleeping on a wisp of hay on the floor of the farmhouse (and getting  Richard Nairn plenty of fresh air since half of the roof was gone) or out among the bracken on the hill-side.” Praeger camped out on numerous remote islands during his tireless efforts to record Ireland’s flora and fauna. Today, many of these islands have returned to nature since their human inhabitants have declined or deserted altogether. They are magical places to explore. Richard Nairn is an ecologist and author living in Wicklow. His most recent book Wild Shores is available from all good bookshops at €14.99 or as an audiobook from audible. co.uk. See our competition page for a chance to win a copy.

 Inishturk cliffs by R. Nairn

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

016_IWT Summer_2022_Wild shores_FINAL.indd 19

11/05/2022 15:02

FRONT LINE

Transition to Biological Farming BY DAVID WALLIS

anú Farming Group is a project funded by the EU’s European Innovation Programme (EIP). The funding is administered in Ireland by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and commenced in June 2018. It will continue until December 2023. Danú consists of 12 farmers, six tillage, six grassland and five support personnel. At the beginning of the project Danú reviewed their current farming systems, identified weaknesses in their soil, crop and pasture management and subsequently began the implementation of practices to transition to a biological farming system. Each member of the group considered that their previous soil management practices were not sustainable and that the development of a fully functional soil biology would be the foundation on which sustainable and economically viable farms would be maintained into the future. The focus of the project is for Danú to learn and implement the basic principles of biological farming. The term “biological farming” was first used by Gary Zimmer, a US farmer, agricultural consultant and author of textbooks on the subject. In essence it is an approach to farming that combines the best of  young plant growing with sunshine conventional and organic © istockphoto.com practices with the aim of fostering and maintaining robust soil biology. Where optimum soil biology function is attained, improved levels of nutrient density in forage, feed and food is achieved which benefits animal and human health. 20

PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGICAL FARMING: 1. Farm management, agronomy and animal husbandry focus on optimising soil biology populations and their function. 2. Over a transition period, reduction and eventual cessation of the application of certain fertilisers and all pesticides that impede optimal soil biology function. 3. Develop and maintain living plant covers throughout the entire year to provide a continuous food source for soil biodiversity. 4. Increase and maintain plant species diversity in arable and grassland systems. 5. Minimise soil disturbance (move to min-till/no-till in arable systems). 6. More efficient use of animal manures and biological inoculants. BENEFITS OF BIOLOGICAL FARMING: 1. Improved soil structure and alleviation of compaction. 2. Increased water infiltration rates, a consequence of improved top-soil structure and depth, so improving water quality in catchment areas. 3. Significant reduction in losses of nitrogen from volatilisation and leaching and phosphorus from surface run-off. Reduction in artificial nitrogen use and an increase in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). 4. Improved sward and crop quality which benefits animal and human health. 5. Increased levels of carbon sequestration over time. 6. Increase in farm biodiversity. TRIAL PLOTS: All 12 farms set aside four plots for field sized trials in August 2018. Trials have been running now for three seasons. Plot 1 Control: Teagasc guidelines & recommendations (“Green Book”). Plot 2 As control, but all artificial nitrogen & acid phosphate (N & Acid P) buffered with a carbon source: molasses, humates, sugar, compost, slurry or farmyard manure. Plot 3 Full mineral balancing over the period of the trial and buffered N & Acid P Plot 4 Full mineral balancing plus selected biological inoculants/ treatments with buffered N & Acid P over the period of the trial.

