Liam Lysaght stands at the threshold of Glencoum Woods in Kilkenny, equipped with an extensive net and a handy notebook, all set to embark on his usual butterfly counting mission. He ventures into the dense foliage of the woods, identifying a variety of different butterfly species along the way, including a few ringlet butterflies- characterised by black circles enclosed in white on their brown wings – and some meadow browns. Now and then, a dash of orange and black wings is fluttering past, revealing the presence of silvery-washed fritillaries, painted ladies, and red admirals.
As the walk drags on, the weather takes an unfortunate turn impacting a successful butterfly count, a recurring issue this summer due to cold, wet, and cloudy weather conditions.
Lysaght, the chief executive at the National Biodiversity Data Centre, is not alone in this mission. There are around 140 other individuals, mostly volunteers, who embark weekly on these counting trips to gather, accumulate, and assess butterfly population data all over Ireland.
Frequent trekking in the woods isn’t a mere leisure activity for Lysaght and his team. The more often they collect data, the more equipped they are to sift through transitory minor setbacks such as poor weather so they can draw well-grounded conclusions about the butterfly population. Their hard work has led to the revelation that numerous butterfly species in Ireland are at risk. Figures indicate that roughly 18 per cent of Ireland’s indigenous butterflies face possible extinction, and an additional 15 per cent are nearing a threatened status.
Furthermore, Lysaght is deeply concerned about the significant reduction in numbers of the most abundant butterfly types, which are not classified as threatened; varieties like the large white, small white, green-veined white, and orange-tipped butterflies. Over the last 16 years, their numbers have spiralled downwards drastically. Lysaght expressed concern over the green-veined white – the most common species in Ireland – which has seen a steep decline by 83 per cent since 2008. Other species have also had declines, roughly about 67 to 68 per cent.
The significant decrease in population numbers of certain species in Ireland is a worrying development, suggesting a large-scale environmental issue. This crisis is visible in the total biological mass, or biomass, of all living organisms within Ireland, ranging from plants and animals to insects.
Several dedicated ecologists and conservationists, including Lysaght, are tracking the falling numbers of local wildlife. Likewise, Alan Mee, who brings two decades of experience in biology and conservation, including a stint at the San Diego Zoo, is contributing to the effort. Though initially returning to Ireland to support the reintroduction of the white-tailed eagle, Mee soon became aware of larger ecosystem issues affecting numerous bird species.
Among the species at risk is the ring ouzel, a small bird similar in appearance to a blackbird and featured by a white crescent-like batch of feathers around its neck. It once populated nearly every county in Ireland; however, it’s habitat has significantly decreased. Mee, who started analysing the species in 2008, initially located about twelve in the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountains in Kerry, but that number has dwindled drastically over the past few years.
By 2022, it was evident that the species was under threat and its population was still decreasing. Some of its former habitats in southwest Donegal are now vacant, and only a small number of locations with a single known breeding pair persist.
Many factors contribute to the ring ouzel’s dwindling numbers, including overgrazing by sheep and deer, which deplete the heather cover in the hills and mountains favoured by the bird. Moreover, the state of Irish forestry and climate change are compounding the issue. Notably, Ireland’s tree cover is the lowest in Europe at 11 per cent – the average coverage being around 20 per cent – with much of it being Sitka spruce. Mee warns that from a biodiversity perspective, this is significantly problematic.
Whether the ring ouzel can rebound from its current situation is a challenging question to answer, says Mee.
The situation appears extremely challenging, even verging on the impossible. “With just a solitary pair able to reproduce, they’re essentially eradicated”, he expresses. “To keep a species alive, we need a sizeable group. Yet as long as those avian creatures exist, we retain some glimmer of optimism.”
However, it’s not only terrestrial species facing difficult times. Wildlife biologist, Louise Overy has been observing the Angel Shark, a ground-feeding creature similar in appearance to a ray.
The Angel Shark was once plentiful in the Tralee Bay waters, which it utilized for breeding purposes. We know of their past prosperity from archived newspaper articles and images of fishing matches from the 1970s featuring elated fishermen surrounding a virtual sea of lifeless fish on the marina. The news typically showcased impressive catch quantities, until the count began to deplete.
Meanwhile, the Angel Shark would often unintentionally get caught up in commercial fishing vessels’ nets. To quote Overy, “they were under attack from all directions, exactly in their breeding congregations”.
The species was particularly susceptible because sexual maturity typically takes several years and birth rates are somewhat meagre, indicating that they replenish their population slowly.
Its population has been dramatically reduced, with approximations indicating that there has been a 95 per cent reduction in the Irish waters. The species is completely extinct in the North Sea.
Nowadays, the rare sighting of even a solitary Angel Shark can catapult to national news headlines, as if we’ve uncovered a cache of gold”, comments Overy.
Nevertheless, Overy maintains her optimism. Reservations of newborn Angel Sharks, along with egg cases of equivalent fish species, give her reason to believe they may still be surviving.
“We’ve received two reports of neonate Angel Sharks this year, and each instance of reproduction sparks optimism in me”, she elaborates.
However, optimism needs to be backed up with tangible actions. In recent times, various conservation initiatives have been implemented to address the loss of species in Ireland.
Earlier during the year, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Department of Agriculture initiated an audacious €25 million breeding wader scheme which aims to enliven bird species populations including the curlew, red shank, lapwing, golden plover, and snipe.
Several institutions have collaborated on a project, including UCD, Atlantic Technical University, Fota Wildlife Park, with former NPWS ranger Owen Murphy leading the initiative. Michael Martyn, an environmental consultant, who is participating in the project, stated that the habitats of breeding waders have substantially suffered from intensified farming and industrial peat extraction for decades, leaving the species vulnerable.
As an example of this vulnerability, the curlew’s population has diminished by a staggering 85% since the 1970s, majorly due to habitat loss. The breeding wader project aims to reverse this downward trend and rejuvenate the habitats. It plans to attain this by a mixture of safeguarding and rebuilding traditional wet grasslands, sheltering the birds from predators, and offering the birds a boost through a captive breeding programme. Martyn hopes that this strategy will ascend towards sustainable population levels.
Liam Lysaght adds a note of caution to the optimism. The data reveals a terrifying rate of species decline over the past ten years. Lysaght remembers hearing the corncrake on the Dock Road in Limerick city in the late 1970s. His father would recount tales of the corncrake’s deafening sounds when returning home in the evening in north Kerry. However, due to a drastic decline during the 1980s and 1990s, the species was practically extinct in some areas of the country. Though numbers have since improved, there are still only around 150 breeding pairs, leaving the species red-listed.
Lyasaght believes that this demonstrates the possibility of what can be accomplished, but emphasises that there’s considerably more work needed. He stresses that the issue needs to be taken seriously in order to instigate real change.