Irish Wildlife Trust - Spring 2023

Chairperson’s Comment

Dear Friends of the Irish Wildlife Trust,

How exciting it is that spring is upon us, bringing longer days, and an abundance of life which emerges from the winter slumber. is season brings hope and solace as darkness turns to light and we see new growth bound forward all around us.

We are thrilled to welcome Grace Carr as our new Marine Policy and Research O cer. is is a critical role as we strive for 30% marine protected areas (MPAs), and we look forward to the impact Grace will have, in partnership with Fair Seas.

Within our board of directors, we are seeking new trustees to join our board. e successful candidates will have environmental knowledge or experience, and some governance expertise is a bene t. We are partnering with BoardMatch Ireland in recruitment, so if you are interested, please apply via BoardMatch.ie or drop me a note with your CV to claire@iwt.ie

As a nation, we can all take action to increase biodiversity, no matter how large or small our space is. Planting native Irish trees, shrubs and hedgerows, building a garden pond and embracing some messiness by leaving fallen leaves or dead trees, all help increase biodiversity.

Personally, I’m adopting the philosophy that “if you build it, they will come”, which is said to be true of garden ponds, and so I’m using some spring energy to nally build one! Ponds take time to establish, so I’m curious to see how long it will take for pond life to arrive, and I’m particularly excited at the prospect of more dragon ies and damsel ies visiting the garden.

As people emerge into the great outdoors again, a conversation with your neighbours could inspire a community approach to biodiversity. Pesticides are detrimental to our biodiversity and only introduce toxicity into our environment. Communities who abandon the use of pesticides, reject the use of poisons, avoid plastic grass and resist the urge to control their spaces, will be rewarded with an abundance of wildlife, pollinators and birds calling to visit.

e conservation of biodiversity is a common

concern for humankind. e planet needs our help to recover from the abuse humankind has in icted, and we nd hope from the COP15 event in Montreal, Canada which was held last December which supports the international agreement for the conservation of biological diversity. e rati cation by 196 nations commits action to the protection and restoration of biodiversity. Now is the time to move from discussion into action, and it is critically important that Ireland, and each one of us, plays our part. In our rst magazine of the year, we have so much to take inspiration from.

e excitement is palpable as we hope the crane is successfully re-established in Ireland; we learn how to pledge our gardens for pollinators from Kate Chandler, and about bioluminescence from Anne Sundermann. We celebrate our branches with news from Kieran Flood about the activities in Kerry, Limerick and Laois O aly branches. e wetlands in Spain are an inspiration shared by Gordon D’Arcy; and we hear perspectives on climate change and the impact on ecosystems from Tim Clabon.

e progress and perils to our MPAs continues, and we have updates from Pádraic Fogarty, the MEP Grace O’Sullivan, and our new sta member Grace Carr. A research-driven approach to understanding our deer populations and the consequences for our environment is welcome, as shared by Kilian Murphy and we learn more about food packaging from Billy Flynn and Christopher Doyle.

A jam packed edition, which I hope you enjoy in these longer, brighter days!

Wishing you the very best for a spring season lled with light, love, health and happiness. It’s a time for optimism and action to make a di erence for wildlife in Ireland.

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

Contents page credits: Western yellow wagtail

About Us

e 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.

e 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. rough your subscriptions and support we can undertake the projects that are bene ting Ireland’s wildlife. If you would like to help more, here’s what you can do:

• Make a one-o donation to the IWT.

• Give IWT membership as a gi .

• Volunteer – we are always looking for people to help out. ere are lots of ways to get involved, from helping with important admin work in our o ce to helping us increase membership by volunteering at public events. See our website www.iwt.ie for details or contact the o ce directly.

Supported by

e 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/O aly: Ricky, iwtlaoiso aly@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/IWTlaoiso alybranch

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? e 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 o ce and we can give you the support you need to get up and running.

IMAGES THIS PAGE:

TOP: Wool Carder Bee by Liam Lysaght

BELOW: Jay by Conor Ryan

CONSERVATION NEWS

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

Ecosystems and climate change

e e ects of climate change has had, and will continue to have, an impact on ecosystems and wildlife communities. Climate change a ects individual species and their interactions with other species. But why some communities are able to resist the e ects of climate change better than others remains unclear, but it may be bu ered by community diversity. Climate change can a ect whole communities by increasing the number of warm versus cold loving species and impact their interactions and resources. However, the processes that regulate the community level resources remain unclear. In a study carried out by researchers from the University of Helsinki, Finland, covering nearly all North American bird species over a y-year period, it was found that communities of birds with a higher species richness changed less radically in community composition following climate change.

e leading researcher Emma-Liina Marjakangas, explained that for example, if a community contained birds of prey, insectivores, and seed-eaters rather than birds from just one feeding guild, it was better safeguarded against the negative impacts of climate change.

Community-level diversity works as a bu er against negative climate change impacts, especially during winter, the season that has shown strongest climatic warming across the Northern Hemisphere. On the other hand, biodiversity played a smaller role during the breeding season. Indeed, earlier studies have shown that bird communities change faster during winter than summer, which explains this pattern.

Habitat and the availability of food determines a species’ exibility for changing its breeding and wintering areas. For example, grassland species have shi ed their distributions northwards slower than forest species, such as the American robin, or habitat generalists, such as the mourning dove, explained

senior curator Aleksi Lehikoinen from the University of Helsinki. Diverse bird communities help maintain ecosystems via plant seed dispersal, pest insect control and even pollination of owering plants. Climate change reshu es the composition of these important bird communities and therefore threatens their ability to provide ecosystem services.

eir results strengthen the understanding that biodiversity safeguards ecosystem functioning and that the biodiversity and climate crises need to be mitigated simultaneously to avoid multiplier e ects.

e method used to measure the climate change response of bird communities was thermal variability. e variability over time in the ‘thermal niche’ of communities can be measured as a trend compared to the temperature preference of di erent species. Invariability in the average thermal niche indicates that species within the community are resisting temperature related changes. ermal variability used the community temperature index (CTI). e CTI is a method where rst the species temperature index (STI) is determined. is is the average temperature a species experiences across its range, or the temperature preference of a species. e STI can then be combined or weighted with the abundance of each species within a community. is can then be used to look at how communities are responding to climate changes. e STI of a species represents a long-term average temperature for a season and is a useful tool as climate change is a long-term pressure on ecosystems, not just a single occurring event. As well as birds this method of measurement is also a useful tool for measuring changes in sh and insect communities.

e technique does have limitations, however, as it cannot take into account other pressures happening at the same time, in the same area such as habitat loss and disturbance. But it does nonetheless prove to be a useful tool for measuring the e ects of climate change within communities and strengthening our understanding around the importance of biodiversity within the pressures of climate change.

e study is based on a community science database from 1966–2016 covering all of North America, and it was published in the international journal Scienti c Reports.

https://www.helsinki. /en/news/climate-change/biodiversitysafeguards-bird-communities-under-changing-climate https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-26248-1

Western yellow wagtail Motacilla flava by iStockphoto

IRISH

By Tim Clabon

Poisons for sale

Recently, an online company selling badger poison available for purchase in Ireland came to our attention. Investigating the website revealed that not only was badger poison available but a whole range of poisons targeting birds, hedgehogs and weasels (which would be effective on similar species). Also available was bat repellent which worked when ingested.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) was informed as well as the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU). The NPWS responded to say they would pass on the information to the licensing unit for reply, but to date no reply has been received.

CRRU - Ireland has also yet to reply. CRRU - Ireland is (or was) a multi stakeholder taskforce made up of governmental, nongovernmental and industry bodies to promote best practice and responsible use of chemical rodenticides.

Fortunately, wildlife campaigners and the UK-based Badgerwatch were already aware of the website and what it was selling and worked with the UK’s Health and Safety Executive, Trading Standards and National Wildlife Crime Unit to get the products removed. ITV news contacted the company (and got a reply) to be told that the hedgehog product was a bait to be used with traps (also illegal), and it was a food, although the packaging and their website clearly stated ‘hedgehog killer’.

The bat repellent is more confusing as the bat would have to eat the insect-based product for it to work and would also be illegal as it would involve disturbing a bat roost to use it, not to mention what the effects of the product might be, and more interestingly how the bats would consume it.

