Irish flora and fauna

gerky

irishexaminer wrote:

20 May 2008

Irish flora and fauna on brink of disappearing

By Caroline O’Doherty
MUCH of Ireland’s flora and fauna are fighting a losing battle for survival despite laws meant to save important species and their habitats from harm.


A damning report shows that a decade of EU-required legal protections have failed to have any significant effect, with the result that some creatures are close to extinction while some distinct environments are at risk of disappearing.

Most endangered is the freshwater pearl mussel, a native species that lives for 120 years, but which has stopped reproducing because of pollution in its breeding grounds. Also on the threatened list are the hare, otter, natterjack toad and Atlantic salmon.


Worst affected habitats are the bogs, sand dunes, lakes, meadows and oak and yew woodlands. Environment Minister John Gormley described as “alarming” the rate of decline of the midlands’ raised bogs, of which less than 1% remain.

Just 7% of the 59 habitat types examined were found to be in good health with good prospects, while 46% were in poor shape and 47% were in bad condition with a bleak outlook.

Animals, fish and plants fared better but less than half (39%) of the 69 species assessed were found be in good shape. Some 10% had bad prospects, 23% had poor prospects, while there was insufficient data to rate the remainder.

What makes the findings so chastening is the fact that these are the species and habitats selected for conservation under the EU Habitats Directive specifically because they were considered vulnerable to insensitive farming, fishing and development, yet in many cases their situation has worsened since the directive became law here in 1997.

Mr Gormley said the results of the assessment — which have been sent to the European Commission — set many tough challenges. “The report provides us with a stark message: the conservation status of some of these key habitats and species is far from satisfactory.”

He said he would invest in the protected areas and species over the next five years, pledging “full engagement” with landowners, farmers, and government departments on the issue.

However, An Taisce’s natural environment officer, Anja Murray, said: “We’ve known what was needed but we always seem to wait until we get our hands slapped by Europe before doing it.”

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BryanL

hard to know where they are getting their facts as the most recent Hare survey of Ireland showed a healthy and incresing population. I am aware that the status of the Irish Hare has been changed to a higher category by the E.U. because it has been shown to be geneticaly distinct from British Mountain Hares and as such ,of special interest to the E.U.
Bryan

http://www.npws.ie/en/PublicationsLiterature/IrishWildlifeManuals/