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

020_IWT Summer_2022_Biological farming_FINAL.indd 20

11/05/2022 15:06

FRONT LINE

"IN ESSENCE IT IS AN APPROACH TO FARMING THAT COMBINES THE BEST OF CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC PRACTICES WITH THE AIM OF FOSTERING AND MAINTAINING ROBUST SOIL BIOLOGY". “Buffering” artificial nitrogen with a carbon source ameliorates the negative effect of applied nitrogen on soil biology and buffering ‘acid phosphate’ limits the negative effect this fertiliser has on mycorrhizal populations which are key to supplying P to the plant from soil reserves. Plants feed soil biology with root exudates. Up to 40% of a plant’s energy from photosynthesis is exuded through the roots to feed soil biology in exchange for nutrients the plant needs on an “on call” basis. Artificial nitrogen and salty soluble fertilisers disrupt this process. Species diversity – multi species swards & diverse cover crop mixes engage soil biology in a remarkably short period of time. In autumn 2018 all trial plots had comprehensive nutrient tests and soil bioassays samples taken. Field tests and observations included worm counts, penetrometer readings (a measure of soil compaction), water infiltration rates and visual evaluation of soil structure (VESS). All 48 plots showed nutrient imbalances, sub-optimal soil biology function, compaction, low worm counts, poor water infiltration rates and mediocre soil structure. These issues were addressed using a mix of practices individually decided upon by each farmer on the trial plots: buffered N & acid P, soft ground rock phosphate, seaweed extract, inoculated slurry, compost rather than raw farmyard manure, compost teas, compost extracts, vermi-juice, cover crops, multispecies swards, trace element balancing, foliar nitrogen and nutrition; min-till and no-till on arable farms. By the end of the second season, all 12 farmers noticed that subtle differences were showing up on the trial plots, and all 12 farmers had at this stage begun to apply the management principles and amendments on plots 3 & 4 on the rest of their farmed lands. This has been a very positive development given that farmers in general are understandably risk adverse and are reluctant to invest in a process if they are not sure of positive results. Trends at the end of the third season on all Danú farmed lands: On livestock farms there has been a reduction of N usage by a minimum of 35% with no reduction in output. On arable farms there has been a reduction of N usage by 10-15% with no reduction in output. Insecticides have been reduced by a minimum of 50%, in most

 Hedgehog by Andrew Kelly

cases by 100%! Fungicides have been reduced by 30 to 50%. Herbicides have been reduced by 30 to 40%. A very positive feature of the work to date has been the increase in wildlife observed on the 12 farms. This is particularly evident on the arable farms where insect life has exploded, likely due to the significant reduction/elimination of insecticides and diverse cover crops and in the multi-species grassland swards. Worm counts are improving. Bird populations have increased: more yellowhammers, snipe, skylark, golden plover, owls, lapwing & sparrowhawks to name a few. Danú believes that biological farming on commercial farms can be sustainable, profitable and beneficial to the environment. Irish Wildlife Summer '22

020_IWT Summer_2022_Biological farming_FINAL.indd 21

11/05/2022 15:07

GORDON D'ARCY

BY GORDON D’ARCY

NATURE’S GlittSHAWL ering IVY IS AMONG OUR MOST IMPORTANT PLANTS FOR BIODIVERSITY

any nature-lovers are at war. ‘It’s invading the country; it’s destroying buildings; it’s choking the trees and hauling them down before our eyes’. Most people – those with neat properties at any rate – seem to have a revulsion towards it. Despite being ‘opportunistic’ rather than ‘invasive’ and decidedly native, there is no doubt that even the mention of ivy engenders widespread hostility. Let’s be honest. Ivy will cover a forest floor especially if there is no light getting down

to promote ground flora. Sitka spruce plantations are often carpeted with a monoculture of ivy, at the expense of flowers. And ivy will insinuate itself into crumbling lime mortar over time, even to the extent of destabilising old buildings. However, judicious base cutting will remedy the issue with little effort. Some people believe that ivy on a gable wall may help to keep a house warm and dry while others see it as a source of damp, keeping away the drying effect of the wind. On a drystone wall a blanket of ivy can obscure fine stonework but it may be the only thing

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

022_IWT Summer_2022_Gordon D'Arcy_FINAL.indd 22

11/05/2022 15:09

GORDON D'ARCY

 Ivy Flowers

preventing the wall from collapsing! A storm-felled tree is often found to be covered in ivy. But was this the cause of its fall? If it’s an old beech, rotten at the centre – possibly. Beech has a shallow rooting system (unlike that of oak) and may rot, unseen, on the inside. In addition, being comparatively short-lived and often planted on a raised bank at the edge of an old estate, beeches may be prone to falling, especially when top-heavy with ivy. The scourge of ash dieback infestation has presented us with a new arboreal hazard. Despite a sound rooting system (with supporting

taproot) affected ash trees do shed branches and some, top-heavy with ivy, have fallen during winter storms. Unfortunately, such incidences may well increase as the disease spreads. Currently, the standard means of curtailing the spread of the disease is by taking out trees, healthy and otherwise, in a ‘buffer-zone’ containment programme. Those concerned about the danger posed by affected ash trees should, nevertheless, exercise a degree of restraint since partially affected trees may live on, unthreateningly for years. In a positive sense, ivy’s contribution to