Neither Safety Data Sheets nor a list of the active ingredient were

available for any of the poisons for sale. This meant that we could not see what it actually does, and more concerning what to do in the event of accidental poisoning. Based in the United States, some companies sell poisons that may be banned in the EU, though fortunately only sell to licensed pest controllers. However, many other types of poisons, such as snake venom, are sold illegally and the sellers advertise their methods of concealment for customer satisfaction. We found websites selling such items whilst looking

into the exotic pet trade into Ireland. The whole issue raises questions about how online sales of products that could be detrimental to our wildlife are controlled. Who monitors the products and websites selling them and takes appropriate action? It seems CRRUIreland is inactive, or at least unable to offer advice and the NPWS are probably over stretched. While smuggling of wildlife falls under the remit of customs, and to some extent the Department of Agriculture, items readily available to order and the methods used to transport them into Ireland show how a rapidly changing digital world can add pressures to our wildlife. Also in the relation to the use of poison, in January we learned that a white-tailed eagle which was the subject of a reintroduction programme in 2021, was found poisoned in Co. Cavan. Subsequent toxicology tests conducted by the State Laboratory confirmed the bird had been poisoned with carbofuran, a toxic substance that has been banned for over a decade. Why is it that people are still poisoning the land in this way? Did some landowners stockpile these chemicals prior to them being prohibited? We urge anyone with information to contact the NPWS on 01-5393156.

Bat repellent

"MANY OTHER TYPES OF POISONS, SUCH AS SNAKE VENOM, ARE SOLD ILLEGALLY AND THE SELLERS ADVERTISE THEIR METHODS OF CONCEALMENT FOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION"

HOPE SPOT FOR

Irish Seas!

 Grace (below the water!). By Jimmy Hawkshaw

MARINE NEWS By Grace Carr

Irish Wildlife

MARINE NEWS By Grace Carr

My name is Grace and I’m delighted to join the Irish Wildlife Trust as their new Marine Policy and Research Officer. I worked as a SCUBA divemaster for many years, partly due to my love for sharks and wanting to spend time with these misunderstood animals in their natural environment. Over the years, I could notice a marked decline in not only shark numbers, but also habitat degradation. I knew that I wanted to do more for these animals and the beautiful and diverse places they inhabit and so I decided to complete a BSc in Marine Biology. This was followed by a research Master’s degree, focusing on shark distributions in the North Atlantic and looking at the environmental variables which could impact their movements.

I spent last year working with Atlantic bluefin tuna off the south and west coast of Ireland, tagging them to get a greater

understanding of the numbers arriving to Irish waters each year. It was a privilege to be able to spend time with these amazing fish and get to see first-hand how productive and full of life the waters off our coasts can be.

Some exciting news to start of the year, a new ‘Hope Spot’ has been designated off the south-west coast of Ireland. The Hope Spot is in the Loop Head (Co. Clare) to Kenmare (Co. Kerry) area and it will be named the Greater Skellig Coast Hope Spot. This area was identified in the Fair Seas report – ‘Revitalising Our Seas’ – as an Area of Interest for Marine Protected Area (MPA) designation (see the autumn ’22 issue of Irish Wildlife for more information on this report).

This site has the highest density of minke whales and humpback whales recorded within Ireland’s exclusive economic zone, accounting for 30% and 45% respectively of all sightings. The archipelagos in this peninsula are also home to internationally

"IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO SPEND TIME WITH THESE AMAZING FISH AND GET TO SEE FIRST-HAND HOW PRODUCTIVE AND FULL OF LIFE THE WATERS OFF OUR COASTS ARE"

Surfer, St Finan's Bay, Co Kerry. By Don MacMonagle

important seabird breeding sites such as Manx shearwater, pu n and storm petrol. Tralee and Dingle Bays are also breeding areas for many threatened species of shark, ray and skate including the critically endangered angel shark. High densities of the elusive basking shark have been recorded around the Blasket Islands with as many as 60 individuals seen at one time!

Hope Spots are the brainchild of Dr Sylvia A. Earle, oceanographer, pioneering woman in ocean science and international advocate for the ocean. She has been National Geographic’s Explorer in Residence since 1998 and was named the rst Hero for the Planet by Time magazine.

DR. SYLVIA EARLE, FOUNDER OF MISSION BLUE SAYS

" is Hope Spot is being announced at a crucial time for Ireland because in 2023, national Marine Protected Area (MPA) legislation will be introduced for the rst time. 81% of Irish people believe that we need to protect, conserve and restore the ocean. is legislation will help achieve this very desirable protection."

She is the founder of Mission Blue (see www.missionblue.org) and set out in 2009 to ignite public support for a global network of MPAs.

Hope Spots are areas that are scienti cally identi ed as being critical to the health of the ocean. ey are o en areas which need new protection, or they can be areas which are already protected but greater action is required. Once a Hope Spot is designated, the Mission Blue team uses its resources to bring this area to the world stage. Having the rst Hope Spot recognised in Ireland means there will be more support, expeditions and scienti c advice provided to help organisations and conservationists build public support and protect this area. is is great timing for Ireland as discussions on the new MPA legislation are underway (see the campaign update). We need this new legislation to be robust and to change how Irish marine conservation, policy and management is handled. is new announcement will hopefully help make the government sit up and realise how critical many areas around our island are for the overall health of the ocean. Our waters are being recognised as scienti cally important at an international level, it is time they are protected and managed at a national level.

Fair Seas is a coalition of Irish NGOs campaigning to get at least 30% of Irish waters protected by 2030. Join us on June 8th at Cork City Hall for their World Ocean Day conference. Ocean advocates, industry, key stakeholders and government o cials will be brought together to map out the next steps for Marine Protected Areas in Ireland. Sessions will focus on the designation and management of Marine Protected Areas and learning from best practices across the world. Visit www.fairseas.ie for more information and to book your spot.

Skellig Michael, Iveragh Peninsula, Co Kerry. By Valerie O'Sullivan, Failte Ireland

Grace Carr (above water)

Kerry Branch 10th Anniversary

2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the re-formation of the IWT Kerry Branch. It's hard to imagine that it has been 10 years but looking back the memories come flooding back. In the Kerry Branch we would like to share a few quick snaps and highlights as well as an invitation to join us in enjoying and planning future events.

Through the years there have been the now long-standing Natterjack toad, bat and deer rut events, as well as woodland

and shore walks and explorations and even included ‘overseas’ trips to the Blasket Islands on two occasions.

Other aspects of our work have been involvement with the local communities projects and festival events, helping celebrate nature within the Kingdom. Helping people to appreciate the local riches and their ever increasing fragility!

Contact iwtkerry@gmail.com for more information.

Limerick Branch Update

We finished up our field outings for 2022 with a fungi foray in Cratloe Woods in October. This was led by our fungi expert Dr. Tom Harrington. Cratloe Woods is a regular haunt of fungi foragers but care has to be taken to recognise the death cap and a few other poisonous species which are common in these and other local woods.

At the IWT Limerick Branch, we have established a working relationship with the Geography Department of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick as a venue for talks over the winter months. Our first speaker in October was Dr Liam Lysaght of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, who gave us an overview

of the changes in the populations of Ireland’s butterflies – not good news unfortunately! The Biodiversity Centre relies on volunteers doing surveys in their localities to establish trends over many years, so do consider joining one of their schemes. Our speaker in November was Dave Lyons, the District Conservation Officer with NPWS, who spoke on ‘Limerick’s Birds, Bats and Bogs’. It was heartening to meet an enthusiastic and experienced local conservation ranger – long may the NPWS prosper!

For the spring we have lined up a number of speakers including Sinead McDonnell from the Limerick City and

County Council heritage office, who works to promote biodiversity with many groups, including Tidy Towns committees. We are planning a series of field outings for the spring and summer, starting in April with exploring King’s Island in the city for the summer snowflake, a beautiful native plant, which looks like a kind of cross between garlic and snowdrop. We will also have a public event in Curraghchase Woods for Biodiversity

Week in May, focusing on insects, in particular dragonflies and butterflies and there is lots more in the pipeline.

Laois Offaly Branch Timahoe Project update

Many local heritage sites are prime areas to create and celebrate natural spaces. In November 2022, the IWT Laois/Offaly Branch installed 16 nesting and roosting boxes and two interpretive panels at Timahoe, an early Christian monastic site in Co Laois.

The interpretive signs raise awareness about the wildlife at Timahoe. One sign highlights a few species that depend on, and indeed enhance, the built environment at the site, particularly bats that nest in the church and rooks that congregate in the roundhouse tower. Another panel focuses on inhabitants of our nearby Timahoe River, which forms a boundary to the site.

The signs are part of a wider project to enhance biodiversity at Timahoe. The project also involved installation of bat roost boxes and bird nesting boxes for starling, grey wagtail, and dipper.

The project was completed in partnership with the Laois Heritage Office with the support of the Local Biodiversity Action Fund of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The signs were designed by Penhouse Design with original illustrations by Aga Grandowicz. Because of the sensitivity of the site, all work has been monitored and overseen by Colm Flynn Archaeologist, in consultation with National Monuments Service - Archaeology. The project had the support of the local community, Tigh Mochua Le Cheìle and Timahoe Heritage Centre.

To see a full list of all our IWT branches and to their contact details see www.iwt. ie/get-involved/our-branches/

"THE SIGNS ARE PART OF A WIDER PROJECT TO ENHANCE BIODIVERSITY AT TIMAHOE. THE PROJECT ALSO INVOLVED INSTALLATION OF BAT ROOST BOXES AND BIRD NESTING BOXES FOR STARLING, GREY WAGTAIL, AND DIPPER"

xxxx

Nest box installation Photo by Alf Harvey.

