Irish Wildlife

ISSN - 1649 - 5705 • SPRING ‘15

IRISH MAGAZINE OF THE IRISH WILDLIFE TRUST

IRELAND’S

SIT BIE LDL FE W

MAGAZINE

MAMMAL ATLAS Tracking Ireland’s Mammals

+ INSIDE

THE LAST

WALTZ

The Hen Harrier’s Uncertain Future

SPOTTED IN IRELAND: •Red squirrel •Bank vole •Hen harrier

MAMMAL SURVEY

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ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

GMOS

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HERITAGE IN

Web: www.carstenkrieger.com “There’s a haunting quality to his work that ma Email: info@carstenkrieger.com Irish Indepe Web: www.carstenkrieger.com SCHOOLS SCHEME Email: Phone: 00353-87-6949385 info@carstenkrieger.com

CARSTEN KRIEGER PHOTOGRAPHY

A VISION FOR EDUCATION A FOCUS FOR PUPILS

Phone: 00353-87-6949385

FINE ART PRINTS - BOOKS - WORKSHOPS

Heritage in Schools Scheme: How it works

•

STUDIO GALLERY

Kilbaha North, Loop Head,

Log on to the dedicated website www.heritageinschools.ie for full details of specialists and online booking system

• A visit can be a half day or a full day duration We are delighted to announce that the Heritage • A small fee is paid by the school for the visit in Schools scheme has re-opened under the direct “There’s aofhaunting thatare always present during a visit • Teachers administration the Heritage quality Council. to his work

Web: www.carste Email: info@carste Phone: 00353-8

Heritage Experts offer a variety of expertise The Heritage in School scheme is images unique in Ireland makes even familiar feel eerily new” including birds and their habitats, tapestry, work horses, and provides a panel of over 165 diverse Heritage bees, flowers and pollination, biodiversity, capturing Specialists who workIrish directly with children in primary Independent heritage using film and podcasting technology, schools throughout the country, at the request of the

creating school gardens, Ireland in the 1950s, our built school. In 2013 just over 1,334 visits were made with environment, marine habitats, weaving and many more. over 74,941 children enjoying and benefitting from Experts usually conduct their visits in or close to their these visits, experiencing the cultural, natural and “There’s a haunting quality to his work that makes even familiarown images feel eerily many new” are prepared to travel. county, although social heritage that is all around them.

rship

lte

Kilbaha North, Loop Head, County Clare, Ireland

wildlife trust half page_Layout 1 15/08/2014 17:59 Page 1

Studio Gallery now open Irish Independent

If you have never used the scheme and would like to find out more, go to our website at

Heritage in Schools Administrator Kilbaha North, Loop Head, The Heritage Council, Church Lane, Kilkenny Email: heritageinschools@heritagecouncil.ie Tel: 056 7770777 www.heritageinschools.ie STUDIO GALLERY OPEN County Clare, NOW Ireland

Kilbaha North, Loop Head, County Clare, Ireland

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IWT cover Winter 13.indd 3

Web: www.carstenkrieger.com Coillte’s stewardship of Irish landscapes and ancient treasures is invaluable. We preserve and Email: info@carstenkrieger.com promote our shared natural heritage such as the newly opened Cavan Burren Park.

Phone: 00353-87-6949385 Nature, Biodiversity and Cultural Heritage, delivered by Coillte have a combined Public Goods value of over €500 million.

Sustainability Innovation Exports Coillte. Treesby areCoillte just the start of it.

by Coillte

by Coillte

26/11/2013 14:28

Cherishing the invaluable. Protecting the irreplaceable.

Delivering for everyone.

The Calf House The Cavan Burren – A Prehistoric Park Blacklion, Country Cavan.

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WELCOME

Chairperson’s Comment As spring gradually prises loose the grip of winter, this new year has already brought us some depressing news on the conservation front. In fact it is the news, or rather how it is reported, that is most depressing. First we have ‘Raptor-Gate’ on Pat Kenny’s new show on Newstalk, where Professor Luke O’Neill, a biochemist (perfectly qualified to talk about ecological issues, right?) discusses the global decline in bird populations. The reason, he says? Why, those “nasty” and “ravenous” raptors of course. Prof. O’Neill seems to have read the nineteenth century gamekeeper’s guide to ecology. Why wasn’t a qualified ornithologist brought on the show?

Cover credit: Image

by Mario MacRory/ muddybootsguided walking.com

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.

Editor: Pádraic Fogarty, IWT Published by Ashville Media Group www.ashville.com

Printed on

All articles © 2015. 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 Trust cannot be held responsible for any inadvertent errors or omissions contained herein.

Please recycle this copy of Irish Wildlife

Sticking with raptors and the media, many journalists seem to have it in for the endangered hen harrier at the moment. There was article after article about the perceived negative financial impact on upland farmers by the designation of their land for the protection of hen harriers. This negativity culminated in the perverse shooting of a satellite-tagged harrier called ‘Heather’. This bird had been followed by adults and children alike all over the world. It was a sad and needless death. The negative attitude towards nature conservation being pedalled by the Irish media is worryingly similar to what was written during the height of the Celtic tiger, when our Taoiseach blamed the swans and the snails for the impediment of economic growth. Organisations such as the Irish Wildlife Trust and An Taisce were vilified for questioning the rampant and badly planned development going on. The issues over the designation of land for conservation have been needlessly turned into a conservationist versus farmer battle. Environmental groups have always said that the Natura 2000 network of designated sites needs to be properly funded in order for land owners to make a sustainable living from these beautiful and precious landscapes.

Farmers of ‘marginal land’ need more options than the current two of Sitka spruce monocultures, or going out of business. They need to be encouraged to be conservation land managers.

It is also imperative that the positive message of wildlife conservation in Ireland is put out there to silence the rubbish being written at the moment. Protecting wildlife and ensuring the survival of rural communities are not mutually exclusive goals. I recently watched a documentary on the Nazis’ attempts at ecological restoration through the mass eviction and murder of people living in the forests of Eastern Europe. They desired a ‘pure wilderness’ free from humanity. Clearly this despicable act is not how we should restore our damaged ecosystems, but instead we need to work with local communities in order to secure a sustainable future for both wildlife and rural people.

The above issues are well covered in this edition of Irish Wildlife. We also report on the exciting re-launch of our ‘Communities for Biodiversity’ and the launch of our new secondary schools programme. The IWT has always excelled at community outreach and it is heartening that, despite the economic challenges, we continue to do so. As always, please help us to continue our valuable work by maintaining and renewing your membership and recruiting your friends and family to the fold.

Dr Daniel Buckley Chairperson, Irish Wildlife Trust

contriiButors LIAM LYSAGHT is Director of the National Biodiversity Data Centre (established to make available information on Ireland’s biodiversity).

He hopes that nature conservation can benefit from greater understanding of how biodiversity is changing, and improved decision-making.

FINTAN KELLY is a graduate of Environmental Biology from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and has researched extensively on the Irish badger culling programme. He is currently the Ecological Case Officer with An Taisce and representative for the eNGO sector on the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan Consultation Committee.

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CONTENTS

Contents 4.

ABOUT US Discover more about the work of the IWT and how to get involved.

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CONSERVATION NEWS All the latest Irish and international conservation news.

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IWT NEWS What we’ve been doing over the winter months.

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EDUCATION enny uinn on the benefits of introducing plants to the classroom.

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BRANCH FOCUS The IWT’s Waterford Branch looks forward to an active and exciting 2015.

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WILD IDEAS Elaine Dromey rails against the IFA’s attitude towards environmental protection.

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COMPETITION We’ve got some IWT branded clothing to give away.

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FEATURE – IRELAND’S SKY-DANCER is poised be a pivotal year for the hen harrier. intan elly reports.

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FIXING NATURE Gordon D’Arcy on ecological restoration.

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SPRING FOCUS Billy Flynn wades through the murky waters of GMO regulation.

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FIELD REPORT The National Biodiversity Data Centre’s Atlas of Mammals pro ect has entered its final year of data collection.

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OVER TO YOU A selection of letters and photos sent in by Irish Wildlife Trust members.

