May serves as a time for celebration, marking the transition from spring to the fate of the summer season. An array of events such as Bealtaine, Listowel Writers’ Week, bank holiday, and the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival take place. But one event stands out from the rest – the National Biodiversity Week. Scheduled from the 17th to the 26th of May, it aligns with the United Nations International Day for Biological Diversity on the 22nd. The festival encompasses various activities including, safaris, walks, talks and cycles, and even hosts the 12th annual Biodiversity Photographer of the Year competition.
Ireland, our island, is applauded for its topography, shaped by an impressive greenery that veils the alarming deficiency in its biodiversity. Given the isolative nature of islands, they usually possess a restricted variety of species. This very concept served as a cornerstone of Charles Darwin’s evolution theory, influenced by his observations of various finch species adapting to their respective environments on the Galápagos Islands. However, even when compared to similar isolated territories, Ireland’s biodiversity sadly lags behind.
Taking our forests as an illustration, we find that Ireland’s forest coverage is a meagre 11 per cent, an alarming low. That said, this is a considerable increase from just over 1 per cent at the time of the State’s foundation in 1922. In fact, the forest cover has doubled during my lifetime.
The problem lies in the fact that 50% of these trees are Sitka spruce, a species imported from North America. Despite the spruce providing good quality wood, particularly for musical instruments like acoustic guitars, it doesn’t enhance the overall ecosystem diversity.
There was a time when Ireland resembled the Sitka’s native Pacific northwest as a temperate rainforest; a rich, biodiverse environment characterised by temperate climate, abundant rain, and lush, dense vegetation. Japan and Tasmania bear similar forests, housing a wide array of life, including unique species.
Ancient pollen deposits in peatland suggest that Ireland was once covered in rainforest, approximately 80 per cent of its surface area. Our native trees were not only economically valuable, providing paper, timber, and resin, but unlike the non-native conifer counterpart, they supported a holistic ecosystem by catering to other flora and fauna, and maintaining soil stability and water retention in their native habitats.
During the early modern period, the majority of indigenous trees were eradicated due to rising population and the commencement of colonialism, which led to a rapid increase in deforestation to make room for human settlements, farming, and commercial activities. Landowners were eager to maximise their estates’ potential, often resorting to extensive agricultural activities, even deforesting hills to create grazing pastures for sheep. This, along with overgrazing, contributed to the distinct barren appearance of our mountains.
The industrial revolution further accelerated deforestation as the demand for timber for shipbuilding, barrel making and constructing buildings spiked. The use of peat as an alternative firewood source added to the degradation of wetland ecosystems, consequentially causing loss of habitats.
Today, there is a growing focus on conserving the residual temperate forests and habitats rich in biodiversity. This includes practising sustainable land management, initiating re-afforestation and conservation efforts. The ‘rewilding’ approach is gaining popularity, aiming to rehabilitate historical ecosystems in the hope these will operate independently in the long term, forming robust, self-sufficient ecosystems hosting a wide array of species.
The Oostvaardersplassen wetland reserve in the Netherlands is an example of a successful rewilding effort since the 1980s, seeing the re-introduction of cattle, horses, and deer. A successful trial reintroduction of the extinct beavers has been seen in Scotland. In Yellowstone, Wolves’ reintroduction initially led to disruption but eventually resulted in a robust ecosystem.
Locally, the re-introduction of raptor species like the red kites and white-tail eagles has been successful, with plans to reintroduce ospreys. While reintroducing wolves and lynx, native to our temperate rainforests, would be a monumental and meticulously managed task, it holds undeniable excitement and coolness.
Meanwhile, gradual work towards biodiversity is progressing, with Ireland implementing its fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan. For the first time, statutory duty requires public sector bodies to consider its targets and objectives, embodying the ‘whole of government, whole of society’ approach outlined in the plan.
This article is written by Stuart Mathieson, who is a research manager at InterTradeIreland.