Nature is taking a battering

PEOPLE out walking by the sea during the Christmas and New Year period, especially those who hadn’t done so for some time, may have noticed fresh erosion in areas.

Rossbeigh Beach, on the Ring of Kerry, is a personal favourite and this place has taken an unmerciful buffeting from wind and wave since the sea breached the dunes a few years ago. An island has been formed at the top of the Rossbeigh Spit and the gap with the remainder of the dunes is widening all the time, as we witnessed during Christmas.

In some coastal areas the damage is being caused by humans, cars, motorbikes, people lighting fires and, maybe, too much footfall on fragile dune systems.

The Government has little or no funds to tackle these problems and the only serious chance of getting any action will be through the EU. We can only hope for good news from Brussels in this respect in 2014.

We’re obliged by the EU to carry out assessments on the status of habitats and species every six years. According to a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) report, only 7% of the habitats examined are in good status, with 46% inadequate and 47% bad. A moot question: would we have any environment left in Ireland if there wasn’t an EU watchdog? Of particular concern is the status of the midland’s raised bogs. Less than 1% remains of the living, growing bog. Another habitat in serious peril is lowland hay meadow, important for birds such as the corncrake and some plants. The meadows have disappeared as agriculture has modernised.

Many water habitats are considered to be in bad condition, making them unsuitable for some fish and invertebrate species. Coastal habitats also declined in quality, often as a result of recreation and development pressure over the past 20 years.

There’s a positive report for our animals and plants, with around 50% of the species examined in good status and 10% considered bad. Bat, seals, dolphins and whales are considered to be in good condition, but there are real fears the freshwater pearl mussel, which can live to 130, is on the brink of extinction.

The natterjack toad is another species bracketed in bad status, but already a programme is in place to expand on the pond habitat it needs, with Dooks Golf Club, in Co Kerry, being a good example of what can be achieved for the toad.

Groups such as An Taisce have called on Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney to create ambitious well funded, agri-environment schemes to help alleviate the environmental problems.