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IWT EVENTS Dates for your diary.

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ON LOCATION A small pro ect with a big impact surveying pine martens and squirrels at the Ring of Gullion.

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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.

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.

Images this page: (above top) Chaffinch by P. Fogarty; (above) Indian tiger. Copyright Magnus Johansson.

Have comments?

Magazine queries, general wildlife questions or observations email: irishwildlife@iwt.ie All other queries email: enquiries@iwt.ie Phone: (01) 860 2839 Snail mail: The Irish Wildlife Trust, Sigmund Business Centre, 93A Lagan Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 11 Web: www.iwt.ie Social media: facebook.com/IrishWildlifeTrust twitter.com/Irishwildlife

Irish Wildlife is published quarterly by the IWT.

The IWT encourages action at a local level and has a number of branches around the country: Cork: Gill, corkbranch@gmail.com Facebook: search for ‘Irish Wildlife Trust – Cork Branch’ Dublin: Roisin, dublinbranch@iwt.ie facebook.com/DublinBranchIrishWildlife Trust, dubliniwt.blogspot.ie Waterford: Ray, iwtwaterford@gmail.com irishwildlifetrust.blogspot.ie Cavan: Barry, cavanbranch@iwt.ie www.facebook.com/irishwildlifetrust. branch Sligo: Dolores, iwtsligo@gmail.com Kerry: Pat, iwtkerry@gmail.com www.facebook.com/KerryIWT www.iwtkerry.blogspot.ie Sign up to their monthly newsletter!

Galway: Tom, iwtgalway@gmail.com www.facebook.com/IWTgalwaybranch Longford/Westmeath: Noreen, iwtlongfordwestmeath@gmail.com Facebook: search for ‘Longford/ Westmeath Irish Wildlife Trust Branch’ Laois/Offaly: Ricky, iwtlaoisoffaly@gmail.com www.facebook.com/IWTlaoisoffalybranch

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 in different ways.

There are lots of ways to get involved, from work experience in specialist areas to getting your hands dirty at our sites or helping us increase membership at events.

See our website www.iwt.ie for details or contact the office directly.

• 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

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CONSERVATION NEWS

CONSERVATION

NEWS

An update on Irish and international conservation news

by Dr Debbi Pedreschi.

IRISH NEWS

Atlantic salmon. Photo: Mike Brown.

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED TO PROTECT SALMON Salmon Watch Ireland (SWIRL) has announced that a co-ordinated national effort is required in order to protect Atlantic wild salmon from the impacts of climate change. SWIRL has called on the government to establish a national salmon conservation commission to deal with decreases in stock levels, linked to issues arising from changing weather patterns, such as ash ooding and rising water temperatures that affect spawning areas, along with pollution and issues related to fish farming. urrently, management of salmon in Ireland is spread across several governmental bodies; the establishment of a conservation commission would help to coordinate and centralise conservation actions. While highlighting that there is little that can be done regarding climate change impacts at sea, improving management practices in freshwaters may help to provide some buffer against them. urrently, only of Ireland’s salmon rivers have been deemed sufficiently productive to be allocated quotas for e ploitation.

WILD WEATHER RIDE FOR WILDLIFE

Chaffinch by P. Fogarty.

The UK National Trust has highlighted how the unpredictable weather in 2014 has been a source of stress for wildlife.

From stormy winters causing problems for old trees to success for biting flies such as horseflies and mosquitoes due to warm, wet weather, it has been quite the rollercoaster ride for wildlife.

The mild year began well for robins, with early emergence of snowdrops evident, however stormy weather proved detrimental for coastal nesting birds whose eggs and nests were simply washed away. Spring managed to appear early with birds nesting, frogs spawning and red squirrels mating in February.

May saw the earliest record of bats (Daubenton’s) ever recorded in the UK on May 12th. Blackberries ripened by the end of July, and roses continued to flower into November. Globally, land and ocean temperatures in 2014 were the highest since records began according to the US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

These trends are extremely worrying and are not limited to the UK, but found throughout the world. Their unpredictability leads to unstable environments; mild winters cause early spring-like emergences that are then wiped out by later frosts or storm events.

These have knock-on effects later in the season when spring occurs ‘for real’. So far this year, frog spawn has been observed on January 4th by Una Thompson in Dromore Woods, Co Clare, and a caterpillar was found on December 27th by Ciarán McKenna in his garden in Co Kerry! The frost of the recent weeks, however, was not likely kind to them.

Have you seen unusual wildlife sightings? Why not submit them to our Facebook page; Facebook.com/ IrishWildlifeTrust or email irishwildlife@iwt.ie

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CONSERVATION NEWS

IRISH NEWS

RAPTOR DEBATE RAGES

SUPER TRAWLER IN IRISH WATERS The second largest trawler in the world, the 143m Margiris, was in Irish waters off the coast of  Supertrawler Margiris.

Free photos via Flickr.

Mayo this January, raising concerns in the fishing industry. The super trawler can process up to tonnes of fish per day, and has sailed under a number of names and various nationalities.

Flags of convenience are often used in an effort by ships to reduce operating costs or avoid the regulations of the owner’s country. As the ship is currently registered in Lithuania, EU law requires it be permitted to operate in any uropean waters and retain any fish for which it has a nationally assigned quota. The ship was closely watched by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Irish Naval Service and Air Corps. The trawler has previously been banned from Australian waters. Super-trawlers capture the same as many smaller boats combined, hoovering up fish and depriving small fishing operators of jobs.

An ill-informed and inaccurate radio interview about birds was broadcast on the Pat Kenny Show, Newstalk FM, on January 14th. Trinity College Biochemistry Professor Luke O’Neill was discussing declines in small bird numbers when he blamed the drop on ‘horrible’ birds of prey. A social media response was immediate, with the public and environmental NGOs alike appalled at the misinformation which was yet another example of the painting of raptors as vermin and villains in the Irish psyche. Thankfully, Professor O’Neill himself took to the net to apologise for his inaccuracies and mistakes.

Trinity’s award- winning EcoEvo blog took it upon themselves to put the record straight highlighting that predatory birds are not responsible for severe declines in many bird populations, and instead highlighting the real reasons for small bird declines and why natural predators like red kites, white-tailed sea-eagles and golden eagles are in fact of huge benefit to ecosystems.

Prof O’Neill took to the airways with Pat Kenny on February 6th and corrected the record.

See www.ecoevoblog.com

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TESTING CATTLE BETTER THAN CULLING BADGERS Computer modelling by the Queen Mary University of London has found that frequent testing of cattle can eradicate bovine TB without culling badgers, whereas culling alone was found to be ineffective. The primary factors of success were related to the frequency of cattle testing, and the use of winter housing for cattle. Winter housing in large sheds over the winter could potentially double the number of infected cattle in a herd as there is a large increase in the risk of bacterial transmission. The model successfully replicated real world scenarios and indicated that in a region of 1.5 million cows, with 3,000-15,000 infected with TB, badger culling prevented just 12 cases of the disease. On the other hand, reducing the length of time between cattle tests by one month cut the number of infected animals by . This study, the findings of which support the badger campaign, are strongly welcomed by the IWT.

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RHINO ‘CONSERVATION’ HUNTING? Debate abounds surrounding the legitimacy of trophy hunting in the name of conservation.

Last year, US reality TV show host Corey Knowlton successfully bid $350,000 to hunt and kill an endangered black rhino in Namibia in February. The aging bull rhino was selected

by Namibia’s game managers, whose work is partially funded through auctioning off up to five permits a year for trophy hunts. Without these funds, the conservation efforts that  White Rhino, Kenya.

Photo: Ryan Harvey.

Namibia have recently been commended for would not be possible.

US customs must now decide whether to grant a special permit to allow Knowlton to import the rhino head back into the country, as importation of endangered species is tightly restricted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Exemptions require that the animal was killed in the name of conservation and that importing it helps that cause. So far a petition opposing the importation has garnered over 135,000 signatures.

Proponents of trophy hunting claim that it raises critical funds for conservation, such as antipoaching patrols. However opponents claim this cannot justify killing endangered animals and are concerned that it sends a message that dead animals are worth more than live ones.

