Where eagles die - Our wildlife needs more protection

IT WAS always likely that some of the 15 white-tailed eagles reintroduced to Killarney’s National Park last August would not reach maturity.

The very nature of reintroduction schemes is such that casualties are an inevitable consequence.

However, that two — a male and a female — have barely lasted six months is terribly disappointing.

This disappointment is not eased by the fact that the deaths are the result of poisoning. Though it has yet to be finally confirmed that the poisoning was deliberate it was, nonetheless, illegal. The use of poisoned meat for controlling pest species has been banned because of the impact it could have on non-target birds or animals.

This regrettable incident highlights an area that needs further thought and the application of considerable resources and innovation.

Landowners have used Rural Environment Protection Schemes (REPS) to great effect for both the enhancement of habitats and farm incomes.

However, there does not seem to be much sense in funding the protection or rejuvenation of habitats unless we fund the protection of the wildlife that we hope will, in time, enhance that habitat simply by using it.

Though Ireland remains one of Europe’s most sparsely populated countries a significant proportion of our flora and fauna clings to the margins of land used for intensive farming and will need substantial help if they are to survive at meaningful levels.

This is especially so at a time when various set-aside schemes are coming to an end and arable land is at a premium because of soaring cereal prices and biofuel aspirations.

Just as was seen in another context yesterday, when our sea fishing fleet was further concentrated because too much technology is chasing too few fish, modern farming methods have evolved to become absolute and relentless.

There’s hardly room left for wildlife in some rural settings. If you doubt this sad state of affairs just take a stroll around an area dedicated to intensive dairy farming. Nothing but paddocks and electric fences.

And before we point the accusing finger at our farming cousins we should accept that agriculture is a subsidiary of consumer demand and that by demanding cheap food we are all culpable for the changed state of our countryside.

REPS recognise that farmers have pivotal roles to play as custodians of the rural environment but maybe the time has come to include an incentive in REPS that would reward the diversity of species supported on a specific holding rather than just an improvement made to the habitat.

This would not be cheap but our impact on native species has been so great that we cannot afford, literally, not to make greater efforts to safeguard what remains of our wildlife. Unless we move to offer greater protection and refuges to a wide range of species, future reintroduction programmes will have to focus on species a lot less exotic that eagles.