the rest of nature is extraordinary. At all stages of growth it gives sustenance to myriad insects. Its robust leaf clusters provide reliable shelter for overwintering butterflies and moths while its grey-green flowers are an important nectar source for hoverflies, bees and wasps. By late summer nectar-hungry red admirals can be seen decorating wall-tops draped with ivy. The hard green fruits gradually blacken and swell through the winter providing a much-needed food to birds. At least twelve species rely on the ivy harvest: overwintering redwings and fieldfares, thrushes, blackbirds, pigeons and a variety of finches are the chief beneficiaries. Attractive as they look however, ivy berries are not safe for human consumption. Small birds such as wrens, robins and dunnocks make their nests in ivy and those untidy nest-builders, wood pigeons, do so too. Ivy’s food value is by no means confined to wildlife; livestock such as goats, sheep, donkeys, horses and even cows (discouraged by dairy farmers) will browse on ivy. Ivy also has cultural connections. With its distinctive leaves and vine-like stems it has long been a favourite art motif, frequently found as decoration on the margins of Medieval manuscripts and ecclesiastical masonry. Intertwined with holly, ivy has long been a favourite constituent of wreaths. In Gaelic times ivy was much appreciated not only as livestock food but also for its beauty. An early Irish poem references ivy, ‘big as a man’, (presumably a reference to the plant’s girth). In another it is praised as ‘the shadowy genius of the wood’ and in the 7th century Suibhne Geilt, ivy is ‘familiar in the dusky wood’. Anglicized from the Irish as Inaun, ivy occurs in many place names. On the north side of the Burren Gleninagh (the ivy glen) is carpeted with the plant to this day. In Ireland we take this prolific plant for granted. In Europe, however, it is most abundant in the west, proliferating under the influence of the moist Atlantic while in eastern Europe it is decidedly scarce. Interestingly, (according to botanist Charles Nelson), Ireland has two (almost indistinguishable) ivies- Hedera helix and Hedera hibernica - the latter being the Atlantic or ‘Irish ivy’. Can we therefore simply dismiss ivy as a scourge, threatening to engulf our gardens, our woodlands, our homes…demanding our unremitting control? Or can we reimagine ivy, more affectionately perhaps, as nature’s ‘glittering shawl’? Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

022_IWT Summer_2022_Gordon D'Arcy_FINAL.indd 23

11/05/2022 15:09

SUMMER FOCUS

CIRCULAR

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY AIMS TO ELIMINATE THE IDEA OF ‘WASTE’ BY BILLY FLYNN

Thinking

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

024_IWT Summer_2022_Billy Flynn_FINAL.indd 24

11/05/2022 15:11

SUMMER FOCUS

he price of a cup of coffee is often used as a metric or indicator of how expensive a city or country might be, as well as an indicator of disposable wealth in a given society. The price of a takeaway coffee in Ireland looks set to increase in the near future, at least for those who choose to spend some of their wealth on a disposable cup. The Circular Economy Bill has recently been approved by cabinet and amongst the many changes that this new legislation will bring is a ‘small charge’ on disposable cups for takeaway coffee. If you took up regular walks within your 2km or 5km during the Covid-19 period you’d have seen how frequent an item the takeaway cup is among Ireland’s roadside litter. If you’ve kept up the walking habit, you’ll have noticed (no doubt with dismay) how these have increased as we’ve made our way back to business and travel as usual. A bane of Tidy Towns and other groups, disposable takeaway cups have only recently been made more environmentally friendly with a significant proportion now being compostable or recyclable. How they might or might not break down isn't the point of the forthcoming legislation. Rather, it is stopping these cups being waste at all that is the aim. Minister of State with responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy Ossian Smyth described it thus: “This bill aims to stop the wasteful pattern of using valuable resources once and just binning them.” He likens some provisions of the bill to those measures that introduced a charge for single-use plastic bags and led to a dramatic decrease in the plastic litter and waste all over the country. Tidy Towns groups will also be cheered by another aspect of the bill that will help to crack down on fly-tipping. The state’s obligations under GDPR had heretofore stymied efforts to bring successful prosecutions against illegal dumpers, even those that had been "THE GOVERNMENT HAS caught on camera and DESCRIBED THE CIRCULAR recorded carrying out ECONOMY BILL AS ‘WORLDillegal activity. Now, GDPRLEADING’ AND THIS IS compliant technologies, including CCTV will be PROBABLY NOT A GRANDIOSE used to enforce our litter CLAIM. IN MANY WAYS, IT and waste legislation. IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND, On a bigger scale, the JUST AS THE ‘PLASTIC BAG Circular Economy Bill will TAX’ WAS A WORLD-FIRST have long-lasting effects on AROUND 20 YEARS AGO". our emissions and our country’s overall carbon footprint. It will effectively put an end to any further exploration and mining of coal, lignite and shale. This will bolster Ireland’s existing moratorium on gas exploration and