Branch chair Anne Sundermann, archaeologist Colm Flynn, and Laois Heritage Officer Catherine Casey oversee sign installation at Timahoe

CAMPAIGN

By Pádraic Fogarty

A law for MPAs … finally!

15 years since the European Union first obliged member states to designate a ‘coherent and representative network of marine protected areas’, and over ten years since this network was due to be in place, the government has published its ‘general scheme’ for a Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Bill. This is the initial draft of legislation that, it is hoped, will be passed this year to allow for the identification, designation and, ultimately, actual protection of areas of the marine space. Readers of Irish Wildlife will be aware that this is something we have been pushing for some time! Now that it's here we will be working to make sure that the law is

L-R: The IWT’s Grace Carr, Fair Seas’ Donal Griffen, IWT’s Pádraic Fogarty, Irish Environmental Network’s Attracta Uí Bhroin and BirdWatch Ireland’s Sinéad Loughran at the entrance to the Dáil on Dublin’s Kildare Street

strong enough to result in the protections that are so badly needed. In reading the Bill, we have to put ourselves in our own shoes in five- or ten-years’ time and ask ourselves: “is the government doing what is stipulated in the law?” We cannot take for granted that this or any future government will want to protect the marine environment, we have to be able to hold them to account, through the courts if necessary. We therefore must read the Bill with a studied and sceptical eye!

How laws are made can be opaque and/ or difficult to follow. But step one is scrutiny of the Bill by the Oireachtas committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which is chaired by the Green Party’s Steven Matthews. It is made up of 13 other TDs and Senators from different parties (and none) who are entitled to hold hearings and invite in officials or experts for cross examination. In this case, the committee invited in the civil servants who have drafted the Bill, the technical expert,

Deer

The issue of deer in Ireland is perennially controversial. Ireland has no deer management strategy and does not monitor deer numbers so we don’t know with any degree of confidence what the populations of the various species are. A new study from the Lab of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour in University College Dublin however shows that there have been “marked increases in relative population density and extensive range expansion for each of the three deer species across Ireland” since the turn of the century (see the Wild Ideas story in this issue). The issue vexes different people for different reasons: certain rural-based TDs think they’re a hazard on the roads, many farmers believe they spread tuberculosis to their cattle (although there’s no evidence for this),

Professor Tasman Crowe who led on the production of a hefty report into MPAs in 2020, the wind energy industry and nongovernmental organisations (including the IWT). The fishing industry were also invited but were not present. We attended with our colleagues in Fair Seas, BirdWatch Ireland, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and the Irish Environmental Network.

I was encouraged with the level of interest shown by the parliamentarians who turned up. So, what do we think of the Bill? Unfortunately, it falls far short of what is needed. There is no clear commitment to

reach at least 30% coverage of ocean area by 2030 as stated in the Programme for Government, there is no mention of the need for ‘strictly protected’ areas which is a target of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy, there is no system for monitoring and review and no clear mechanism for deciding how it will be decided whether activities in MPAs will be compatible with protecting the species or habitats for which they are designated. We also do not know who will ultimately be responsible for managing, monitoring and enforcing the rules in MPAs. Even on this point alone, we know from experience that if there is any doubt about who’s responsibility it is to do a job, the job simply won’t be done. The committee is due to publish its report at the end of February, the bill will then go to go the floor of the Dáil and Seanad (and back again) where amendments can be tabled and the issues debated. We hope our concerns can ultimately be addressed – watch this space for updates throughout 2023.

commercial foresters say they’re eating all the trees and ecologists worry that they’re preventing any natural regeneration of native trees and other vegetation.

In January, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine held a public consultation on deer. Our view is that it’s time that the non-native deer species, namely sika and fallow deer, were designated as alien invasive species. This would oblige the government to come up with a plan to control their numbers. We also think we need a separate plan for the native(ish) red deer in Killarney National Park. We need greater focus on the terrible state of the National Park and a plan to expand the woodlands, with the deer, so that both can thrive. However, this is only possible

if deer densities are low. A study in Scotland has found that densities of the (relatively large) red deer must be no more than 3.5 animals per km2 to allow tree seedlings a chance of survival. We would never be enthusiastic about a culling programme for any animal, after all it is not the fault of the deer that they were transported here while their natural predators were exterminated. Nevertheless, if we are to put the health of ecosystems first then there is simply no other option.

We have also highlighted that a longerterm solution to culling is needed. This means starting the process of returning healthy populations of native wild predators to the landscape. This is not a simple equation of ‘just add wolves or lynx’. Predators need to be at a sufficient population themselves to have a controlling effect on prey species, and reintroduction of predators should not be solely for utilitarian purposes. But we need to get serious about the task of rebuilding healthy, resilient and functioning natural ecosystems.

"PREDATORS NEED TO BE AT A SUFFICIENT POPULATION THEMSELVES TO HAVE A CONTROLLING EFFECT ON PREY SPECIES, AND REINTRODUCTION OF PREDATORS SHOULD NOT BE SOLELY FOR UTILITARIAN PURPOSES"

"THERE IS NO CLEAR COMMITMENT TO REACH AT LEAST 30% COVERAGE OF OCEAN AREA BY 2030 AS STATED IN THE PROGRAMME FOR GOVERNMENT"

CAMPAIG NING FROM BRUSSELS

By MEP Grace O’Sullivan

A Mandate for the Ocean

MEP Grace O’Sullivan on negotiating a European Parliament Resolution on Ocean Governance and Biodiversity

“Whereas the ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface, produces half of our oxygen, absorbs a third of CO2 emissions and 90% of the excess heat in the climate system, and plays a unique and vital role as a climate regulator in the context of the climate crisis".

This is one of the first paragraphs of the Resolution on Strengthening Ocean Governance and Biodiversity passed by the European Parliament late last year, with the aim of maintaining momentum in the European Union for ‘blue’ climate action. At its heart was the demand for an international institution as large as the European Union to recognise the true value of the ocean to humanity.

In the context of the European Green Deal, where there is justified criticism of decision-makers’ focus on climate considerations and not enough on the biodiversity crisis we are also living through, unfortunately the role of the oceans is often also taken for granted.

Back in the 1980s, at a time when I was a young activist on Greenpeace ships, these issues seemed obvious to us. Overfishing was reaching one of its worst peaks in history at that time and we could already see the impact that it was having on other species like whales and porpoises. The Mediterranean in particular was a hotspot for over-exploitation, and it remains to this day the most overfished sea basin on earth.

Meanwhile the sea was becoming an increasingly militarised place with the Cold War spitting out nuclear submarines and warships at an unprecedented pace. We set up blockades of US aircraft carriers, climbed Russian anchor chains and made a nuisance of ourselves around pipelines, but the machine of exploitation and destruction continued to turn with complete indifference to the value of an untouched ocean.

While it seems a world away at times, I wanted to continue the thread of those activist days in a legislative setting, keeping a focus on ocean health and climate action. In the Parliament that can be done in a number of ways: through legislation such as the European Climate Law, by putting pressure on the Commission and Member States, or by establishing European Parliament precedents with resolutions which draw the battle lines for future legislative negotiations.

Last year, we gathered a group of MEPs to help correct the bias of political institutions and ensure that the protection of the ocean’s biodiversity, as well as its role as a climate regulator, was at the centre of EU and national policymaking. We wanted the European Parliament to adopt a Resolution and firmly establish a position on ocean health.

The drafting of those Resolutions is always a chaotic, complicated, yet cooperative affair. The various political parties of the Parliament put forward their priorities before sitting down and working out a text that everyone is happy to vote in favour of. In theory!

Staff run back and forth with newly edited texts. Assistants get their marching orders from MEPs before early

Grace O'Sullivan at the European Parliament

"BACK IN THE 1980S, AT A TIME WHEN I WAS A YOUNG ACTIVIST ON GREENPEACE SHIPS, THESE ISSUES SEEMED OBVIOUS TO US"

negotiations. A flurry of texts go back and forth between political factions. And when controversial issues come to the fore, MEPs are called in to smooth out the cracks and negotiate line by line. There is a pantomime of political intrigue and bartering.

The Liberals insist on including in the Resolution a mention of food security. Fisheries must be recognised for feeding the multitudes. The Socialists call for language on workers’ rights at sea.

Mariners of the world, unite!

The Conservatives, led by a fleet of Spaniards, object to closing off protected areas to bottom-trawling. Debate erupts.

The Greens, for our part, call for concrete results and not just another vague statement on climate action: an international moratorium on deep seabed mining, and a ban on oil and gas exploration in the Arctic and in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

And when it’s all decided, you have won some battles and lost others and a chimera of a document is sent to be voted on by over 700 MEPs on the chamber floor.