However the system has been around for years, with the US system of national wildlife refuges largely built on fees collected from hunting.

As only an estimated 5,000 black rhinos are left in the world, each one is incredibly valuable.

Efforts in South Africa limited white rhino hunting in 1968, when there were only 1,800 of the animals in the country – the species now number around 19,000. However, this comes on the heels of a report that highlights that there has been a 21 per cent increase in white rhino poaching in South Africa in the last year.

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CONSERVATION NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

FLOATING SOLAR PANELS While not a new idea, Japan is investing in the world’s largest floating solar park. The Yamakura Dam reservoir will cover 180,000 square meters, hold 50,000 photovoltaic solar panels and power nearly 5,000 households, offsetting nearly 8,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually (around 1,700 cars’ worth of emissions).

In mountainous countries such as Japan, where land space is at a premium, locating the panels on a lake or reservoir frees up surrounding land for other uses.

There are concerns relating to storm safety and water quality, however these will be tightly monitored, and testing has included subjecting panels to hurricane wind speeds (c. 188mph). Everything has to be waterproofed and the platforms have been constructed from high-density polyethylene that can withstand ultraviolet rays and corrosion. Impacts relating to aquatic organisms are less well-known; the structures will block sunlight, reducing primary production – important as an energy source at the base of aquatic food webs. Panels are being located away from edge areas to avoid the most productive parts of the habitat and are, at least in this instance, being constructed in reservoirs, which as man-made structures may have less species and habitats of conservation concern.

 Indian tiger. Copyright Magnus Johansson.

REBOUNDING INDIAN TIGERS The estimated population of tigers in India has increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,226 in 2014, according to a report published by the Indian National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The improvement is attributed to better management and protection from poaching for body parts which are subsequently used in Asian medicine. Until recently India’s game managers relied on outdated methods of tracking, such as looking for footprints. More recently, however, they have upgraded to using camera traps to record tigers and stripe patterns (which are akin to human fingerprints) to track individuals. The 2014 census was the largest and most thorough undertaken to date, covering more than 300,000 sq km.

Similarly comprehensive surveys are urgently required in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam — some of the 13 countries home to tigers which have pledged to double global numbers by 2022. These increases mean that around 70 per cent of the world’s tigers are now located in India. Habitat destruction and competition for prey with humans remain significant threats, and despite these increases tiger numbers are still at less than five per cent of what they were a century ago. Tigers are thought to have disappeared from Cambodia and Vietnam in recent years.

SAFE GMOs? US scientists have created bacteria that are dependent upon synthetic chemicals for growth, taking the first step towards ‘safer’ Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) that cannot spread in the wild, as they would die if they escaped into nature. They are also less likely to pass on their genes to other micro-organisms. The research, carried out by Harvard and Yale Universities and published in the journal Nature, is proof of concept for a new generation of GMOs, including plants. However others contend that they are unnecessary for crop plants that have already been risk-assessed and approved for field cultivation. GMOs have a number of other potential practical uses, such as the production of drugs and fuels, and removing pollutants from contaminated areas. These ‘safer’ GMOs have a built-in safety measure so that their spread could be controlled if they were ever used in the outside world.

Keep up-to-date on all the latest news from the Irish Wildlife Trust on www.iwt.ie Irish Wildlife Spring ‘15

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IWT NEWS

NEWS

by Lorraine Bull.

‘COMMUNITIES FOR BIODIVERSITY’ THE IWT: WORKING WITH TIDY TOWNS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS

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he IWT has re-launched its ‘Communities for Biodiversity’ programme, which aims to build awareness of biodiversity issues amongst communities, families, schools and individuals. It encourages people to take action for biodiversity in their local area by creating wildlife areas for people to enjoy. The programme aims to enhance

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Ireland’s biodiversity at a local and wider level, facilitate wildlife action plans for Tidy Towns groups and community members, and establish a long-term framework for community activities for biodiversity.

Through the programme, participants will increase their environmental knowledge, skills and awareness and be motivated to become active members of their

community, while enhancing their local environment.

To find out more about how the IWT can develop and design a biodiversity training day and biodiversity action plans for your local Tidy Towns or community group, please contact us at: enquiries@iwt.ie or Tel: 01 860 2839.

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IWT NEWS

 Shore crab by Mark Thomas.

THE CELTIC SEAS PARTNERSHIP In November the IWT attended ‘The future of Dublin Bay – Celtic Seas Partnership workshop’. The workshop, led by the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly, brought together various stakeholders to discuss the issues of managing Dublin Bay, its services and its assets.

The workshop was divided into three areas: exploring and identifying the key services in Dublin Bay and their importance, the implications for the ecosystem services of the Bay, and the actions required to manage the coastal area more effectively. The Celtic Seas Partnership is an EC LIFE+ project that is led by WWF UK with partners Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly, University of Liverpool, SeaWeb Europe and NERC. The IWT welcomes the process of stakeholder engagement and looks forward to attending future sessions.

Launch of new IWT talks and events at St. Enda’s Park, Rathfarnham The IWT is delighted to announce that we are starting a series of talks and events for the Office of Public Works at St. Enda’s Park, Rathfarnham in Dublin from this Easter. The programme is currently being finalised but look out for further details in the events section of our website soon.

Fundraise for Wildlife!

Why not make 2015 the year to fundraise for wildlife?

We’re looking for people to support our fundraising initiative by taking part in a sporting event, hosting an event of their own, or helping us at IWT events.

We have lots of ideas on our website: www.iwt.ie/support-us/fundraisefor-wildlife and will be happy to provide support and promotion of your event or fundraising page.

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IWT NEWS

Raptors get a bad rap!

 Kestrel by Mario MacRory.

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he IWT has filed a complaint with Newstalk regarding the recent discussion on Pat enny’s show on the decline of bird populations. uring the show, a number of spurious claims were made about raptors and their role in reducing the numbers of song birds. nscientific language such as ravenous and horrible was generously thrown around and many scientific untruths were also put forward.

Although there has been a full apology

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it does sadly re ect another case of poor misrepresentation by the media on the role of wildlife in our natural environment. irds of prey in Ireland face many threats including indirect poisoning, habitat loss and direct persecution. In fact we have lost a number of species and the olden agle Trust with the National Parks and Wildlife ervice have done great work in trying to reintroduce some of these e tinct species. adly a number of the released birds have been killed, sometimes by accident, but

sometimes on purpose. Let’s hope that further birds are not persecuted because of this news piece and that Newstalk will do a follow up programme with a raptor e pert to clarify and debunk the inaccuracies stated. At the end of anuary came the devastating news that a female hen harrier had been shot in o erry. ampaigns of misinformation have played a significant role in creating a hostile atmosphere among farmers with land inside pecial Protection Areas.

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IWT NEWS

ENDING THE BONFIRE OF OUR UPLANDS

By IWT Campaigns Officer Pádraic Fogarty.

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ith their usual are for obscure decision making, the epartment of Arts, eritage and the aeltacht ( A announced before hristmas that it was considering changes to the closed season for vegetation cutting and burning. ince it has been an offence under the Wildlife Act to cut hedges or burn upland vegetation between arch and August. This is primarily to allow nesting birds to edge their young but it also benefits other animals as well as allowing plants to ower and set seed. owever, A is under pressure from farming organisations to shorten this closed season although the motivations behind this are unclear. In press reports in anuary the Irish armers’ Association was quoted as being concerned for road safety, despite specific provision for health and safety already being clearly stated in the Act. The IWT believes that upland burning is at the root of this campaign as illegal burning of bog and heath on commonages may be threatening the single farm payment i.e. the money ta payers give farmers to wisely manage the countryside. efore we made our submission during the all too brief consultation period, we carried out some research on burning in upland habitats. We found that illegal burning in the Wicklow ountains National Park has taken place annually since records were first taken in the late s. Aside from the closed period, any burning in the National Park must first be approved by the National Parks and Wildlife ervice (NPW . uch approvals are scarcely sought. Incidents of burning declined when the epartment of Agriculture inspectors threatened to remove single farm payments from perpetrators, however fires quickly resumed once the epartment lost interest in enforcing so called cross compliance’.

