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.