extraction, meaning an end to any new fossil fuels arising within our territory. Irish householders are now well-used to sorting waste at home as well as paying by weight for waste disposal and at the same time subsidising our now highly successful recycling of household waste. The new legislation will see a similar system brought in for commercial waste arisings. Companies will be incentivised to increase separation of waste and to increase the proportion of waste materials that are recycled. This should reward organisations that perform better at managing their waste and go a long way toward encouraging others to improve. The bill will provide ways by which reused and recycled materials may be better processed. For example, instead of new stone or gravel being extracted for use as infill or building materials, the system will be better organised to accommodate the use of reused construction materials. This would be a major saving in not just ground-won resources but also in the energy costs and carbon emissions that are incurred in their extraction. A crucial feature of this new legislation will be the introduction of new levies on waste that is sent for incineration or landfill here in Ireland. Levies will also be placed on waste materials that will be sent abroad, whether within the EU or outside states. These funds will assist in paying for the implementation of the bill’s measures as well as being a potent incentive to avoid waste in the first place. The proposed legislation has been well-received by waste-conscious NGOs. VOICE has praised its ‘very good provisions’ such as the use of CCTV to catch litter louts. The Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun has said that it is particularly timely and will positively impact citizens and businesses in their everyday lives. The government has described the Circular Economy Bill as ‘world-leading’ and this is probably not a grandiose claim. In many ways, it is the first of its kind, just as the ‘plastic bag tax’ was a world-first around 20 years ago. When the new bill was announced in the media, it was the tax on takeaway coffee cups that made the headlines. Written in there too though is the aim of doing away with these disposable single-use items altogether. That would make Ireland the first country to have done so. Not a bad ambition. However, there could be many other positives arising from this, including the incorporation of better design and manufacture in everything from clothing to road surfacing. The most significant achievement though would perhaps be the longterm reduction in our emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. We won’t be just improving our roadsides, we’ll be making a difference much further afield. Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

024_IWT Summer_2022_Billy Flynn_FINAL.indd 25

11/05/2022 15:11

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

Adapt to Entrap 26

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

026_IWT Summer_2022_CitizenScience_FINAL.indd 26

11/05/2022 15:13

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

A LOOK AT IRELAND’S CARNIVOROUS PLANTS BY ANNE SUNDERMANN

onvergent evolution occurs when unrelated species independently adapt to similar circumstances in the same manner. A prime example is the emergence of carnivorous plants worldwide. Without important minerals such as nitrogen and phosphorus, a plant would not be able to survive, and several unrelated plants have adapted to a nutrient-deficient habitat by adopting methods of capturing and digesting insects, arthropods, and other invertebrates. First and foremost, a carnivorous plant is an angiosperm (flowering plant) that can attract, capture, and digest animal prey. Carnivory in plants is estimated to have developed between 60-130 million years ago, after the advent of angiosperms and insects. Many of the carnivorous plants developed moving parts to actively catch prey. At a molecular level, carnivorous plants have evolved enzymes to support digestion and absorption of nutrients.