Practically all of the Wicklow ountains have been burnt at least once in the last years and many areas have been torched

Photos © Norman McCloskey.

repeatedly in this time. urning takes place right into April and ay far beyond the legally closed season. It is left to the staff of the National Park to deal with these uncontrolled fires, which is an impossible task. While this research only looked at Wicklow, we know from our own e perience, as well as that of our members, that this kind of burning is widespread in Ireland.

This kind of annual, uncontrolled burning is incredibly damaging to fragile upland habitats and the IWT has called for it to be prohibited altogether. All of the heath and bog habitats that are of uropean conservation value have been assessed by the NPW as being of bad’ status. This is due not only to burning but also over gra ing by sheep, illegal turf cutting and climate change. pland biodiversity is being decimated we counted bird species typical of these habitats as being of conservation concern, nine of them critically so (golden eagle, curlew, whinchat, night ar, meadow pipit, ring ou el, golden plover,

twite and red grouse . ome upland species, such as ring ou el and hen harrier, have disappeared altogether as breeding species from Wicklow. eanwhile, research from the niversity of Leeds in the has shown ust how environmentally damaging burning is on peat soil. Instead of absorbing carbon in the formation of peat, the land becomes a net emitter of carbon as the water table is lowered and the soil dries out. The chemistry of the soil changes and heavy metals are released into rainwater running off the land. urning also results in a decrease in the diversity and population si e of invertebrates. This research was based on burning practices in the , which is carefully limited to controlled areas and only repeated every years. The situation in Ireland is much worse as annual, uncontrolled fires allow no opportunity for the recovery of plants and animals. Already, much of our uplands have been devastated and only with a total cessation of burning can the process of recovery begin.

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EDUCATION

PLANTS IN THE CLASSROOM

By Jenny Quinn.

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umerous studies extolling the benefits of having indoor plants in the workplace and home e ist. owever, a relatively small amount of research has been carried out on the effects of having indoor plants in the classroom. I recently started teaching in a new school, and am doing up my classroom bit by bit. I decided that I’d like to get a couple of indoor plants for the room, for aesthetic reasons.

Then I thought more about it and reasoned that the plants would benefit the room and its occupants in a number of ways, not ust aesthetically. isting studies on the effects of having plants in the workplace and home say that the benefits include improved concentration and memory (studies show that tasks performed while under the in uence of nature are performed better and with greater accuracy, yielding higher quality results , a reduction in stress levels (it has been found that plants soothe human beings and provide a positive way for us to channel

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our stress into nurturing , increased levels of empathy (e posure to nature can increase people’s compassion for each other as it increases their compassion for the environment in which they live and improved air quality (research has shown that two or three plants in an office can significantly reduce levels of carbon dio ide and air borne volatile organic compounds .

These benefits are of course very valuable to students, not ust adults. When I looked into the research further, to see whether any benefits specifically relating to young people in classroom settings e isted, I found that classroom plants have actually improved performance across the curriculum in various schools. In addition, it has been noted that plants serve as a valuable teaching tool growth and owering in biology for e ample, or the origin of plant species and the importance of conservation in geography.

When you consider this, the widespread lack of indoor plants in schools is quite surprising.

In fact, there seems to be grounds to suggest to education authorities that they should look into making indoor plants a standard installation in school classrooms.

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BRANCH FOCUS

Waterford Branch Notes

By Ray McGrath.

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he Waterford branch of the IWT has been active since its establishment in 1992. Activities are run by a committee of eight people, its focus on increasing public awareness of the Waterford area’s wildlife population and putting an emphasis on the value of our biodiversity.

Its programme of monthly walks between September and June, with participation frequently above 40 people, has been a longstanding means by which to achieve this, and since 2013 our programme of summer evening walks has further contributed to the branch’s walks now being an acknowledged part of the Waterford area outdoor scene.

Walking routes of about two-and-a-half hours are selected for their biodiversity interest and their protection or lack of protection status, and many include a segment for children. We are fortunate in having a range of designated

conservation areas in our vicinity; all of these have been walk sites over the years.

The branch has been engaging with local communities, local authorities and agencies on a range of relevant issues such as controlling the spread of invasives, e.g. Japanese knotweed. With help from the county council the branch organised a workshop in Stradbally on knotweed control. It has helped Tidy Towns committees to develop biodiversity plans for their communities, e.g. Dunmore in Co Waterford and Duncannon in Co Wexford. An aim of the branch during the past two years has been to strengthen our engagement with local communities. In 2015 our focus will be ‘unseen nature’.

For several years now the branch has been active in Local Agenda 21 structures.

Currently, with the PPN (Public Participation

Network) replacing the community fora, the branch has had committee members and members at large elected as PPN representatives to various local government committees such as the Strategic Policy Committees. One of our committee members is currently serving on the Waterford Leader board and another is a member of the newly formed Regional Inshore Fisheries Forum (RIFF). Being in a maritime area our branch has taken a particular interest in relevant maritime matters and two of its committee members are the Coastwatch Survey co-ordinators for our area.

For information and updates, check out our local social media sites: irishwildlifetrust. blogspot.ie, on Facebook and on Twitter @IWTWaterford. We’re all looking forward to another productive year.

Do come and visit us!

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WILD IDEAS

THE IRISH FARMERS’ ASSOCIATION:

COSTING THE EARTH? Elaine Dromey examines the attitude taken by the IFA towards environmental protection measures, and its cost.

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WILD IDEAS

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didn’t mean to write about agriculture again I was going to muse on something entirely different until I read a recent tweet from the Irish armers’ Association (I A . On reading the tweet I began to get angry, very angry, and felt compelled to address that anger in this article.

The tweet I mentioned is shown below and the Harold Kingston it refers to is the Chairman of the IFA Environment & Rural Affairs Committee. As you can see from the tweet, the climate and the rather watery policy finally introduced by the ine ael Labour coalition is viewed by the I A as potentially hindering sustainable growth of agriculture. Nothing from the I A on what is arguably the greatest threat to ever face mankind, the possibility that humanity will no longer be able to survive on this planet. The IFA doesn’t seem to be interested in helping farmers understand and adapt to climate change to ensure future food security, and to

make sure farmers can stay in business in the face of the inevitable changes looming on the horizon. No, the IFA appears to be taking the business-as-usual approach. In fact, it appears to be relying on the approach of more and more business at the expense of the very resources that agriculture is dependent on – the environment and the climate.

Taking the Wrong Path An IFA press release from January 20th 2015 quotes Harold Kingston as saying: “The Government’s commitment not to introduce divisive and unachievable sectoral targets has been delivered in this Bill and represents a significant move forward from positions taken by previous Governments.” So in other words, the farming lobby is hoping that they can ignore the changing climate and continue to practice the business-as-normal approach. In fact, Harold goes on to discuss the value of the Irish agri-sector and calls for

IF ANYTHING, WE NEED A REPORT ON THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF OUR INACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE INEVITABLE COSTS (MONETARY AND OTHERWISE) OF GOING INTO THE FUTURE WITH OUR HEADS IN THE SAND AS THE IFA SEEMS TO PREFER.

an assessment of the economic impact of the proposed legislation. So, for the IFA and its chair of the Environment & Rural Affairs ommittee, it really is a case of Nero fiddling as Rome burns. The Earth and the life it supports, including us and our future access to food and water, are at risk and all the I A is concerned with is the economic impact of a rather disappointing Climate Bill published many years later than it should have been. If anything, we need a report on the economic impact of our inaction on climate change and the inevitable costs (monetary and otherwise of going into the future with our heads in the sand as the IFA seems to prefer.

