Stop in the name of slug: Road re-routed

THE little known Kerry Slug has crawled its way into the spotlight following a recent decision to re-route a small section of a major new roadway linking Cork and Kerry.

Not for the first time has a member of the snail family stood in the way of road construction, as the story of the snail on Pollardstown Fen on the route of the Kildare bypass illustrated some years ago.

It’s the presence of such a creature that highlights the overall environmental value of the habitat in which they are found. Hence the need to conserve that habitat in an era of mass destruction of nature.

The latest flashpoint is the Cascade Wood site, at Ballyvourney, on the route of the proposed new Cork/Tralee road. Environment Minister John Gormley is to extend an Area of Special Conservation (SAC) so the site can be saved.

While snails are not considered the most appealing of animals, especially the pest species in gardens, the Kerry Slug is regarded as an attractive exception.

Found only in Ireland, Spain and Portugal (where it is possibly extinct), it has a very restricted global range. It was first named in 1843 from specimens found at Lough Caragh in Kerry.

The slug is attractively marked with white or yellow spots. Its habitat in Ireland is woodland and bogs within the sandstone areas of Kerry and West Cork. It is not found in limestone areas. Within woodland, the adults can be found on tree trucks and boulders always close to water.

They hide in crevices, under dead bark and stones. They are very elastic and can squeeze into very small gaps. They also have the habit of curling into a ball and their diet is principally algae, lichens, mosses and liverworts which they graze off rocks and trees With a Green Party Minister for the Environment, it is only to be expected that the powers-that-be should look more sympathetically at nature when something rare lies in the way of road development.

This despite concerns that the completion of the N22 bypass project on the Macroom/Ballyvourney section may be delayed, following the SAC designation.

EU money is being been used for the implementation of the Habitats Directive and EU money is required for national road works.

As in the case of Ballyseedy Wood, outside Tralee, the EU can refuse to provide funding for road building if the roads in question damage sensitive habitats.

Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) welcomed the minister’s announcement. Last February, after being alerted by local residents, the FIE prepared a report on the cascade which was sent to the National Roads Authority and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The site is a public amenity, as an 18th century cobblestone path, which once formed part of the Colthurst Estate, runs above the gorge on the northern side through Cascade Woods. The designation will also reunite the remnant woodland with St. Gobnait’s Wood, an SAC on the other side of the existing road.

Mr Gormley said any delays in completing road works, as a result of his decision, would be minimal.

Those of use that frequently travel between Cork and Kerry are well aware of how essential is to provide this new road, which was first mooted over 30 years ago.

The stretch between Ballyvourney and Mons has often been described as the worst section of national primary road in Ireland. The new road was an issue in the recent general election and, hopefully, it will be finished before the next election.

Mr Gormley described the N22 as the “umbilical cord” between Cork and Kerry. The 21km bypass will also go around the town of Macroom and will be a major part of a virtual new road between Kerry and Cork city.

“By acting flexibly at this early stage, the NRA have shown that we can build roads and conserve important nature at the same time,” he said.