 Round-leaved sundew by Zoë Devlin

IRISH INSECTIVORES Ireland hosts 11 different species of carnivorous plants, belonging to four distinct groups: sundews (three species), butterworts (three species), bladderworts (four species), and a non-native pitcher plant (one species). Each use a different mechanism to catch and digest live prey. Most of Ireland’s carnivorous plants grow in moist, acidic soils of Ireland’s bogs, where the major source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients will be derived from captured and digested invertebrates. • The sundew, genus Drosera, ensnares prey on its adhesive-covered tentacles on their leaves. The sundews are distinguished by their leaf shape, with the round leaved D. rotundifolia being most common in Ireland. • The aquatic bladderwort, genus Utricularia, uses underwater appendages, or bladders to entrap and hold live insects, not unlike a suction cup. The bladderwort lives off algae and insects found in peat bogs and can be free-floating or attached. In summer, thin stalks break the water’s surface, from which the plant sends forth yellow blooms. • Butterwort, genus Pinguicula, secretes a greasy substance through cuticular holes or gaps in the leaf. Pedunculate glands on butterwort leaves act as a glue trap and initiates digestion. At that point, the sessile glands release a large cache of enzymes. Leaves may roll up to pool the fluids, speeding digestion. Butterwort leaves die back during winter dormancy. • The pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpura, is Ireland’s lone non-native species. Unlike other Irish carnivorous species, the pitcher plant uses a passive means to capture insects, drowning them in a reservoir of digestive juices at the base of the pitcher. Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

026_IWT Summer_2022_CitizenScience_FINAL.indd 27

11/05/2022 15:13

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

"A PLANT OF DROSERA, WITH THE EDGES OF ITS LEAVES CURLED INWARDS, SO AS TO FORM A TEMPORARY STOMACH, WITH THE GLANDS OF THE CLOSELY INFLECTED TENTACLES POURING FORTH THEIR ACID SECRETION, WHICH DISSOLVES ANIMAL MATTER, AFTERWARDS TO BE ABSORBED, MAY BE SAID TO FEED LIKE AN ANIMAL".

 The sticky leaves of the sundew by James O’Neill

NATURAL SELECTION In his 1875 book Insectivorous Plants, Charles Darwin applies his theory of natural selection to the ability of plants to adapt to less-than-optimal conditions. He particularly noted the adaptations of sundew (Drosera): A plant of Drosera, with the edges of its leaves curled inwards, so as to form a temporary stomach, with the glands of the closely inflected tentacles pouring forth their acid secretion, which dissolves animal matter, afterwards to be absorbed, may be said to feed like an animal. In the natural selection game, there is usually a cost to any evolutionary benefit. In this case, the adaptations of a plant that can trap and ingest animal protein solves one problem—providing much needed nutrients to supplement photosynthesis in less than desirable habitats. But the evolutionary invoice comes due in myriad ways. Researchers who have undertaken study of the cost and benefits of carnivory consistently cite the habitat range—restricting carnivorous plants to moist, nutrient-poor sites that receive a lot of sunlight— as the major trade-off between efficient photosynthesis and active carnivory. Trapping mechanisms are a huge energy sink for carnivorous plants. For example, the aquatic bladderwort plant has to react in a split second to pump out water, creating negative pressure to suck its intended prey into the bladder. 28

 Butterwort and prey by James O’Neill

Digestion of that prey calls for another evolutionary barter. Energy created during photosynthesis needs to be further refined into food the plant can use, via respiration. It has been found that carnivorous plants trade up to one-fifth of their respiration capacity to accommodate the metabolic pathways needed for digestion. Most plants have a suite of proteins that are commonly used to break down the common polysaccharide chitin, primarily to protect the plant from fungi and other pathogens. At a molecular level, more than a few carnivorous plants have independently altered chitin-dissolving proteins to focus on animal prey digestion. A few of those proteins are being studied for their antifungals and antibacterial properties. It has been shown that thriving populations of carnivorous plants need water, nutrient-deficient soil, and ample sunlight. As such, most of Ireland’s carnivorous species find a home in its bogs and wetlands. Protection and preservation of these habitats are of increasing importance, not the least for the adaptive carnivorous plants found within.

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

026_IWT Summer_2022_CitizenScience_FINAL.indd 28

11/05/2022 15:15

Curlew of Cloghane BY SUSAN HITCHING

They flute whilst wading the sea-frills dib-dibbling for sand-worms. Striding on fragile stilts: to dig the clouds, sythe the sun... and treading the blue ...in glassy sands they are swimming in sky.... or dancing to the lap-lap rythm of gentle a back-wash. Cloghane.... with its mournful pipers threading phrases on the wind... tightening those ghostly strings.