The resolution passed by a massive majority I am happy to say, and I couldn’t help but shout in celebration when the result of the vote was called. We had drawn a line in the sand which called for strong protections for the ocean, including bans on oil and gas exploration in the Arctic and in MPAs. We had won recognition by the European Parliament of the role of the ocean. Those positions set out in the resolution would now be part of every discussion on the ocean from here on in. What we achieved was setting a mandate for the ocean.

Looking ahead, 2023 could be a landmark year for the oceans, if we play our cards right.

Readers of Irish Wildlife will be aware that legislation for MPAs is being put in place this year. This is part of a broader European movement towards covering 30% of our waters with protected areas by 2030. Other EU environmental legislation is coming down the line, and negotiations with more conservative parties and member states will not be easy.

An “Action Plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems” is due soon. Negotiations over the fisheries regulations are ongoing and controversial. An EU Nature Restoration Law, perhaps unprecedented in its scope for both land and sea restoration, is already coming under tremendous pressure from large industry and agricultural bodies. The Common Fisheries Policy could be looking at a complete overhaul.

In each of these areas we already face a massive uphill battle in terms of climate and biodiversity action. In dry ink, we have a contract with the European Parliament. It must be a champion for the ocean!

Greenpeace action with inflatable against Soviet nuclear warship in the Mediterranean. Activist hangs banner on anchor chain of the ship

Grace MV Greenpeace Durmond d'Urville Antarctic base

POLLINATORS Pledge Your Garden for

By KATE CHANDLER

We have all heard that bees are in trouble, but in recent years, you can nd them everywhere: on T-shirts and tea towels, on stationery and socks, on cushions and keyrings, coasters, and clocks. e abundance of bees in our material culture re ects a surge of public interest in these important insects. If you were to use this as an indicator of the status of real bees, you would be forgiven for thinking they were thriving. But the real picture tells a di erent story.

On the island of Ireland, and across the world, bees and other pollinators are in decline. e primary reason for this is that we have drastically reduced the habitats that provide them with food and shelter. is is a huge problem not only for pollinators, but the animals that feed on the plants they pollinate, including humans. Of the 100 crops that provide 90% of the world’s food, 71 are pollinated by bees.

e solution to this problem is simple: we need to make sure our landscape supports them. is requires a collective e ort – local authorities, businesses, farmers, gardeners, and more, all have a role to play in taking the right actions to help save these important insects.

Who are our pollinators?

When I rst joined the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan team at the National Biodiversity Data Centre, I was astonished to discover that Ireland is home to over 100 di erent types of bee.

ey come in all shapes and sizes: fat, furry bumblebees who live in colonies, and smaller solitary bees who sometimes look more like ies or wasps and have wonderful names like orange-legged furrow bee’ and ‘chocolate mining bee’. About 20% of our wild bees are bumblebees and 80% are solitary bees. ere is only one honeybee in Ireland, which is not currently in decline. Unfortunately, more than half of these bee species have undergone substantial declines since 1980, with a third under threat of extinction in Ireland according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Some pollination is carried out by self-pollination or by the wind, but almost 90% of wild plants depend on pollination by animals. e most important of these pollinators are bees, so it’s easy to imagine the devastating e ect their loss would have on our landscape.

ACTIONS FOR POLLINATORS TAKEN PER SECTOR

■ Pollinator friendly planting (1879)

■ Reduce mowing (1386)

■ Reduce pesticide use (1330)

■ Raising Awareness (1178)

■ Protect existing pollinator habitats (1111)

■ Provide nesting habitats (878)

■ Other (750)

■ Tracking progress (691)

■ Other actions taken for general biodiversity

SITES PER SECTOR ON ACTIONS FOR POLLINATORS

■ Local Communities (1096)

■ Business (849)

■ Gardens (761)

■ Council Action (389)

■ Schools (188)

■ Headquaters/Campuses

■ Group Water scheme Sites

■ Enviromental NGOs

■ Faith Communities

■ OPW

■ Golf Courses

■ Councils-Policy changes

e primary reason for their decline is hunger. Most bees don’t make honey and so cannot store food. Instead, they rely on whatever they can nd in the landscape, which means they are only ever a few days away from starvation. Our landscape does not provide enough of the native wild owers, trees, and shrubs that they have evolved alongside, and are the best source of nectar (for energy) and pollen (for protein).

To help address this problem, the AllIreland Pollinator Plan was established in 2015. Implemented by the National Biodiversity Data Centre, this is a framework bringing together di erent sectors across the island to create a landscape where pollinators can survive and thrive. It provides a roadmap for creating a pollinator-friendly environment

through evidence-based actions which are supported by over 100 governmental and non-governmental organisations.

e rst version of the Pollinator Plan ran from 2015-2020, with 81 actions spanning di erent sectors. e second version began in 2021 and will run until 2025. It contains 186 actions to be delivered by partner organisations, building on the huge success of the rst Pollinator Plan.

"OUR LANDSCAPE DOES NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH OF THE NATIVE WILDFLOWERS, TREES, AND SHRUBS THAT THEY HAVE EVOLVED ALONGSIDE"

Pledge Your Garden

One of our key campaigns is ‘Pledge Your Garden for Pollinators’. This is an invitation to anyone with a garden or green space to take simple steps to manage it for pollinators. It can be as easy as changing how frequently you mow your lawn, or planting bulbs like snowdrops and crocuses instead of bulbs with low pollen value like daffodils and tulips. Most of these actions are cost effective, and sometimes will even save money!

Each garden pledged for pollinators becomes part of a network of sites on the Actions for Pollinators online map (https://pollinators.biodiversityireland. ie). This helps us build a picture in real time of where and how the landscape is being managed for pollinators.

Since the scheme began, we have been thrilled by how many people have pledged their gardens and other outdoor spaces for pollinators. As well as gardens, other categories on Actions for Pollinators include local communities, sports clubs, businesses, faith communities, councils, schools, group water schemes, and golf courses.

As of January 2023, there are 3,352 sites on the map. Currently, the category with the greatest number of sites is local communities, with 1,096 sites as of January 2023, followed by businesses (848 sites), and gardens (761 sites).

This is a huge achievement shared by everyone who has already taken part. But we have much further to go. We would love to see this map become a sea of red dots, each representing a crucial sanctuary for pollinators. If every Irish Wildlife Trust member pledged a garden for pollinators, or spread the word to someone with an outdoor space, this would add an additional 4,000 sites to the map, bringing us closer to our goal of creating a joined-up network of beefriendly sites all over the island of Ireland.

But how exactly can you help pollinators in your garden? Sometimes, all the advice out there can be overwhelming, so we have made some simple, evidence-based recommendations to help you make the right choices for pollinators and for you.

The good news is we know these actions work. Whilst the general trend across Ireland still shows that bees are in decline,

we have seen local populations increase in areas where land has been managed in line with our recommendations. This is hugely encouraging, and proof that if enough people get involved we can create a landscape where pollinators can survive and thrive.

Here are a few simple things you can do to help:

• Protect existing habitats

The very first thing to do is check if there are already sources of food and potential nesting sites in your garden. If so, these might already be a lifeline for local bees. Look out for naturally occurring wildflowers, native flowering hedgerows or trees, wild areas, and patches of bare soil.

• Mow less Wildflowers can’t thrive in most lawns because the soil fertility is too high. Mowing less – even once every six weeks - and removing grass cuttings reduces the soil fertility over time and allows native wildflowers like Dandelions and Clover to grow naturally. Even leaving patches of unmown grass here and there can make a difference. Why not take part in ‘No-Mow-May’ and leave your lawnmower in the shed for a whole month?

This is far cheaper and more effective than sowing wildflower seed mixes, which often contain non-native plants like cornflowers and can inadvertently

 Early Bumblebee by Steven Falk

 Wool Carder Bee by Liam Lysaght

"IT CAN BE AS EASY AS CHANGING HOW FREQUENTLY YOU MOW YOUR LAWN, OR PLANTING BULBS LIKE SNOWDROPS AND CROCUSES INSTEAD OF BULBS WITH LOW POLLEN VALUE LIKE DAFFODILS AND TULIPS"

introduce invasive species. Patience, not packets!

• Plant pollinator-friendly owers and herbs

Just because you’ve pledged your garden for pollinators doesn’t mean it can’t also be beautiful. ere are plenty of colourful owers and herbs that are rich in nectar and pollen. Visit the resources page on the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan website for lists of pollinator-friendly plants. Make sure you keep these plants to your garden and don’t plant them in the wider landscape.

• Provide nesting habitats

Most bees don’t live in hives. Wild pollinators nest in hedgerows, wild areas, dry stone walls, and even in the ground. Bumblebees tend to forage within 1km of their nest, and solitary bees only a few hundred metres, so it

is crucial that they have places to nest near their food. Making a nesting habitat can be as simple as scraping back south-facing bare earth for mining solitary bees, leaving some areas to grow wild, or simply drilling holes 10cm deep in unvarnished wood for cavity-nesting solitary bees.

