Irish Examiner view: News about the environment is not all bad

Peter Monaghan, a farmer in Cavan, decided to diversify into snail breeding when he realised his beef herd would not create a viable income on its own.

The despatches from the front line of the climate and environmental crisis can be so overwhelming that at times the gloom seems all-pervasive. The markers of decline are so vast and stark that it can often be difficult to find anything to lift one’s spirits.

This week, however, there were a couple of small victories to offer consolation. The recovery of the corncrake, for instance, shows that the threat to endangered species need not be irreversible if the will exists to counteract it.