We threaten wealth of biodiversity

BASICS of life, clear water and fresh air, we take for granted.

But their biggest threat is human activity, according to new research. What people do is the key cause of damage to the natural world.

An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report is the first comprehensive assessment of the impact of our changing environment on Ireland’s biodiversity (life in all its forms).

We have a wealth of biodiversity, from peatlands to woodlands, hedgerows, sand dunes and seas to all the animals and plants that depend on these habitats. But, biodiversity loss — the greatest environmental challenge facing humanity — is at rates comparable to major extinctions in history.

All of this could affect functions that provide the natural goods and services on which life, and livelihoods, depend. For example, our growing agriculture and food industry would be impossible without ecosystem services such as pollination by insects and soil conditioning by earthworms.

In our everyday lives, nature stores and filters drinking water and provides locations for stress-relieving walks in parks, woodlands and beaches.

Destruction includes bogland fires, roads through wetlands, river and lake pollution, large-scale removal of seaweed and the felling of woods for commercial purposes.

The new, EPA-funded report, Biochange, is based on a large scientific study led by Trinity College Dublin. As well as pinpointing the impact of human activities on biodiversity, it describes the economic and social costs of biodiversity loss and highlights how even small actions can bring big benefits.

The research identifies four main drivers of loss, all caused by human activity:

1. Habitat destruction and fragmentation.

2. The spread of non-native invasive species

3. Pollution

4. Over-exploitation of natural resources.

EPA director general, Laura Burke, says the research underlines the importance of protecting our ecosystems and highlights the need to keep such protection to the forefront of planning and government at national and local levels.

“The findings of this research will be of real benefit to policy makers in a range of areas such as agriculture, planning and environment management,” she says.

The financial implications are significant. In 2008, the European Commission reported that the value of annual loss in ecosystem services resulting from biodiversity damage would be €14tn globally by 2050. At national level, a recent study valued ecosystem services in Ireland at €2.6bn per annum.

While the research pointed to the need for strong national and international action on biodiversity, it found that relatively small actions can bring big benefits in boosting species and their functions. “By ensuring that small fragments of habitat are protected in developed areas, and by conserving hedgerows in agricultural lands, we can take some immediate, positive steps towards halting biodiversity loss,” says lead researcher, Dr Steve Waldren.

A key finding of the Biochange study is that easy-to-access information is fundamental in halting biodiversity loss and, as part of the project, NUI Galway created a database of Irish living organisms which documents 16,000 Irish species and can be seen at www.species.ie.

A selection of monitoring sites has been developed for study and research that will provide insight into the long-term impacts of pressures on biodiversity. The report highlights that much remains to be done to create an awareness of the importance of biodiversity; and that conservation makes economic sense.

Separately, top wildlife experts Dr Tina Aughney and Dr Roy Anderson have been recognised for their work on bats and creepy crawlies. They have received the National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC) 2011 Distinguished Recorder Award. Dr Anderson has documented 320 new animal and plant species in Ireland, while Dr Aughney has trained 1,000 people in bat surveying. NBDC chair Dr Mary Kelly-Quinn has described their contribution to understanding Ireland’s wildlife as immense.

The centre has 1.8m records. These further our understanding of the 31,000 species that make up Ireland’s biodiversity. They also identify those components at risk of extinction, and allow us to monitor the impact of pressures such as climate change.

Dr Aughney has worked in recording since the mid-1990s, contributing to the knowledge and conservation needs of Irish bat species. Dr Anderson, an authority on beetles and fungi, has published 200 papers and six books.