• Stop using pesticides

One of the best things you can do for pollinators is stop using pesticides. ese potent chemical cocktails have been found to kill, harm, and disorientate pollinators. ‘Weeds’ such as dandelions are o en vital sources of food (records last year showed that dandelions were the number one favourite food for both bumblebees and solitary bees in Ireland).

• Help spread the word Change happens when word spreads. ere are loads of free resources and

In his introduction to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2021-2025, Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan said: “In an era defined by the great environmental challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, it has never been more important to remember that the most powerful antidote to despair is action.” We have the proof that when we choose to take positive actions, we can make a huge di erence for pollinators. Every piece of land, no matter how small, can be part of the solution, and together we can create a landscape where pollinators can survive and thrive.

materials on the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan website, including posters, planting lists, guidelines, and signage templates that can help you make your garden, community, business, sports club, or school pollinator-friendly. If you don’t have a garden yourself, why not make a pot for pollinators to put on your balcony or windowsill? Or get involved with a local Tidy Towns group to enter the annual Pollinator Award?

• Track your progress

e only way we will know if this hard work is paying o is if we track pollinator numbers. e easiest way to do this is by conducting a FlowerInsect-Timed Count (or FIT Count) between April and September. is involves watching a patch of owers and counting how many insects visit in ten minutes, and is easy to do on the FIT count app.

Kate Chandler is the communities & engagement pollinator officer with the National Biodiversity Data Centre. If you want to pledge your garden for pollinators by adding it to the Actions for Pollinators map, go to https:// pollinators.biodiversityireland.ie and click ‘Sign up’.

Ireland’s Changing DEER POPULATIONS

Sika deer by Mike Brown

By KILIAN MURPHY

Deer are the largest wild terrestrial mammal species in Ireland. Red deer Cervus elephus are native to Ireland and have been present here since the glacial maximum (c. 25,000 years ago) though reintroductions of foreign stock have likely bolstered their population. Ireland also has two established nonnative deer species: Fallow deer Dama dama and Sika deer Cervus nippon. Finally, there are scattered records of Muntjac deer Muntiacus reevesi but they are not considered to be widespread established populations.

Deer are an important part of our natural and cultural heritage in Ireland and thus, there is a broad suite of interested stakeholders who have different visions for the conservation and management of deer in Ireland. For instance, a portion of this group find deer to be pests that incur economic costs and pose a threat to public safety due to their perceived negative effect on forestry, crops, domestic animals, and road users. Conversely, deer are seen as a prized resource to conservationists and hunters. The goal of deer management for all stakeholders is in essence a shared one, to maintain healthy and sustainable deer population. To achieve this goal, it is essential that fundamental baseline information regarding each of the deer species populations are known, perhaps most importantly, their relative population density and their geographic distribution. New research from the Lab of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour in University College Dublin has utilised recent advancements in statistical analysis to demonstrate how changing land-use in Ireland from 2000-2018 has played a role in shaping each deer populations’ distribution and density.

This study found that during the period 2000-2018 each of the three established deer populations in Ireland increased their spatial range across the country and increased their population density. It is likely that human introduction of deer is the strongest driver of where deer are located in Ireland and for the presence of high-density ‘hot-spots’. We found high densities of each species close to where historical introductions occurred: Donegal, Meath and Kerry for red deer, Wicklow and West Cork/ Kerry for sika deer and midland counties for fallow deer. Over the course of the study period – each species expanded their range outwards from these “hot-spots” at lower population density leading to a much-increased distribution and density of deer in Ireland. It is possible that there have been many local population introductions of deer by humans in the 20th and 21st centuries that have not been documented but may have contributed to the range expansion and/or population growth we document here.

Across the study period, there was also an observed switch in the type of habitat deer were utilising,

oftentimes favouring more human-dominated environments over more natural landscapes. For instance, red deer reduced their use of natural grassland and increased the use of pasture – which may have implications for encountering domestic animals and thus disease spread e.g., bovine tuberculosis. Sika deer reduced their use of peat bogs and increased their use of conifer forestry which potentially could place this species in conflict with foresters due to incurring forest damage through browsing, fraying and bark stripping behaviours. Finally, fallow deer saw an increased reliance on artificial surfaces, areas such as roads and towns, potentially bringing this species into direct encounters with humans.

While further research will be essential to disentangle the patterns, it is important to note that Ireland is not unique in the population growth and range expansion of our deer species, in fact, it is representative of many countries where deer populations reach unsustainable levels resulting in human-wildlife coexistence issues. Research from Scandinavia, North America and continental Europe has found that shorter and milder winters due to climate change, the eradication of historically extant large carnivore species that predate on deer (e.g., brown bear, Eurasian lynx and, as recently as the 18th century, wolves in Ireland) and finally, land-use change such as increased forest cover and increased growth of agricultural crops have all facilitated deer population growth in other countries.

The result in these countries is similar to what we are experiencing in Ireland – a wildlife management conflict involving a wide variety of interested stakeholders with differing views on how to effectively manage these species to ensure sustainable populations.

This research is an important first step to understand the dynamics of deer species populations in Ireland, to inform a more granular programme of research that aims to understand fine-scale ecology and to inform management accordingly. The evidencebased management of deer is a complex but important task that underpins national debates and policy directions across sectors such as our national Forest Strategy, zoonotic disease surveillance and control, large predator reintroduction and meeting the needs of the many deer stakeholder groups who all wish for sustainable healthy populations that co-exist with humans in our highly modified landscape.

Kilian Murphy is a quantitative ecologist working out of the Lab of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour. His research focuses on using data driven solutions to inform wildlife management when high resolution wildlife monitoring data is not available.

"IT IS LIKELY THAT HUMAN INTRODUCTION OF DEER IS THE STRONGEST DRIVER OF WHERE DEER ARE LOCATED IN IRELAND AND FOR THE PRESENCE OF HIGH-DENSITY ‘HOT-SPOTS’"

By GORDON D'ARCY

Spain’s Ebro Delta: A WETLAND

It’s a strange paradox that Spain, probably the driest country in Europe, (getting drier due to climate change), contains some of the finest wetlands in the continent. These include the Tablas Daimiel marshes south of Madrid, Albufera on the Mediterranean and the finest of all, the enormous wetland of the Coto Doñana, north of Cadiz. Touring the north of the country over the winter holiday, the extent of the dryness in the empty watercourses was alarming; only the Ebro River, fed by precipitation from the Pyrenees, contained flowing water and even there the much reduced levels showed clearly on the banks. This great river, running from the Cantabrian mountains near the Bay of Biscay east/ southeast to the Mediterranean, is more than four times the length of the Shannon. It is the life-blood to innumerable farms occupying the river’s vast alluvial plain, irrigated for agriculture since Roman times. The route following the river’s course passes through crops of olives, vines, almonds, oranges, a plethora of vegetables, cereals and occasional herds of sheep, goats and cattle.

As throughout most of Spain, hedges are non-existent, so there is an obvious dearth of small birds. Occasional dammed reservoirs (embalses) and salt pans (saladas), harbour unexpected gatherings of attractive water birds such as egrets and avocets. Birds of prey are here too: red kites, marsh harriers and the odd shrike, while overhead, soaring griffon vultures appear, apparently from nowhere. The final reaches of the Ebro pass through a remarkable landscape more typical of eastern Asia than Europe. Hundreds of hectares, irrigated from the river, have been converted into rice paddies. No wonder paella is on the menu of every restaurant in Catalonia! Fields, shallowly watered by an extraordinary complex of drains and weirs extend as far as the eye can see towards the Mediterranean. These artificial wetlands represent the wintering

HUNDREDS OF HECTARES, IRRIGATED FROM THE RIVER, HAVE BEEN CONVERTED INTO RICE PADDIES. NO WONDER PAELLA IS ON THE MENU OF EVERY RESTAURANT IN CATALONIA!

habitat of thousands of wetland birds. Several species of herons and egrets, glossy ibis, even storks (which have elected not to join the majority of their tribe in North Africa) consort here. They are joined by clouds of waders such as shanks and sandpipers many of which (lapwings, dunlins, redshanks etc.) are familiar Irish birds.

The jewel on the crown of the Ebro, however, is at the outfall to the Mediterranean. This, the famous Ebro Delta with its marshes, lagoons and reed beds is something to behold. Thousands of surface-feeding ducks, gulls and terns, and innumerable egrets and herons feed in the nutrient-rich waters. Kingfishers dart here and there among the shallows. More than a thousand flamingos form a pink and white phalanx on the open water.