 Curlew by Ray Farrelly

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

029_IWT Summer_2022_Curlew Poem_FINAL.indd 29

11/05/2022 15:17

OCEAN AND CLIMATE

Ocean to save the Climate Save the

REBECCA HUBBARD AND MIKE WALKER, OUR FISH

he ocean is incredible. It is the source of all life on earth and is the most significant contributor to planetary health - we owe it our every second breath. It doesn’t stop there: it has absorbed over 90 percent of humandriven atmospheric warming and soaks up a third of the CO2 we emit. If it were not for its cooling effect, the planet would be a staggering 36 C˚ warmer! So even if you don’t eat fish or live by the ocean, we all have a stake in a planetary system which sustains human life. But rather than treating it as the life-giving source that it is, we are subjecting it to multiple stressors: plastic and toxic pollution, destructive fishing and climate change. And sustained destructive fishing has impacted marine biodiversity and its capacity to mitigate climate change. But as the inspiring marine biologist and oceanographer Sylvia Earle has said, unlike any other time in history we have the power of "WE’VE HAD A STRING knowledge – knowledge of the QUARTET AND AN destruction we are responsible for, OPERA SINGER PULL ON but also the power of knowing THE HEART-STRINGS OF what can be done. Our Fish MINISTERS OUTSIDE EU campaigns for incorporating that knowledge into EU (including FISHERIES MEETINGS, Irish) fisheries management in AND WE’VE EVEN order to end overfishing and SUMMONED THE GOD restore ocean health. OF THE OCEAN TO We have been working with a DEMAND AN END TO team of global scientists on a series OVERFISHING!" of research papers exploring how fisheries management can increase ocean resilience and its capacity to mitigate the impact of climate change. This work is crucial to understanding and advocating for the restoration of fish populations so that they can fulfil their role in cycling and sequestering more carbon, as well as decreasing direct emissions from fishing vessels. The papers will be published in the coming weeks and be presented during 30

the Lisbon UN Ocean Conference in late June. By collaborating with organisations and scientists across the EU and beyond, and by deploying robust evidence, Our Fish is calling for an end to EU overfishing as a rapid, achievable and effective way of addressing the biodiversity and climate crisis. Our Fish often uses bold and provocative messaging, or employs colourful and sometimes noisy street theatre to catch attention. We’ve worked with renowned street artists and flamenco dancers; we’ve had a string quartet and an opera singer pull on the heart-strings of ministers outside EU fisheries meetings, and we’ve even summoned the god of the ocean to demand an end to overfishing! On a quieter note, we also run expert briefings and webinars so the media, policymakers and politicians better understand the issues and solutions. During Ireland’s 2013 Presidency, the EU committed to end overfishing by 2015 and by 2020 at the latest. We missed that commitment and over 40 per cent of fish populations in the North-East Atlantic are still subject to overfishing, 84 percent of European waters are considered ‘problem areas’, and thousands of sensitive marine animals such as dolphins are still dying each year as bycatch. The EU fishing fleet has too many destructive bottom trawlers, subsidised by public money (through fuel tax exemptions and more) to take too many fish. This is down to insufficient political oversight and a perception that fisheries management is a marginal issue, with industry interests exercising disproportionate political influence. Our Fish is working to shift the discussion away from late-night haggling between fisheries ministers over fishing quotas, to a higher-level discussion about the critical role of a healthy ocean to climate action, and the need for ecosystem-based management that supports a just transition to low-impact fishing. The European Commission has committed to publishing an Ocean Action Plan as part of its

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

030_IWT Summer_2022_Our Fish_FINAL.indd 30

11/05/2022 15:19

OCEAN AND CLIMATE

 OurFish mural in Vilnius, Lithuania

Biodiversity Strategy and a review of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) later this year. We are pushing for both to acknowledge and incorporate measures which recognise the role fisheries management plays in the ocean’s capacity to respond to climate change. We are living in truly scary and harrowing times. But we have the power of knowledge, and knowledge empowers care. And we do care; while the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report includes an overwhelming list of measures that we need to address in order to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, more careful fisheries management is a no-brainer, thanks to the positive and near-immediate impact it would have. EU fishing member states, including

- and led by - Ireland, can easily transition to lowimpact, low-carbon fishing, because we know how: follow scientific advice when setting fishing limits, prioritise access to low-impact fishers, phase-out destructive fuel-intensive bottom trawling, remove fuel tax subsidies in the revision of the Energy Taxation Directive, and invest in decarbonising the fleet. Ireland is a pioneering island state, with a history of care but also of disproportionate influence in Brussels. So now is the time for Ireland to act on what we know and become a champion of ocean climate solutions.