The I A has form when it comes to the environment and environmental policy; they’ve lobbied and won many times in the past when it comes to environmental protection. In 2004 during the designation of rivers as Natura 2000 protected areas it Irish Wildlife Spring ‘15

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WILD IDEAS

 Photo: Julian Conaghan via Flickr.

was proposed to extend the site boundary to 30m either side of the river. The outcry and lobbying from the IFA was enormous and the distance was reduced to 2.5m. A win for a powerful lobby group, but a loss to environmental protection and ultimately to the wider public. The 2013 IFA SAC (Special Area of Conservation) project team report details the achievements and work done in that year and includes the following statement: “The issues vary from habitat to habitat but IFA’s primary objective is to ensure that the area for designation is minimised and that where designation proceeds and restrictions apply compensation must be made” (my emphasis). It is pretty clear from reading the IFA website and press releases that the organisation either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care why designation of areas for nature conservation is important for them 16

THE BLINKERED APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY DISPLAYED BY THE IFA APPEARS TO BE EXACERBATED

BY THEIR CHOICE OF SPOKESPERSON ON THE ISSUES. HAROLD KINGSTON, MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, IS A DAIRY FARMER FROM WEST CORK WITH NO APPARENT QUALIFICATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, ECOLOGY OR INDEED CLIMATE SCIENCE.

and for the wider public. It is also clear that short-termism is the order of the day and that this has been the historic approach within the organisation.

The blinkered approach to environmental

policy displayed by the IFA appears to be exacerbated by the fact that the organisation doesn’t seem to have any ecologists or environmental scientists within their ranks.

One wonders when they will address the massive environmental challenges facing agriculture when, in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, they continue to stick their head in the sand, perhaps hoping that the issues will simply disappear.

At this point I question how relevant the IFA is, they do not appear to be working in the best interests of anyone, not even their own members. Are they an outdated and out of touch organisation that needs to be replaced by a more scientific and progressive grouping that can work with modern challenges such as climate change and nature conservation?

At present, it appears that the IFA is quite literally costing us the earth.

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n o i t i t e p m o C

COMPETITION

We have some IWT branded clothing to give away this spring. Our first prize is our new IWT branded fleece — perfect to keep you warm on those cold days spent viewing wildlife, or as a general fleece for all outdoor pursuits. We also have a ‘Total Boar’ and ‘Not Guilty’ t-shirt, an eye-catching addition to any summer wardrobe!

As part of our fundraising initiative we will be adding further publications, clothing and wildlife-themed gifts to our online shop this year — keep an eye-out at www.iwt.ie/shop Spot anything missing? We’re always interested in getting our members’ feedback on our services and products, so if there’s anything you think we should include in our online shop, please let us know.

IWT Branded Fleeces Available in dark navy or mid-black, the fleece is high quality, made by Regatta, with a 250gm anti-pill material, a full zip front, two lower pockets and embroidered with the Irish Wildlife Trust logo. Available in sizes: S (38”), M (40”), L (42”), and XL (44”) only.

Total Boar T-shirt Our latest T-shirt design: Total Boar! Celebrating one of our lost, iconic creatures that figured heavily in our past in art, stories and legend.

Available in sizes: M (38”- 40”), L (42”- 44”), and XL (46”- 48”) only.

Not Guilty T-shirt Our ‘Not Guilty’ T-shirt has been a real success in supporting the IWT’s Badger Campaign against the badger cull in Ireland. A must-have for every wildlife lover and those against badger culling in Ireland and abroad. Available in sizes: Youth XL (18”- 20”), S (34”- 36”), M (38”- 40”), L (42”- 44”), and XXL (50”- 52”) only.

To win one of these items please answer the following question:

What group of animal is currently being mapped for an atlas which will be published in 2016?

Send your answer, name, address and your preferred prize, including clothing size (and colour if preferring the fleece) to irishwildlife@iwt.ie before May 1st.

Winter ’15 Winners: In our winter issue we gave our readers a chance to win ‘Birds of the Homeplace’ by Anthony McGeehan and Julian Wyllie, ‘Doorstep Wilderness’ by Paul Hughes, or ‘My First Book of Irish Animals’ by Juanita Brown. The winners were drawn out of a hat and gave us the correct answer to: ‘What unlikely location is being promoted for its wildlife benefit in a new IWT project in 2015?’. The answer is: roadside verges.

The winners are: Richard Lennon from Maganey in Co Kildare, Catherine Kiely from Dunmanway in Co Cork (Birds of the Homeplace); Thomas Erbsloh from Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny, Michael O’Shea from Kilgarvan, Co Kerry, Colm Gavin from Fenor, Co Waterford (Doorstep Wilderness); Rose Longmore from Celbridge, Co Kildare, and Maura Duignan from Ransboro, Co Sligo (My First Book of Irish Animals).

Congratulations to you all and thanks to all who entered!

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FEATURE

Ireland’s

SKY-DANCER prepares for its

LAST WALTZ Fintan Kelly reports on a pivotal year for the hen harrier.

Female hen harrier by Mike Brown.

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Hen harrier. Photo: Tatiana Bulyonkova.

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oday there are few creatures that are capable of polarising opinion or provoking such diametrically opposed emotions as the hen harrier. To the naturalist there are few sights more evocative of the wild than the sight of a hen harrier effortlessly sailing over a windswept landscape wreathed in heather. Indeed to anyone who has been privileged enough to have witnessed the hen harrier’s spectacular courtship display or ‘sky dance’, it will remain engrained in their memory for the rest of their lives. On the other side of the coin some farmers are understandably frustrated by the lack of progress that has been made in compensating them for restrictions. On the back of this a concerted campaign to vilify the hen harrier has been gathering pace. Whatever side of the fence you find yourself on, Ireland’s skies may soon be bereft of the ‘sky dancer’ unless immediate steps are taken to tackle threats such as agricultural intensification, persecution, wind farms and afforestation.

HABITAT Hen harriers are traditionally birds of open upland habitats and they are reliant on

these habitats for their survival. Along with skylarks, meadow pipits and red grouse, hen harriers have evolved to nest on the ground.

This is an adaption to the open nature of our uplands which has been created by generations of farming communities grazing the heather and rough grasslands. The fate of the hen harrier and many other upland habitats and species is intimately linked to the continuation of traditional grazing.

Although once widespread throughout Europe, hen harriers have suffered a large historical decline and as such are listed as ‘depleted’ by BirdLife International. As a species of European conservation concern, they are included in Annex 1 of the EU Birds Directive. Ireland is therefore obliged to undertake measures to protect the species including establishing dedicated reserves known as Special Protection Areas (SPAs).

During the summer months, hen harriers breed in upland areas before migrating to lower elevations in the winter. Here they can often be seen in large communal roosts taking advantage of the milder conditions and shelter that wetlands and coastal reed beds offer. Given the hen harriers’ wide distribution within the Irish landscape from

//OVER MOST OF THEIR RANGE HEN HARRIERS CONTINUE TO NEST IN OPEN MOOR. IN IRELAND, HOWEVER, NESTING SITES ARE NOW MOST COMMONLY FOUND IN SECOND ROTATION FORESTRY.// our mountains to our coasts, their changing fortunes are re ective of changes that have occurred within the Irish landscape throughout history. While persecution is undoubtedly an issue for all birds of prey in Ireland, the primary threat to hen harriers on these shores is unquestionably habitat loss.

The intensification of agriculture has driven the loss of many habitats and

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FEATURE

//UP TO 4,000 FARMERS HAVE HAD THEIR LAND DESIGNATED WITHIN THE SPAS. THESE FARMERS, MANY OF THEM FARMING IN DISADVANTAGED AREAS, ARE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE THE TRADITIONAL FARMING PRACTICES WHICH SUPPORT THEIR COMMUNITIES AS WELL AS THE RICH BIODIVERSITY OF OUR UPLANDS.//

Male hen harrier. Photo: Mike Brown.

landscape features on which hen harriers and many other species rely. Land reclamation, scrub clearance, hedgerow removal and the reseeding of species-rich grasslands has seen the loss of breeding pairs from the lowlands.

As a result hen harriers today, as a breeding species, are restricted to our uplands. Of course, even our uplands have not been immune to change. The loss of species-rich grasslands and overgrazing has negatively affected the availability of nesting habitat.

Overgrazing and burning has in many areas also caused a decline in the abundance of prey species.

In recent decades vast swathes of hen harrier habitat have been designated for the

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construction of wind farms. While the risk of birds colliding with rotor blades is an obvious threat, the biggest issue associated with wind farms is habitat loss. Due to disturbance, harriers avoid nesting near wind farms. Like owls, they are heavily reliant on their hearing to pinpoint prey in long grass and heather.

