Irish wetlands are unique

A GROWING awareness of the value of our wetlands has become noticeable, often for practical reasons given that they act as water purifiers and play a vital role in flood control.

Water makes up about a quarter of the total area of Ireland, so World Wetlands Day, on Feb 2, has a resonance here.

Our coastal wetlands include all marine waters off-shore to a depth of six metres, embracing significant estuaries such as the Shannon Estuary and Waterford Harbour and also broad stretches of open coastline. These include beaches and cliffs which provide some of our most spectacular scenery and support internationally-important concentrations of birds.