"BUT WE HAVE THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE, AND KNOWLEDGE EMPOWERS CARE".

See https://our.fish or @our_fish on Twitter Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

030_IWT Summer_2022_Our Fish_FINAL.indd 31

11/05/2022 15:19

CITIZEN SCIENCE

DRAGONS Water IRELAND’S DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES BY DAVE WALL

 Four-spotted Chaser by Dave Wall

o say that dragonflies and damselflies have a long history would be a bit of an understatement. The earliest dragonfly ancestors pre-dated the dinosaurs, going back 350 million years! These ancestors-of-dragonflies included the largest winged insects that ever lived, with a nearly one metre wingspan! Dragonflies and damselflies that resembled the ones we know today appeared on the scene a mere 250 million years ago. Historically known as ‘devil’s darning needles’, they were associated with evil in many European cultures and were reputed to sew up the mouths or eyes of naughty children! We now know that dragonflies and damselflies are totally harmless to humans. They are, however, a supremely effective predator of flying insects, feed on a range of species including midges, mosquitos, flies, wasps, butterflies, and other dragonflies and damselflies. Thanks to their amazing eyesight and superior flight control, they have an incredible 95% success rate when hunting. Dragonflies and damselflies are charismatic insects that are easily recognised by their large size and dazzling body colours.

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

032_IWT Summer_2022_Dragonflies_FINAL.indd 32

11/05/2022 15:22

CITIZEN SCIENCE Downy Emerald by Donna Rainey Large Red Damselfly by Gerry Fitzmaurice Common Hawker by Kevin Collins

This makes them a good target for biological recording. They are primarily an aquatic species, spending one to five years as aquatic nymphs before emerging for a brief adult phase lasting a few days to a few months, depending on species. Because most of their lifespan is aquatic, their presence at freshwater sites can provide a useful indicator of water quality. Some species also have specific habitat and climate requirements which make them potential bio-indicators of habitat quality and climate change. Ireland has 11 species of damselfly and 15 species of dragonfly that may be considered resident. There are another four species which are vagrant and three that have been recorded historically. With climate change, dragonfly species distributions are on the move and there is always the potential for new species to become established.

Threats to Dragonflies and Damselflies Globally, at least one in ten dragonfly and damselfly species are threatened with extinction. In the last assessment of the conservation status of the species that may be considered resident in Ireland, four species were assessed as threatened and one as near threatened. However, it is almost 20 years since the last major survey of dragonflies and damselflies in Ireland and new data is required for a fresh assessment of their conservation status. The main conservation threats facing Irish dragonflies and damselflies are habitat loss and water pollution.

Dragonfly Ireland 2019 – 2024 Dragonfly Ireland 2019-2024 is an all-Ireland project to map dragonfly and damselfly distribution and to assess their value as bio-indicators of climate change and habitat quality. The project is conducted in partnership with the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording in Northern Ireland (CEDaR) and funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. The project's goals include creating an updated atlas of dragonflies and damselflies for Ireland and highlighting the issues of climate change and water quality for the public. Participation in the project is available at three levels, depending on your availability, experience, and interest level. Dragonfly Spotter is our entry level survey and enables you to record casual sightings when out and about near freshwater habitats. No matter where you are or what you are doing you can always submit a dragonfly or damselfly species record via our online recording form or the Biodiversity App. Please include

