Wildlife time bomb: birds and plants set to vanish

ALMOST 100 bird species and 120 types of plant face extinction unless urgent action is taken to stop the decline of Ireland’s wildlife, the National Heritage Council has warned.

Pollution, pesticides, household and industrial chemicals, intensive farming and the loss of natural habitats such as hedgerows, natural grasslands and wetlands are threatening the future of many animals and plants.

The council said the Government, local authorities, farmers, industry and the public needed to make rapid changes to halt the decline.

Dr Liam Lysaght, an ecologist with the Heritage Council, said reductions in biodiversity - the natural range of plant and animal species needed to maintain a healthy environment - had serious health and socio-economic implications.

“Everything in nature is linked into an intricate web and when a species goes into decline, it has a knock-on effect on other species and also on people.

“The total number of salmon caught in Irish waters has been declining rapidly since 1975, yet, if managed effectively, the salmon angling resource in the country could be worth €100 million to the economy,” he said.

“The contribution of a healthy and diverse countryside makes to the quality of life and tourism resource in incalculable.”

The barn owl is one of 95 bird species which are threatened or in serious decline, the Heritage Council said, while at least 120 different plants are under threat.

The corn bunting, a small bird which nests on the ground in cereal fields or grassland, has become extinct in Ireland since 1990.

Despite being protected under the EU Habitats Directive, the pearl mussel is facing extinction due to water contamination and loss of habitat.

Ireland, along with other EU countries has pledged to halt the decline in biodiversity by 2010, and the Heritage Council is calling for increased funding to protect the country’s wildlife.

Money is needed for education and awareness campaigns, specially developed agri-environment schemes and local biodiversity action plans, the council said.

It also wants to see an annual €1m fund to promoteactive management of biodiversity on a local level, as well as money for research and surveys to monitor endangered species.

The Heritage Council, a statutory body set up to protect and enhance Ireland’s national heritage, made the call ahead of World Biodiversity Day, which takes place tomorrow.

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