Bird hut for bird watching in the Ebro river delta, Spain

On being disturbed, they take to the air like exotic winged crosses. Every glance through the binoculars reveals marsh harriers drifting menacingly above the reeds, startling ducks and scattering snipe. A pair of scarce booted eagles ghost into view then casually disappear high above the river without pouncing. Birds, birds, birds. The tally for the day amounts to more than fifty species.

Local fishermen using traditional flatbottomed punts harvest the shoals of the wetland and do so unobtrusively in

tandem with the conservation importance of the Delta. The complete absence of spent cartridges indicated that the wetlands constitute a no-go area for hunting –a refreshing fact in a country so given to the activity.

The Spanish authorities are clearly proud of their wetlands. The state-of-the art facilities to accommodate bird-watchers are impressive. A network of wooden walkways extending for more than a kilometre in one instance, are punctuated by commodious, well-constructed, cleverly situated hides and observation posts. One of these, a lookout ten metres high and appropriately clad with timber provides a superb overview of the entire outfall wetland. Inside the hides abundant posters offer pictorial information not only of the birds but also of the habitats and the broader natural history of the Delta.

Drought-free Ireland has wetlands on a

par with the Ebro Delta. However, repeated episodes of drainage down the years show that we do not cherish them as do the Spanish. How often have we heard ‘people are more important than ducks’? Some of these wetlands such as the Shannon Callows, Rahasane Turlough, Lough Beg, and some tidal estuaries and saltmarshes with large populations of wintering water birds are worthy of comprehensive measures to inspire and educate.

Unfortunately, the cooperation necessary to achieve this is often in short supply.

Climate change with the ongoing threat of extreme weather events, particularly flooding, may hopefully engender a more thoughtful approach, inclining our authorities towards a greater understanding of the significance of wetlands. People may indeed be more important than ducks but does it have to be one at the expense of the other?

Aerial views of the mouth and the end of the Ebro river

Delta del Ebro Natural Park

All photos by iStockphoto

"THE SPANISH AUTHORITIES ARE CLEARLY PROUD OF THEIR WETLANDS. THE STATE-OF-THE ART FACILITIES TO ACCOMMODATE BIRD-WATCHERS ARE IMPRESSIVE"

By BILLY FLYNN and CHRISTOPHER DOYLE

ECOLABELS

While doing the ‘big shop’ recently, I found myself comparing two blocks of parmesan cheese. In one hand, the supermarket’s own brand, and in the other, a slightly smaller block with a bright red and yellow stamp that cost two euro more. Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a similar situation.

Said stamp is the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and indicates that a product was made in a speci ed region, with ingredients also sourced from that region. Its sister, the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certi cation, however, only indicates that a part of the process occurred in the region. e label associates quality with a region and justi es a premium price for a foodstu , protecting the livelihoods of the o en rural communities that produce it.

LABEL? On the Part 1

ese certi cations are known as ‘ecolabels’ and are a form of sustainability measurement displayed on a product to allow consumers to take ethical or environmental concerns into account when shopping. You have likely also seen Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance stamps on imported goods, but what do they actually mean? Should we always buy them or are there better ways to vote with our wallets? is two part article will explore some of the most common ecolabels, starting closest to home.

In Ireland, the Origin Green programme was launched by Bord Bia in 2012 in response to numerous global studies on the environmental impacts of livestock on the environment. It claims to be the world’s rst third-party veri ed national sustainability programme and brand for food production. According to their website 90% of our food and drink exports and over 70% of our domestic retail market are ‘Origin Green compliant’.

As part of regular audits, farms are measured on their production e ciency and environmental performance. Each audit generates a sustainability feedback report on the farm’s performance, highlighting where farmers can improve farm e ciency and environmental outcomes. e programme also applies to food retailers and businesses where things like sustainability of supply chain, manufacturing, processing and social factors are measured.

e assessment scheme was initially voluntary but is now required as part of the Bord Bia’s Sustainable Quality Assurance certi cation, so when you see the label on your food, you know that the producers have gone through the auditing process.

ORIGIN GREEN

"THESE CERTIFICATIONS ARE KNOWN AS ‘ECOLABELS’ AND ARE A FORM OF SUSTAINABILITY MEASUREMENT DISPLAYED ON A PRODUCT TO ALLOW CONSUMERS TO TAKE ETHICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS INTO ACCOUNT WHEN SHOPPING"

ORGANIC

Another ecolabel o en associated with healthier, environmentally-friendly food is ‘organic’. In organic farming, instead of using synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, farmers must rely on more traditional methods such as crop rotation, companion planting and agroecological approaches to improve soil fertility and reduce pests and disease. Naturally derived pesticides can be used as a last resort, but the exact amount must be justi ed and recorded.

Farmers are also encouraged to save seed in order to foster genetic resources adapted to organic production and local conditions, improving genetic diversity and reducing the monopoly of large seed companies. When it comes to animal welfare, livestock must be fed on an entirely organic diet, have access to the outdoors and antibiotics are given only as a last resort, as opposed to prophylactic use in conventional farming.

e EU Leaf, the Organic Trust, the Irish Organic Association, and the Global Trust Certi cation (seafood) labels ensure that a product meets both International and European Organic standards.

IMPACTS

Given the uptake of Origin Green, it could be expected that greenhouse gases and environmental pollution from agriculture have decreased, yet the Environmental Protection Agency's 'State of the Environment Report 2020' states that:

• e agriculture sector is responsible for approximately one-third of national greenhouse gas emissions and over 99% of national ammonia emissions. Biodiversity is also under pressure from land use changes and intensive farming.

• Ireland has seen a continuing decline in high status water bodies and an increase in the number of water bodies in poor ecological health…driven primarily by nutrient pollution coming from agriculture and wastewater systems.

• Economic growth in the agri-food sector in recent years is happening at the expense of the environment, as evidenced by trends in water quality, emissions and biodiversity all going in the wrong direction. Improved e ciency will not necessarily result in better environmental outcomes. e cleanest diesel engine is still worse than a wind turbine. What is required is a total shi in our food system, one that moves away from intensive animal and cereal production to a more holistic agroecological approach.

Being a part of Origin Green does not mean a producer is having minimal impact on the environment, it simply means

that they are regularly audited by a third party and are continuously asked to improve. ough quality assurance for the purpose of marketing continues to be an essential aspect of Origin Green, there is an increasing focus on meeting regulatory requirements, so as the EU continues to legislate changes to help meet climate and biodiversity targets, having a pre-established audit scheme that can incorporate them is an asset. It should not be abandoned or accused of having failed, but adapted. Are Bord Bia’s sustainability ambitions in line with global targets for climate and biodiversity? If not, why? Could they play a role in improved country-wide ecological farming audits similar to those carried out in the Bride Project in Co. Cork?

Similarly, the organic label does not guarantee that a product is more nutritious or better for the environment than a conventional alternative. Organic agriculture can even have higher environmental impacts, as it o en requires more land than higher-yielding conventional farming. What the label does ensure is that a minimum set of internationally agreed environmental and animal welfare standards were followed in its production. e EU’s Farm2Fork Strategy outlines the objective to have 25% of Europe’s farmland under organic agriculture by 2030.

Ecolabels are an indicator that a particular set of sustainability standards has been followed, not that a product is sustainable. We do not need to all start shopping organic but we do need to consider all that goes into producing our food and making small changes where we can a ord to. What is real value: a bargain price for a packet of chicken thighs, or the knowledge that some e ort has gone into reducing harm at all the stages between you and the egg? If you wish to reduce your impact on the environment, eat more plants and fewer animal products.

As Hannah Ritchie of Our World in Data puts it: “if your primary concern is whether the potato accompanying your steak is conventionally or organically produced, then your focus is arguably misplaced from the decisions which could have the greatest impact”.

In our second part, we will look at some of the international labels on products that we all use, including palm oil, timber and tropical foods.If any readers would like to ask about a label that they’re not sure of, please do email billy@iwt.ie.

“IF YOUR PRIMARY CONCERN IS WHETHER THE POTATO ACCOMPANYING YOUR STEAK IS CONVENTIONALLY OR ORGANICALLY PRODUCED, THEN YOUR FOCUS IS ARGUABLY MISPLACED FROM THE DECISIONS WHICH COULD HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT"

BIOLUMINESCENCE NATURE’S LIGHT SHOW:

By ANNE SUNDERMANN

"BIOLUMINESCENCE IS NOT A RARE OCCURRENCE, OR UNIQUE TO ONE SPECIES. ON THE CONTRARY, IT IS WIDESPREAD WITHIN SEVERAL ECOLOGICAL NICHES, AND IS FOUND IN DIVERSE AND DISPARATE ORGANISMS"

The warm saltwater of Lough Hyne, Co. Cork offer visitors a spectacular vision of shimmering waves full of bioluminescent plankton. Offshore, nature’s fireworks are regularly displayed by bioluminescent organisms that light up the waters of Ireland’s oceans and seas.