a photo of the animal, or description of the identifying features observed, to help us validate your record. Dragonfly Recorder is the next survey level and asks you to record all species at a given site twice per annum and note a few details on habitat quality. Each site is surveyed once between late May and the end of June, and again between July and early September. This is to cover the flight period of all the Irish dragonfly and damselfly species. The habitat survey is simple, requiring you only to tick the features listed which you observe at the site and takes two minutes to complete. You can survey as many or as few sites as you like and all details on how to take part are available on the project web pages on biodiversityireland. ie. Dragonfly Monitor is the third survey level and is essentially the same as the Dragonfly Recorder survey but with four surveys at each site per annum. Since 2019 the project has validated 12,000 records of 30 dragonfly and damselfly species. Already these data have allowed us to explore how dragonfly and damselfly distributions have changed since the last major survey was conducted in 2000-2003. Some of the most obvious changes have been to the distribution of species that were recent arrivals to Ireland at the time of the 2000-2003 survey. These include the migrant hawker and the emperor dragonfly, whose distribution was very much limited to the south and south-east coasts in 2000-2003. In the intervening 20 years, their range has expanded north-westwards across Ireland, as far north as Belfast and as far west as Galway. Range expansion in these two species is linked to global warming. We are delighted at the response to the project so far and that so many people have taken up the chance to record their local dragonflies and damselflies. However we always need additional recorders and records to improve our knowledge of species distribution. To get involved in the project please visit our web pages at https://biodiversityireland.ie/surveys/dragonfly-ireland/ or sign up for our countrywide training workshops at https://biodiversityireland.ie/workshops/ Irish Wildlife Summer '22

032_IWT Summer_2022_Dragonflies_FINAL.indd 33

11/05/2022 15:22

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

034_IWT Summer_2022_Photomontage_FINAL.indd 34

11/05/2022 15:25

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Otter by Chris Martin Scarlet elf cup by Sharon Foley Kingfisher by Gilbert Smyth Brambling by Paul Lowen Stonechat by Eugene Cunnignham Red fox by John Sherr

Irish Wildlife Summer '22

034_IWT Summer_2022_Photomontage_FINAL.indd 35

11/05/2022 15:25

COMPETITION

COMPETITION Your chance to win a copy of an exciting new nature book or an IWT T-shirt. We have five copies ‘Wild Shores ’ and five T-shirts to give away Wild Shores: The Magic of Ireland’s Coastline by Richard Nairn published by Gill Following the Irish coast in a clockwise direction, ecologist Richard Nairn travels by boat, on foot and sometimes by air to visit the best remaining wild places, including islands, cliffs, beaches and dunes. The result is a unique mix of nature, history, science and a reflection on the author’s personal experiences of exploring Ireland’s coast. By viewing the coastline from the sea, Richard gains a unique perspective on the island. And along the way, he recalls a lifetime spent studying nature. You also have a chance to win one of the new designs of our organic clothes range of T-shirts. The IWT has a range of inspiring, ethical T-shirts, jumpers and tote bags in a range of styles to highlight our campaigns to protect nature. See https:// iwtclothing.com/ for full details.

To win one of these great books just name one of Ireland’s carnivorous plants. The answer is somewhere in this issue! Send your answer, name, address and the design and size of the t-shirt that you would like to win to magazinecomp@iwt.ie by July 31st Spring issue. In our spring issue we gave readers a chance to win three copies of Under Summer Pastures published by Hometree and one copy of The Irish Butterfly Book by Jesmond Harding. The answer to the question is Yellowrattle (an Irish wildflower that is sometimes nicknamed ‘the meadow maker’). Congratulations to Philip Brennan in Clara, Co, Kilkenny, Aoife Doheny, Dublin 01, Rhiannon Laubach in Dunmanway, Co. Cork and Darren Ellis from Tuam in Co. Galway. Thanks to all who entered!

Irish Wildlife Summer ‘22

036_IWT_Summer2022_Competition_FINAL.indd 36

11/05/2022 15:30

Wild CCalendar alendar endarr 2022 20 022

www.iwt.ie

h oop p iwt.ie/shop ho

Introducing the new Irish Wildlife Trust membership card. Please fill in your name, cut out and keep your new membership card to present at talks and other events.

Membership Card 2022

Individual members, please fill in your full name. Family members, please fill in your family name. Card valid until end of 2022.

Cards valid until the end of 2022.

IBC_IWT Summer2022_FINAL.indd 1

11/05/2022 14:36

“The Badger Club is our Junior IWT Membership subscription.

Join the Badger Club to receive our quarterly junior magazine the “Badger” for €15 per year. The Badger is full of fun facts about nature and features an A3 poster in each issue. To join visit the Join IWT section on www.iwt.ie and select Junior Membership”

OBC_IWT Summer2022_FINAL.indd 1

11/05/2022 14:32

Irish Wildlife Trust Summer 2022

Articles inside

COMPETITION

DRAGONFLIES

SUMMER FOCUS

OUR FISH

ACTIVITY UPDATE

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

DANÚ

GORDON D’ARCY

WILD SHORE

CONSERVATION NEWS