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RIVER CORRIDORS CONNECTING NATURE Féidhlim Harty explores the boundless potential of and benefits from creating river corridors throughout our countryside PERFECT STORM Globally we are in a perfect storm; and I'm not referring to the Covid pandemic. On many different levels, Earth’s health indices are at critical levels. Climate breakdown is extensively publicised, but is compounded with multiple other issues. Biodiversity losses are so great that it is claimed that we have entered the sixth mass extinction event on our planet. Our current trajectory feels akin to sawing off the branch we are sitting on. Soil erosion from farming causes both a reduction in farmable soils, and a deterioration of water quality due to silt and nutrient inputs. Our species seems to excel at creating deserts; from the Sahara to the American Dust Bowl. Some estimates suggest that there are 30-60 harvests left in our soils, such is
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the rate at which we wash our soils into rivers and seas. Combined pressures on our waters are such that, in Ireland, the number of pristine rivers and streams has plummeted since the 1980s, from 13% to 1% of total watercourses assessed. Flooding and drought events have become more frequent, causing damage to urban and rural areas and impacting on wildlife and farmland.
NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS Given the scale and the urgency of these crises what can be done? Ecologist E.O. Wilson proposes a Half Earth policy; devote half of the earth to wild nature and half to supporting ourselves, including crops and livestock. For this, rewilding is needed on a grand scale, with core protected spaces, corridors between those spaces to prevent genetic isolation, and
HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2021
re-introduction of keystone species so that natural processes can unfold appropriately. To minimise the impacts and severity of climate breakdown we need to step up to The Paris Agreement commitments. Alongside ceasing emissions of stored carbon from oil, coal, gas and peat, we also need to urgently step up a carbon sequestration programme. Fortunately we are surrounded by solutions. Tree planting on a massive scale is one such solution; with native trees, which give resilience and biodiversity benefits. Re-wetting of peatlands is a growing carbon capture measure in Ireland. Carbon farming via permanent pasture, agroforestry, silvopasture and farm scale composting all help store carbon in the soil. It is not sufficient to simply do less harm to our waters. We need to actively regenerate and repair the damage done over the past half century and more. When we consider that only 1% of our rivers are in pristine condition, it is clear that there is much to remedy. Fortunately, as with biodiversity and climate, solutions
