Extreme weather threatens native flora, fauna and peatlands

THE extreme weather conditions that caused nationwide flooding and the landslide in Kerry last month will occur much more frequently, meaning 40% of Irish peatlands could be lost by 2075.

According to the Royal Irish Academy’s committee on climate change, even small changes in summer water balance may be enough to threaten our peatlands and 20% of native Irish plant species are vulnerable to climate change.

The information is in the academy’s sixth scientific statement covering the impact of climate change on plants and wildlife in Ireland.

It also highlighted recent studies which show that the lifecycle of birds and plants in Ireland is changing as a direct result of increasing spring temperatures. However, that change is not for the worse. The report found migrant birds are arriving up to a week earlier now than 35 years ago.

“In addition, we have observed a significant increase in the number of birds breeding in Ireland for the first time,” it read.

“The most notable of these are the little egret, the reed warbler and the Mediterranean gull, all of which have shown a significant expansion in their range in recent years and this is at least in part due to recent increases in spring temperature.”

On a less positive note, the academy said a recent survey of 850 native Irish plant species by Dr Peter Wyse-Jackson at the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin found that 171, or 20%, appeared to be particularly vulnerable to climate change up to 2050 and 52% of already threatened species were increasingly threatened by climate change.

The academy said the extent to which peatlands are affected depends on the characteristics of climate change.

A previous statement predicted winter and summer temperatures would increase, with long-term predictions for drier summers and wetter winters.

“In addition to these gradual trends, we will witness more extreme weather events which are the most difficult to predict and yet likely to have the most devastating effects.

“The recent flooding and landslide in the Smearlagh and Feale river areas have decimated the salmon and sea trout stocks in the area, the full impact of which is not yet known, highlighting the unpredictability of current weather. Predictions are that this type of extreme event will occur more frequently in the future.”