Donal Hickey: Can nature survive being squeezed into thin ribbons of land?

Wildlife could rebound if we reinstated hedgerows, and cut down on chemical fertilisers and pollutants — but we need to be ready to do this

Up to the 1970s, farming was generally organic and it accommodated a wide range of plants, birds, and insects alongside crops and farm animals. But, today’s farms are not the wildlife-rich places they once were

It’s too easy now to blame climate change for so many of the ills and problems afflicting nature and the environment.

During the festive period, an old friend interested in such matters called me aside for a word in the ear. “Do you ever look at the Irish landscape and see that so many ditches have been obliterated?" he asked.