Bioluminescence is not a rare occurrence, or unique to one species. On the contrary, it is widespread within several ecological niches, and is found in diverse and disparate organisms. From microscopic plankton to jellyfish and squid to sharks, researchers have found that more than three quarters of marine creatures in the water column have bioluminescence capabilities. Bottomdwelling sea creatures and freshwater species are less likely to produce light.

By iStock

Less common on land, bioluminescence is restricted to invertebrates such as insects and fungi. Fireflies, click beetles, and glow worms use their light to lure prey, deflect predators, and attract mating partners. Up to 70 species of fungi are bioluminescent while no light-producing plants species have been found.

A COLD LIGHT

Organisms can emit several different types of light: fluorescence, which is light emitted from external source material; phosphorescence, where external light is absorbed and emitted at a different wavelength; and chemiluminescence, which is light created from a chemical reaction.

Bioluminescent light is, then, a form of chemiluminescence, generated internally through chemical or biological processes rather than via excitation from external sources of light. According to Martini & Haddock (2017), bioluminescence is “an active ability to communicate, in contrast to the passive traits of fluorescence or phosphorescence in which photons are absorbed by a tissue or structure and then re-emitted at a different wavelength.”

The luminescent product is considered a

cold light, that is, less than 20 percent of emissions are heat producing. The emitted light tends toward blues and greens in a marine environment, wavelengths that travel best through water, but there is a variety across the light spectrum including yellows and, rarely, reds.

BRINGER OF LIGHT

Luciferin is the base compound, or substrate, for bioluminescence. Basically, an enzyme [luciferase] catalyses the luciferin (primarily with oxygen, but also other compounds), which emits coloured light as a way of releasing energy from the reaction. Luciferin, derived from the term light bringer, is found in the food chain and is also manufactured by some organisms. For example, a modified form of dinoflagellate luciferin may have evolved in concert with that found in a few species of shrimp, which may point to a dietary connection. Another research team

"BIOLUMINESCENCE IS “AN ACTIVE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE, IN CONTRAST TO THE PASSIVE TRAITS OF FLUORESCENCE OR PHOSPHORESCENCE IN WHICH PHOTONS ARE ABSORBED BY A TISSUE OR STRUCTURE AND THEN REEMITTED AT A DIFFERENT WAVELENGTH"

Lough Hyne, West Cork, Ireland

Mushroom Glowing in Australian forest. By iStock

Mushroom Glowing in Australian forest

has determined that the luciferin-luciferase combination for several bioluminescent fungi suggests a single bioluminescent system. Regardless of its origins, researchers have not detected much change in the basics of bioluminescence over time.

EAT, PREY, LOVE

Bioluminescence is used by organisms to attract potential food sources, and to escape from becoming prey themselves, particularly as camouflage. Lighted patterns also serve as a means of intraspecies communication, notably during mating.

The visual component of bioluminescence can be quite artistic. Several organisms spew or splatter their light emissions, á la Jackson

Pollack. Others create their glow up by lining their bodies with specialized cells called photophores, while others create a pulsing light, using bacteria growing in pouches that open and close. There is a worm species that lights up an appendage, which breaks away as a diversion to attack.

Foxfire, a blue-green light created by several fungi species, has been the stuff of legend since the 19th century. The fungi emit light in damp and rotting wood, creating eerie night-time landscapes. Once scientists started researching this phenomenon, they found bioluminescence that was based on a biological circadian rhythm. The researchers suspect that “the circadian control of light might be used to optimize energy for attracting insects to spread spores.”

Although most bioluminescent organisms provide their own source of light, many team up symbiotically with bacteria. For example, the female anglerfish Diceratias pileatus, is known for the bright lure dangling above its gaping tooth-filled mouth, an attractant for prey and a beacon for the much smaller male. The fish has a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with the bioluminescent bacteria that live inside the globular appendage; the bacteria provide the fish with potential mate and prey in the darkness of the deep sea, while the fish offers a secure home for the light-producing bacteria.

EVOLUTIONARY SPOTLIGHT

The ability to create light serves many purposes in nature and its widespread occurrence, as well as the high diversity of organisms with this capability, support the theory that bioluminescence serves a variety of ecological roles.

With its many roles in nature, it’s no wonder that there is commercial interest in bioluminescence, primarily as biosensors or markers for monitoring conditions such as blood clots and drug effectiveness, and other forms of biomedical and environmental monitoring. A jellyfish Aequorea victoria has both bioluminescent and fluorescent properties and contains protein that gives off a green light, known as green fluorescent protein (GFP). The cloned version of the GFP is used as a marker to track proteins in living cells, which is helpful to gauge the efficacy of cancer treatments, determine the changes in pH and oxygen levels, and many other uses.

"BIOLUMINESCENCE IS USED BY ORGANISMS TO ATTRACT POTENTIAL FOOD SOURCES, AND TO ESCAPE FROM BECOMING PREY THEMSELVES, PARTICULARLY AS CAMOUFLAGE"

Bioluminescent Deep Sea anemone

Macro shot of colorful corals All photos by iStockphoto

ief in April

BY JANE CLARKE

A red squirrel’s stretched upside down from a branch in the rowan to the blue tit feeder.

A tentative step –he zips back and sits upright, haloed in sunrise from ear tu s to u ed-out tail.

Half a step –and he’s gone, needle-nimble down the trunk, across frosted grass.

Wild as the morning –he spirals up the holly and springs, windblown limb to limb.

Jane Clarke’s new poetry collection, A Change in the Air (Bloodaxe Books), will be published in May 2023.

Irish Wildlife Spring ‘23

 Red Squirrel by Andrew Kelly

Irish Wildlife Spring

THE IRISH STOAT SURVEY 2023 – 2025

By RUTH HANNIFFY

This spring we invite the public to report their sightings of one of Ireland’s most elusive and littleknown mammals: the Irish stoat.

e Irish Stoat Survey, launched in February 2023, aims to collect records on a species that is believed to be common and widespread, but for which there are signi cant knowledge gaps. Stoats do not impact human or economic interests and are also di cult to survey, factors that o en lead to the species being

under-studied with no data on population estimates or trends.

e Irish stoat, or easóg as gaeilge, predates Mesolithic humans in Ireland. Fossil bones found in a cave in County Cork date the species to between 27,000 - 35,000 years ago, with compelling evidence that the species survived the last ice age under the snow. It is a subspecies endemic to Ireland and the Isle of Man, hence the Latin name Mustela erminea hibernica.

e Irish stoat di ers in appearance from

stoats found across Europe. It is generally smaller in size although, interestingly, stoats in the south of Ireland are larger than those in the north. Unlike its counterparts in Europe the fur does not turn white in winter and the line dividing the chestnut-coloured upper fur and the creamy-coloured fur on its belly is usually irregular, rather than straight. Like all stoats however, it has a distinctive black tip to its tail. Stoats are members of the Mustelid family and are related to the

Irish Stout by Carl Morrow

otter, badger, pine marten and American mink. The characteristic ‘mustelid’ shape of a long sinuous body and short legs gives the stoat its recognisable bounding movement. There are no weasels in Ireland, so the stoat fills the niche occupied by both species in other places, and it is legally protected through the island of Ireland. The Irish stoat occurs wherever there is sufficient cover, particularly woodlands and scrub, and is frequently seen on coasts. Stoats den in the burrows taken over from rabbits, their preferred prey species, and will also eat rats, birds, shrews, mice and voles.

Monitoring stoats is challenging as these elusive carnivores leave few field tracks and signs. The Vincent Wildlife Trust has undertaken three studies of the Irish stoat. In 2010 Kate McAney, with the help of 50 volunteers, surveyed hedgerows in 50 10km grid squares across County Galway. The survey collected hair samples using 600 baited hair tubes, which were analysed for DNA at Waterford Institute of Technology. The survey detected stoat in 21 of the 50 survey squares, showing that hair tubes are an effective method for detecting stoats in the Irish countryside.

In 2017 the Small Mustelid Foundation in the Netherlands designed the ‘Mostela’. This modified camera trapping device comprises a wooden box with a tunnel inside, monitored by an internal motion-activated trail camera. It combines the benefits of a trail camera with the tendency of the inquisitive stoat to enter small spaces. VWT undertook studies in 2019 and 2021 using this device. We added an external camera to ensure we recorded ‘tube-shy individuals’ who avoided entering the Mostela. These studies highlighted that the Irish stoat was present at seven of the 12 study sites on the Galway-Mayo border and favoured woodland and scrub habitat particularly with stone walls, and also limestone pavement. (All studies are available at www.vincentwildlife.ie/download_ category/irish-stoat).

Although elusive, stoats are captivating creatures when one is lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one in the wild. They are wondrous creatures, and are fascinating

to watch as they frantically race about the woodland floor like a high speed pin-ball machine. I remember sitting on rocks by the sea in Galway, a favourite perch of mine, and my surprise as a stoat bounced past. Even more surprising was that it stopped for a few seconds and held eye contact with me, a silent exchange between mammal and mammologist. I now understand why our ancestors greeted a stoat politely for fear of the consequences!