The noise pollution caused by wind farms is thought to be affecting their ability to hunt effectively.

For Irish hen harriers the greatest factor in their decline is unquestionably forestry.

The relationship between hen harriers and forestry is, however, complex. Ireland’s hen harrier population, once common throughout Ireland’s uplands, underwent a

decline during the early twentieth century.

This was the result of persecution and land reclamation and by the 1950s it is believed that the species was hanging on only in Laois, Tipperary/Waterford and Cork/ Kerry. Over the following two decades the population started to recover due to forestry expansion. While hen harriers are reliant on open habitat, the initial stages of afforestation offered ground cover for nesting and respite from burning and disturbance.

Over the intervening two decades these plantations matured and by the 1970s the plantations had closed over, replacing huge areas of what had previously been suitable habitat. It was estimated that during the 1970s the all-island population was in the region of 250–300 breeding pairs. By 2010 the population had fallen to an estimated 158-205 pairs. This period coincided with a national change in forest cover from 2 to 10 per cent. The majority of these plantations consist of exotic monocultures which offer very little to our native wildlife. Besides the hen harrier, other habitats and species such as the freshwater pearl mussel, merlin, marsh fritillary and the Kerry slug have been

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FEATURE

Male hen harrier. Photo: Mike Brown.

devastated by forestry.

Over most of their range, hen harriers continue to nest in open moor. In Ireland, nesting sites are now most commonly found in second rotation forestry. While at first this may appear a good thing, second rotation plantations mature quickly so they are only useful to hen harriers for a relatively short period of time. The disturbance associated with clear felling and replanting means the sites are initially less useful as hunting grounds. There is also good reason to believe that hen harriers are more vulnerable to predation by foxes and pine martens in these unnatural habitats. Worrying evidence from Scotland and the Slieve Aughties in Co Galway indicates that breeding hen harriers had a lower success rate in second rotation forestry than on moorland.

Given the Government’s objective of achieving national forest cover of 18 per cent by the year 2046, wise management of the hen harrier population within the six SPAs is vital to the species’ long-term viability. However, despite the fact that afforestation is known as the biggest threat to the hen harriers, 1,188 ha of the SPAs have been afforested. To put this in context, 53 per cent of the SPAs are afforested compared to a national average of 11 per cent. This has coincided with an 18 per cent

decline in hen harrier numbers within the SPAs between 2005-2010. Worryingly, the largest declines have been observed in their traditional strongholds in the west and southwest. Only the Slieve Bloom population appears to be self-sustaining. Despite the obvious threat posed by allowing further afforestation, there have been calls for the current ban on forestry within the SPAs to be lifted. Astonishingly, Tom Hayes TD, Minister for Food, Forestry, Horticulture and Food Safety has indicated his support for further afforestation despite the obvious implications.

Up to 4,000 farmers have had their land designated within the SPAs. These farmers, many of them farming in disadvantaged areas, are entitled to compensation so that they can continue the traditional farming practices which support their communities as well as the rich biodiversity of our uplands.

Farmers who feel that their land has been rendered “almost worthless” have directed their frustration at the hen harriers, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and environmental groups. What is clear is that these communities have been consistently failed by the Department of Agriculture and their faming representatives. Through the Rural Development Programme Ireland had the opportunity to compensate farmers

for costs and income loss resulting from designation. In 2013 the Department of Agriculture cut the budget for designated sites by more than 80 per cent, from €528 million to €95 million, and reallocated the money elsewhere.

All the signs indicate that 2015 will be a pivotal year for the hen harrier. The latest national hen harrier survey is due this year and should reveal the scale of the task at hand. In recent months many farmers, frustrated by the failure of the IFA to represent their interests, have banded together to form their own group, the Irish Farmers with Designated Land (IFDL).

These seismic tremors within the farming community are occurring while the various stakeholders prepare to lock horns in the upcoming hen harrier ‘threat response plan’ review. During these meetings the actions needed to safeguard the species into the future will be hotly debated. If we can overcome the initial distrust that has been fostered between environmentalists and the farming community then there is genuine hope for progress not just on this but on a range of other issues. What is very clear to me is that the interests of the hen harrier and the communities on which they rely are not so very different, despite what some might have us believe.

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EXPLORING WILDLIFE

FIXING IT FOR NATURE Gordon D’Arcy considers the contentious topic of ecological restoration, and urges us to attempt to assist nature, no matter how small the effort.

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hough it may have its roots in guilt at our ongoing despoliation of the planet or a feeling of frustration (or powerlessness) in the face of forces beyond our control (human or natural), there is a tendency in most of us to try to put things right in the environment. Regardless of the ever present shadow of futility we try to assist nature where we see fit or where we can. Our engagement may be as small scale as removing an invasive plant from a stream or as ambitious as re ooding drained wetlands, but positive endeavour of this kind is common to societies throughout the world.

RESTORATION One such movement to have gained momentum in the past decade or so is ecological restoration. A new book ‘Our Once and Future Planet’ (University of Chicago Press, 2013), by journalist and environmentalist Paddy Woodworth, highlights examples from all over the world where pioneering work in ecological restoration is being undertaken. The author’s investigations over the past seven years have taken him to projects as diverse as prairie reinstatement in North America, protecting the endangered whooping crane and its migration routes to tropical forest restoration in Costa Rica and South America, and the 22

re ooding of the Lower ambesi delta in Africa.

One example, the Gondwana project in Australia, seeks to link (via ecological corridors) a thousand kilometres of fragmented woodland, bush and mountain habitats, in order to facilitate the migration and genetic mixing of species presently denied by agricultural and other infrastructure. Needless to say, the project has been fraught by objection and vested interests since its inception but proceeds regardless. It is described as the biggest and most ambitious ecological restoration project currently underway in the world.

Remaining in Oceania, an imaginative pro ect in New ealand seeks to save critically endangered fauna by isolating them on predator-free islands near the mainland.

The long-term plan is to rehabilitate them in former mainland habitats once these have been significantly ecologically restored.

Cinque Terre in Italy, a national park comprised of man-made agricultural terraces, is undertaking a restoration programme that is as much cultural as natural. In seeking to preserve a traditional way of life threatened paradoxically by the return of nature in the form of original forest, the park is attempting to ‘close the circle between nature, agriculture, biodiversity, economy

Cinque Terre. Photo: Michele Solmi.

and landscape’, a major challenge in any circumstance.

Two of Paddy Woodworth’s studies are Irish. They focus on regeneration of woodland at Brackloon and Clonbur in Mayo and on raised bogland in the midlands and blanket bog in the west. Despite being slowmoving and unspectacular compared with some of the others underway, the work in train is shown to be working; the expansion of native woodland is happening and bogland is being restored. As effective pilots they will hopefully lead the way towards other homegrown ecological restoration initiatives in the future.

DRIVING FORCE Whether at home or abroad, it is clear from the book’s examples that ecological restoration is mainly driven by the enthusiasm and commitment of individuals.

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In the more successful examples the vision of the promoter(s) is supported by voluntary effort, teamwork and public acceptance.

Availability of funding, a central issue in all cases, seems to be related to the promoter’s capacity to ‘sell’ the project to both the decision makers and the public.

Woodworth summarises ecological restoration in three categories: 1. Eco-centric: a vision based largely on historical determinants i.e. ‘the way it once was’ before radically changed by human development. It emphasises the concept of ‘nature for its own sake’, independent of human needs. While having a ‘noble’ ring to it, this view has been criticised as being romantically inspired and being unrealistic as regards interim changes.

2. Hybrid ecosystem: one that takes account both of historical determinants and

human in uence and needs. It seeks to evaluate the worth of a project on the basis of ‘natural capital’ and is seen by many as a realistic compromise between (1) and (3).

3. Novel ecosystem: this option presupposes that restoration based on historical determinants is not feasible. It assumes an acceptance of the status quo including tolerance of ecological diversity unconnected with that of the past.

Budgetary constraints also have a major bearing on the outcome.

Each of the options has its advocates and detractors. In the final analysis it is likely that due to natural change over time some element of compromise will have to be accepted and perhaps the best model for the Irish situation has yet to be envisaged.

