Celebrating biodiversity: Let’s hear it  for Ireland’s wildlife Our flora and fauna ‘exotic’ too

Intrepid and tireless wildlife campaigners, such as David Attenborough and Steve Irwin, have brought the wonders of the natural world, and the many threats it faces, into our homes. One result of this — because television wants dramatic stories filmed in exotic, far-flung locations — is that we can end up knowing far more about the garbage polluting the South Pacific than we do about marine mammals in our own waters or the damage done by mechanical turf-extraction in our national parks.

Given a choice between a documentary series about the plight of elephants and tigers in India and the uncertain future of the marsh fritillary, Ireland’s only legally-protected insect, it isn’t difficult to guess which would have a television executive’s eyes lighting up.

But the health of flora and fauna in our own country — in the farms and on the heaths around the towns, and around our coast — is no less vital than it is on the rest of the planet, which is why the Irish Examiner is supporting the country’s Biodiversity Week with three special reports on what’s happening on farms, wetlands, and woodlands.

These topics are important, not simply because wild flowers and pretty butterflies enhance the pleasure of a country walk. In today’s report, the director of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Dr Liam Lysaght, explains lucidly why they matter: “Biodiversity is a vital national asset, which contributes at least €2.6bn to the Irish economy each year, through the ecosystem services it provides. At the most fundamental level, biodiversity provides us with fresh air, clean water, and productive soils, services which underpin much of Ireland’s economic activity.”

Dr Lysaght and his colleagues have good news to report and, inevitably, some that is alarming. The country remains remarkably rich in wildlife. More than 30,000 distinct species have been identified — including more than 11,000 insect species, 600 fish, 450 birds, 2,000 plants, and 60 mammals — and it is estimated that a further 10,000 species exist, but have yet to be found. Pine martens and red squirrels are thriving and reappearing in regions where they were thought to have been lost, while changes in land use are threatening the survival of hen harriers, curlews, and yellowhammers. One third of the country’s 98 bee species are endangered, a worry not only for biodiversity science, but also for the agriculture industry, and no Irish county is without the feared Japanese Knotweed.

This week, there will be no shortage of free events across Ireland to highlight the crucial, but often hidden, links between our wildlife and our way of life.