Irish mythology is rich with references to these intriguing creatures, and my few Irish stoat encounters rank among my personal wildlife highlights.

For many of us, our first encounters with this little animal were from the pages of ‘A Basket of Weasels’ and ‘An Irish Beast Book’, by the recently deceased Professor James Fairley. These books continue to instil a love of terrestrial mammals, in particular the mustelids, in many generations in Ireland. In ‘An Irish Beast Book’ Professor Fairley includes the following excerpt from Topographica Hibernica, written around the 12th Century by Giraldus Cambrensis, and it is a fitting portrayal of the Irish stoat: ‘This little animal has more spirit than body, and its courage supplying the deficiency of its strength, with a great heart actuating a slender frame, it is vindictive and relentless in its wrath’.

The Irish Stoat Survey will run for two years and is a collaborative project between the Vincent Wildlife Trust, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, University of Galway, Centre for Environmental Data and Recording and partners on the Isle of Man. Please submit any observations of stoats, including live animals or dead specimens such as roadkill (observations only), to the National Biodiversity Data Centre (Rep of Ireland) and the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (Northern Ireland). Follow the Irish Stoat Survey Facebook and Twitter pages for updates and distribution maps.

For queries email: Irishstoat@vincentwildlife.ie

Ruth is the species conservation officer with the Vincent Wildlife Trust

"STOATS ARE MEMBERS OF THE MUSTELID FAMILY AND ARE RELATED TO THE OTTER, BADGER, PINE MARTEN AND AMERICAN MINK"

Return of the

By LORCÁN O’TOOLE

In the winter of 1171-72, the invading King Henry II came to Dublin and gathered all the Irish tribal leaders, Cleathí or Chieftains, and forced them to eat crane meat for dinner. They were shocked, for it was taboo to eat your sibling cranes at that time, but the Norman King was making a point: those old natural ways and Brehon rites, were now obsolete. He forced the Céilí Dé bishops to summit to the Church of Rome. The hunting and bounty driven persecution of cranes then began and lasted around 430 years. The celebrated trumpeting crane spring flock return, stamping out winter’s frosts ( Coscar =Victory) was lost, the evolving natural tribes and cultures lost their precious ancient thread to their past.

But now, centuries later, a pair of cranes, breeding in County Offaly in 2022, have fledged two young. It is the first recorded successful breeding of cranes in Ireland for over 400 years. It is known that cranes bred at the same site in 2019, 2020 and 2021. A pair of adult cranes and a fledged chick were also seen at Rogerstown Estuary in Dublin, on the 5th September 2020. An ancient candle, flickering in a new era.

The adult pair of cranes were seen back on the breeding grounds since midMarch 2022. They were incubating eggs by early-April and the chicks had hatched by mid-May. The adults and chicks were seen feeding on a range of bogland, wetland and farmland food items, across the summer months. The adult cranes and both chicks were spotted over nearby farmland, adjacent to the Bord na Mona bog site in late August, 33 days after the chicks had first fledged. Presumably, they then migrated to south-west France or

"NOW, CENTURIES LATER, A PAIR OF CRANES, BREEDING IN COUNTY OFFALY IN 2022, HAVE FLEDGED TWO YOUNG. IT IS THE FIRST RECORDED SUCCESSFUL BREEDING OF CRANES IN IRELAND FOR OVER 400 YEARS"

 Crane by Richard Collier

Spain for the winter.

As some of the Irish bred chicks return, to breed in Offaly themselves over the coming years, they too will be able to find suitable breeding sites if they are also afforded some nest protection and freedom from disturbance.

Shane O'Neill of the Golden Eagle Trust recalled that, “It was with great delight that I observed the return of the solitary Midlands pair of Cranes, in Spring 2022. Firstly, hearing their trumpeting call and then watching them pair-bond on Irish soil once again, was an immense privilege.

After the chicks had in fact hatched and as the year moved on, it was hearing the cranes call from that deep cover that gave me hope that this could be the year for a first successful fledging of cranes in Ireland. Seeing all four cranes fly together was such a moving moment - knowing that this native and previously extinct species was once again breeding and flying in Irish skies. The support and cooperation of landowners adjacent to the State-Owned lands is very strong and this feels like just the start, for this iconic Irish species.”

We suggest the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Bord na Móna should utilise this opportunity to use this breeding site, via pro-active management, to induce their offspring to occupy other numerous adjacent breeding territories. The Golden Eagle Trust have been providing NPWS staff with all our crane monitoring data. We hope that the NPWS can formulate a national crane conservation plan, with the aim of expanding the current population to 5-10 pairs over the coming decade, expanding out from this central nucleus pair.

Whilst the battle to conserve Irish nature is imminent and immediate; an effort to re-appraise 850 years of Feudal culture and its rejection of natural affinity, is also important. There may be very obvious reasons why the evolving sanctuaries of the ‘Celebrants of Creation’ ( Céilí Dé ), were expunged from our shared cultural memory by the imposition of Feudal philosophy.

When we try to imagine tens of thousands of cranes before the 1600s, it is vital we focus on Gaelic or Old Irish meanings. We know cranes were the third commonest pet noted in Gaelic Brehon

By Fee Joyce

Law manuscripts. It is possible that early Irish beliefs evolved from a crane culture associated with the origins of Irish dance, burial practices, the Corlea Bog trackway, crane mythology, the crane bag legend and the ancient taboo on eating cranes. A reverence for cranes, if proven, may help explain the confusion around thousands of townland names, or tribal names with Cor prefixes. There are so many possible cognate words, deriving from crane symbolism, found across the Irish language; cóir, cór, comhair, comhar and córas for example – all hinting at an advancing cultural outlook.

Cranes were strongly associated with Anchorites (An-Chor-ites - “Pure crane feather”! in Scots Gaelic) and probably with the early ethos of the ‘Celebrants of Creation’ or Céilí Dé movement. Maybe we should look again at the evolution of

the natural Brehon Laws. It is not impossible, that we have been deflected from the ways of the “Brí-h-oin” (and all the variants of én, eoin, eun & éan of the ancient past, signifying ‘birds’ and strongly associated with ‘oneness’ and ‘water’, too).

In time, Cranes may help our society retwine that forgotten past cultural and natural web and understand how that natural approach was sundered across centuries by European dynasties who hated communalism (Fuath-Dáil). As the 2023 spring approaches, we await the returning Irish crane family’s return from their European wintering grounds. We could even allow ourselves contemplate whether the old Brythonic and Old English word “Brid ” (nowadays spelt ‘Bird’), whispers of an ancient bird culture!

“IT WAS WITH GREAT DELIGHT THAT I OBSERVED THE RETURN OF THE SOLITARY MIDLANDS PAIR OF CRANES, IN SPRING 2022. FIRSTLY, HEARING THEIR TRUMPETING CALL AND THEN WATCHING THEM PAIR-BOND ON IRISH SOIL ONCE AGAIN, WAS AN IMMENSE PRIVILEGE"



IWT PHOTOS OF THE MONTH

1. Fox by Bob Golden

2. Grouse by Laura Dinraths

3. Whoopers by Ellie Byrne

4. Jay by Conor Ryan

5. Goldfinches by Peter Clarke

6. Irish Hare by Philip Blair

5

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COMPETITION

Your chance to win a new book as well as one of our IWT branded t-shirts!

We have two copies ‘An Irish Atlantic Rainforest’ and five T-shirts to give away

To win one of these great prizes just answer this question:

An Irish Atlantic Rainforest – A personal journey into the magic of rewilding by Eoghan

Daltun

On the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, a temperate rainforest flourishes. This is the story of a forest, of the man with the vision behind it, and – as the burning issues of our time are considered – of the joys and benefits of wild 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.

T-shirts, jumpers and tote bags in a range of

What bird successfully reared chicks in 2022 for the first time in over 400 years?

The answer is somewhere in this issue!

Send your answer, name, address, prize preference and the design and size of the t-shirt that you would like to win to magazinecomp@iwt. ie by April 30th 2023.

Winter issue.

In our winter issue we gave readers a chance to win a copy of ‘We Are the Ark’ by Mary Reynolds or an IWT branded t-shirt. The answer to the question is basking shark (the species that recently became the first marine fish to be legally protected in Irish waters). Congratulations to John Killoran, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, Mark Holmes, Crossmolina, Co. Mayo and Susan Barr, Shankill, Dublin 18 who won a copy of the book and Lucy Murphy, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Aoife Hester, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Eoghan Gartlan, Lucan, Co. Dublin, K78DX01, Gráinne O’Brien in Blessington, Co Wicklow and Patricia Egan in Stillorgan, Co. Dublin who all won a t-shirt. Thanks to all who entered!

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

Cards valid until the end of 2023.