Factors such as a failure to cope with increasing numbers of invasive species may

render this so.

Climate change threatens to undermine even the most clear-cut and co-ordinated restoration efforts. One might think of, for instance, the attempted restoration of a dune system with marram grass only to find it disappear gradually as a consequence of increasing storm damage and rising sea levels.

Such an example, however, smacks of pessimism, something we are warned against in the book’s cover comments: ‘the environmental movement is thus plagued, painting an unbalanced picture of what is going on with environmental stewardship today’ – like the optimistic endeavour of ecological restoration.

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SPRING FOCUS

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SPRING FOCUS

PUTTING THE

FREEZE ON GMOs

By Billy Flynn.

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s of this year, EU member states will be allowed to prohibit or restrict the cultivation of crops containing genetically modified organisms ( Os . A vote in the uropean Parliament on January 12th means that the decision to impose national bans will be up to each member state. owever, how this will all end up in terms of Os appearing in our fields is still very unclear. itherto, members were obliged to allow the growth of crops from Os where these have been approved by the uropean ood afety Authority. The new rules will, in theory at any rate, allow members to ban O crops on the grounds of national environmental policy beyond the strictures imposed by the A. This would, on the face of it, appear to be a good thing. owever, anti campaigning organisations such as ree e feel that this legislation is opening the door wider for more crop approvals in the nited ingdom. Add to this the fact that multinational developers onsanto are also ob ecting to the legislation and the waters are muddier still.

RESERVATIONS ree e irector Li O’Neill agrees that this is an odd situation, there not being many instances of such a company and anti campaigners being in any kind of agreement. ree e has serious reservations of the benefits of the new legislation. irst of all, it’s not abundantly clear on what grounds a ban may be imposed, thus the grounds for opposing it are unclear too. If a national government attempts a unilateral ban it could leave the way clear for a multinational to take legal action against it. This could be a prospect that governments may be very keen to avoid. There’s also the question of borders. While O’Neill admits that the vote is probably good news if you are a European country within a bloc of other countries opposed to Os, and sharing your borders with them, what if you aren’t? A national ban on mai e may be of little comfort if a neighbouring farmer km away (but across a national border is cultivating the latest genetically modified variety. enes, like insect pests, spores and viruses do not respect such boundaries.

THE PATH AHEAD This has implications for our little island. The cottish and Welsh assemblies have both made their stance as opponents clear in the recent past and the position of the i ounties is not yet clear. If

crops are allowed in Northern Ireland, how big a buffer one could we e pect? Again, it’s unclear. andatory anti contamination measures will be required, says the legislation, but with no specifics appropriate measures being referred to. It doesn’t say who gets to decide what is appropriate.

We also don’t know who will pick up the tab if things go awry. As the producer of potentially contaminating material, you’d assume that the polluter pays’ principle would apply. ou might be wrong. companies have heretofore been rather adept at dodging this responsibility. In fact, the converse has been so. American farmers upon whose land crops have self seeded have found themselves being sued by the multinational that owns’ the rights to this plant in a demonstration of a brave new world in which the polluted pays’.

One thing should be clear to anyone at all interested in our environment, or our economy, for that matter we do not need crops grown anywhere on our island. Any arguments that we need greater yield to produce more food may be thrown out now that we already produce enough food to feed eight times our population!

Our agricultural produce is viewed the world over as being of high quality from a clean environment. Whether this produce always deserves such a high reputation is a debate for another day. owever, this perception is worth billions to our economy. It also helps to maintain a more viable countryside in which people who care about the land may live and work. We run the risk of ruining this reputation if we allow crops to be foisted upon us, in any of the counties. It’s now time that we made our feelings clear to our agriculture minister and to all of our elected representatives. Ireland neither wants nor needs Os.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: ree e is the ’s umbrella campaign for those concerned about the impacts of genetic modification in food and farming. embers include riends of the arth, the oil Association, development charities, organic and conventional farmers, scientists, campaigners, retailers and concerned individuals.

The author sought comment from the Irish armers’ Association and the Irish Tillage and Land se ociety, but none was forthcoming.

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FIELD REPORT

E

EE

E

MAPPING IRELAND’S MAMMAL SPECIES

Bank vole. Photo: Claire Spelling via Flickr.

By Dr. Liam Lysaght, Centre Director, National Biodiversity Data Centre.

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hese are exciting times for mammals in Ireland. Many species are undergoing fairly dramatic changes in distribution across the country. The pine marten, for e ample, was once confined to small, isolated wooded sites in the west of Ireland but can now be found over much of the central and eastern part of the island.

The red squirrel, whose conservation status was a case of grave concern up until very recently, is also faring well and appears to be returning to woodland sites from which it has been absent for years. There are also dramatic changes happening with the small mammals. The greater white-toothed shrew was first reported from o Tipperary in when ornithologists found their remains in barn owl pellets, but undoubtedly had arrived before that date. Since then, the population

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is expanding at a rate of about 5km per year which is remarkably fast for a small mammal.

If this rate of expansion continues it could colonise the island of Ireland by . This is a worrying trend for the pygmy shrew for it appears to be outcompeted for resources when its larger relation arrives, raising concerns about the future conservation of Ireland’s smallest mammal. The bank vole, another relatively new addition to the Irish fauna, recorded for the first time in near Listowel, o erry, is continuing its spread north eastward in Ireland and is now found over almost half of the island.

DOCUMENTATION The good news is that the changes in distribution of these and other mammal species are being documented as part of

the Atlas of Mammals in Ireland project which has been running since . This is an ambitious project where the national mammal organisations, national mammal experts and the public sector have pooled their efforts to establish a large database of all mammal sightings on the island of Ireland and its off-shore waters. The resultant database now contains , records of species, and all of this data is mapped on the Atlas of Mammals in Ireland website at mammals.biodiversityireland.ie.

It is remarkable that for some species of mammal, even widespread ones like the hedgehog or the Irish stoat, there is poorly detailed information on their distribution in Ireland. But the Atlas of Mammals in Ireland is addressing this deficit. or e ample, it appears that the hedgehog is found across

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FIELD REPORT

Pine Martin. Right (inset): Atlas of Irish Mammals website.

the island of Ireland, but is rare or absent from extensive upland areas such as the Wicklow Mountains, the Macgillycuddy Reeks and the Mournes, and the extensive blanket bog areas of Connemara, north-west Mayo and Donegal. Intriguingly it suggests that hedgehogs are absent from the Dingle Peninsula and are rare in the drumlin belt of counties Cavan and Monaghan. Is this

almost 10,000 mammal sightings have been submitted from people across the country, albeit with fewer sightings reported from the northern half of the country. These are valuable records as they add to the knowledge of our rarer mammals; for example more than half of all the sightings of pine marten, a species afforded special protection under the EU Habitats Directive,

in its last year of data collection. The plan is to publish a hard copy Atlas of Mammals in late 2016, incorporating species accounts written by national experts and distribution maps of all terrestrial and marine mammals of Ireland.

There are still gaps in our knowledge of the distribution of some mammal species, even the common ones such as rabbits, the house

//IT IS REMARKABLE THAT FOR SOME SPECIES OF MAMMAL, EVEN WIDESPREAD ONES LIKE THE HEDGEHOG OR THE IRISH STOAT, THERE IS POORLY DETAILED INFORMATION ON THEIR DISTRIBUTION IN IRELAND. BUT THE ATLAS OF MAMMALS IN IRELAND IS ADDRESSING THIS DEFICIT.// really the case, or does it ust re ect the low number of wildlife observers in these areas?

One of the successes of the Atlas of Mammals in Ireland so far is the huge amount of sightings that have been submitted through the website. As of January 2015,

have come from casual observations submitted to the project. So, notifying the project of any sightings of mammals contributes in a very real way to the conservation of protected species.

The Atlas of Mammals in Ireland is now

mouse and the brown rat. If you see any mammal while you are out and about this year, please send the details to the Atlas of Mammals in Ireland website, where you can submit the details through an online record submission form.

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MEMBERS’ LETTERS

OVER TO YOU As winter is sent packing, the days are slowly getting longer, the cold is (very) slowly fading and we finally find ourselves in that most wondrous of seasons — spring. The world comes to life during these months so get your boots on, make the most of it, and don’t forget to fill us in!

MORE BAD NEWS FOR RAPTORS Hi IWT, I spotted this bird on the Cork road to Waterford between Youghal and Dungarvan, in January.

Regards, Mark O’Donoghue Mark, it is a dead sparrowhawk and we don’t want to speculate on how it might have met its end. The IWT was horrified to learn about the shooting of a female hen harrier in Kerry at the end of January. The Gardaí are investigating and we would urge anyone with evidence of birds of prey which may have been shot or poisoned to contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service. In Ireland we don’t have a good record in convicting perpetrators of wildlife crime and there has never been a prosecution for any of the shootings or poisonings of our reintroduced eagles, for instance. Nevertheless, we know that most farmers are supportive of the work of the Golden Eagle Trust and other conservation bodies. Sadly it only takes one person to take the law into their own hands (see our feature article on the vexed hen harrier situation).

The Head on that!

Iain Walsh sent us these great images of a death’s head hawkmoth that he reared from a caterpillar in Youghal, Co Cork.

This moth is uncommon in Ireland and its main centre of population is the Mediterranean. The Butterflies and Moths of Northern Ireland by Robert Thompson and Brian Nelson tells us that “the moth is known to raid beehives for honey and it was often referred to as the ‘Bee Robber’ by early entomologists. When in the hive it emanates a squeaking sound that apparently has a calming effect on the bees safeguarding it from attack.” Most people remember this very distinctive species for the role it played in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ book and film.

We encourage people to record their findings with the National Biodiversity Data Centre as it will contribute to conservation efforts. Visit http://records.biodiversityireland.ie/

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MEMBERS’ LETTERS

SQUIRRELLED AWAY

 Red

squirrel

Hi IWT, I was just wondering is the red squirrel a protected species?

If they are in an area like a forest, can that forest be clear-felled (most of it) or thinned?

Liam O’Connor

by Liam

O’Conn

or.

Hi Liam, many thanks for your email and the picture. The red squirrel is indeed protected under the Wildlife Act, as are most of our native mammals. However in reality this protection means little and would not halt felling activities by Coillte. This does not mean that you should not protest directly to Coillte, however. We highlighted the major negative impacts of clearfelling in our winter 2013 issue of ‘Irish Wildlife’ and, like most environmental groups, would promote the movement to permanent cover forestry. This does not wipe out the local wildlife when trees are removed.

Remember, if you have a story, question, or an image you’d like to share with us, or, God forbid, even a complaint, send it to irishwildlife@iwt.ie

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IWT EVENTS

Events

There are lots of Irish Wildlife Trust events taking place around the country this spring, from woodland walks in Dublin to tree planting in Laois. Enjoy!

APRIL

WILDLIFE DETECTIVES AFTERNOON WHAT’S HAPPENING IN DUBLIN

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN LAOIS/OFFALY

MARCH

FEBRUARY

GUIDED TOUR

CLEAN-UP

DATE/TIME: Sun March 29th VENUE: Knocksink Woods Reserve

DATE/TIME: Sat February 28th, 10am-2pm VENUE: Marian Hill/Spa Bridge, Portarlington, Co Offaly

The guided tour through Knocksink Woods Reserve will be led by Sean Meehan.

The main theme of the walk will be the species of trees, early woodland flora and the petrifying streams. The walk will stay mainly on the pathways, which are flat and generally easy to walk on. No dogs, please.

The meeting place is the car park outside the education building in the reserve.

Numbers are limited to 25; to reserve a place email dublinbranch@iwt.ie

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MARCH

TREE PLANTING DATE/TIME: Sat March 21st, 10am-2pm VENUE: The Rock GAA, Mountmellick, Co Laois

FAMILY TREE PLANTING MORNING DATE/TIME: Sun March 22nd, 11am-12.30pm VENUE: The Rock GAA, Mountmellick, Co Laois

DATE/TIME: Sun April 19th, 12-2pm VENUE: Lough Boora Discovery Park, Co Offaly

SPRING WALK – WILDLIFE AND WILDFLOWERS DATE/TIME: Sat April 25th, 11am-2pm VENUE: Knockbarron Wood, Kinnitty, Co Offaly The walk will include Offaly field naturalists, meeting at Kinitty Community Centre.

MAY

MOUNTMELLICK WILDLIFE DISCOVERY DAY DATE/TIME: TBC, all day VENUE: Mountmellick, Co Laois More information on events can be found on our branch Facebook page or by emailing iwtlaoisoffaly@gmail.com

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IWT EVENTS

OTTER SURVEY Our big project for the spring and summer will be an otter survey of Galway City. We’ll be looking for volunteers to help us scour the city’s waterways for signs of otter activity, and we’ll be running relevant training sessions too.

Drop us an email for more information: iwtgalway@gmail.com or keep an eye on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/galwaywildlife

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN CORK MARCH

BEAUMONT QUARRY CLEAN UP DATE/TIME: Sat March 25th, 10.30am

Otter. Photo: Vil Sandi via Flickr.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GALWAY

VENUE: Beaumont Quarry

MARCH Meet at the Spar near the entrance to Beaumont Quarry at 10.30am. The

GUIDED WALK

bus from the city centre is the 202.

DATE/TIME: Sat March 14th VENUE: Rahasane turlough

Clothes worn should be suitable for working outdoors. Gloves and a hi-vis vest will be provided, as well as tea and coffee.

The Galway branch will run a guided walk at Rahasane turlough, near Clarinbridge

and Craughwell. This is one of Europe’s largest turloughs and a great spot for birdwatching, as well as a good place to see otters. The time is yet to be confirmed.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/galwaywildlife, or email iwtgalway@gmail.com for further details.

AGM DATE/TIME: TBC VENUE: TBC The Galway branch will also host its AGM in March. Date and venue are yet to be confirmed. Visit our Facebook page or drop us an email for more information.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN LONGFORD/WESTMEATH MAY

TALK AND WALK DATE/TIME: Sat May 16th, 2-5pm VENUE: Mullingar We will be hosting a talk and walk with an experienced medicinal herbalist on May 16th in Mullingar.

Final details will be confirmed nearer the time. Booking will be essential, so contact our branch at IWTLongfordWestmeath@ gmail.com if interested.

We will also be hosting events in March and April but we need to finalise, so please keep an eye on our Facebook page.

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ON LOCATION

Y E V R U S L E R R I U SQ Red Squirrel, Slieve Gullion. Photo: Noel Marry.

The Red Squirrel Group takes up the red squirrel and pine marten challenge in the Ring of Gullion and Cooley area.

Q

uercus will be working in partnership with the Ring of Gullion and Cooley Red Squirrel Group to carry out a survey of red/grey squirrel and pine martens across Northern Ireland in the coming months. Quercus, which is part of Queens University Belfast, is responsible for conducting high quality ecological research within the School of Biological Sciences.

They are hoping to find out more about the distribution status of the native and endangered red squirrel and pine martens across the Ring of Gullion area. This piece of work is being made possible via a grant from 32

the Northern Ireland Environment Agency’s Challenge Fund. The project, funded by the Challenge Fund, will use camera traps to monitor the distribution of red/grey squirrels and pine martens in the area.

The Red Squirrel Group was set up two years ago as part of work carried out by the Ring of Gullion Area of Natural Beauty project. Part of its management action plan was to produce the local Red Squirrel Action Plan and help to establish the red squirrel group.

The group have a number of volunteers who provide supplementary feeding when needed. The group worked with the local

college, the Southern Regional College engineering department, who made some Northern Ireland Red Squirrel Forum (NIRSF) approved metal feeders for the group.

To become a member of the Red Squirrel Group or to report your sightings, visit: www.ringofgullion.org, and click on ‘Red Squirrel Group’.

The ing of ullion offices are located at Crossmaglen Community Centre, O’Fiaich Square, Crossmaglen, BT35 9AA. Tel: (028) 3082 8590 or email info@ringofgullion.org

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