Red squirrels pushed west as greys dominate the east

The latest survey of Irish squirrels, published October 2007, shows that grey squirrels now dominate the east of the country, with the threatened red squirrels pushed to the west, south-west and north-west regions.

Grey squirrels were introduced to Ireland in 1911 and are rapidly colonising the country. They damage broadleaf trees, outcompete red-squirrels for food, and are carriers of a squirrel pox virus that does more damage to red squirrel populations than to greys.

• Download Coford's Irish Squirrel Survey 2007 (52 pages, 4121 KB, PDF)

Heath-bog habitat protection for endangered Hen Harrier

The blanket ban on planting forestry in certain areas important to the survival of the endangered hen harrier has been lifted (March 2007). Instead, the Government has established a new forestry management protocol for the forestry and farming groups who had objected to the ban.

Under the protocol, six Special Protection Areas (SPA), important to the hen harrier, have been designated. In these, limited sustainable and quota-based afforestation will be allowed . It is thought that this will facilitate the protection and enhancement of the hen harrier's preferred habitat, including heath and bog. The National Parks and Wildlife Service will monitor the protocol's impact on habitat.

The Special Protection Areas include the:

• Slieve Bloom mountains (Laois and Offaly);
• Stack's to Mullaghareirk mountains, West Limerick hills and Mount Eagle (Cork, Kerry and Limerick);
• Mullaghanish to Musheramore (Cork);
• Slieve Felim to Silvermines (Limerick and Tipperary);
• Slieve Beagh (Monaghan) and
• Slieve Aughty mountains (Clare and Galway).

Read more:

• UCC research project: Optimum scenarios for Hen Harrier conservation in Ireland
• Bird net: Related news, hen harrier information and controversy over new SPAs
• Coillte's Biodiversity Action Plan for the Hen Harrier
  
  

Ireland's peatlands under threat

According to the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) it has recently become apparent that the Irish government

"are slowing down on their designation of Irish peatlands as Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs). This inaction means that sites that are currently proposed as Natural Heritage Areas under national legislation (link), are in fact not protected at all".

The IPCC is particularly concerned about fens. Developers are at liberty to destroy them, which they often do:

"Two proposed NHA fens in Waterford - Kilbarry Bog and Ballina Lough have been
badly damaged. Even more depressing is the case of Girley Raised Bog in Co.
Meath, a designated NHA where a developer inserted drains all over the site"

The IPCC's Peatlands Under Threat Campaign aims to review the status of every peatland site in Ireland including

• a review and update of the boundaries, names, habitat and species designations of all existing and new peatland Special Areas of Conservation (SACs - a European Network of protected areas)


• a comparison of the IPCC's information on the boundaries, names and quality of all existing and new peatland Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) with similar information arising by a recent survey by the National Parks and Wildlife Service

Arising from these reviews the IPCC aims to publish a new strategic action plan to ensure longterm protection for Irish peatlands.

• Read the Irish Peatland Conservation Council Action Plan 2005


• Join the IPCC to support and get regular updates on their work

Save our squirrels

In many parts of Ireland, red squirrels are being outcompeted by non-native grey squirrels. However, a pilot project that is taking place throughout 2007, aims to preserve healthy populations of red squirrels in the West of Ireland. Here, the Shannon forms a natural barrier, inhibiting the spread of greys from East to West.

The project involves identifying suitable woodland habitat, and relocating red squirrels from other areas where they are at risk. In February, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) managed the relocation of 15 red squirrels from Portumna National Park in Co Galway to Derryclare Wood in Connemara. Squirrels are also due to be relocated to Belleek Wood in Co Mayo. The relocation approach conforms to strict International Union for the Conservation of Nature guidelines.

Conserving Ireland's 50,000 red squirrels

The IUCN's Red List categorises the Eurasian Red Squirrel as Near Threatened. The species is widespread, but suffering from habitat fragmentation and competition from introduced grey squirrels. It is estimated that for every 1 red squirrel in Ireland there are 5 greys (around 50,000 reds to 250,000 greys). However, a pilot relocation project West of the River Shannon (where there is less pressure from the greys) aims to restablish healthy populations in new habitats.

In Co. Galway, 15 red squirrels have recently been trapped and relocated from Portumna National Park to Derryclare Wood in Connemara. A second translocation of squirrels to the Coillte owned Belleek Wood in Co. Mayo has been approved by the Minister for the Environment Dick Roche. It is thought that Beleek Wood could support a population of 65 red squirrels but before any are introduced the Belleek Wood Enhancement Group and Coillte are improving the wood as squirrel habitat.

The Department of the Environment's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is overseeing the work within guidelines from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

• Read the Proceedings of the Irish Red Squirrel Conservation Symposium, 2005 (PDF, 19 pages, 106KB)

The threat to native wildlife species

'Notice Nature', a public awareness campaign launched January 2007, aims to highlight the threat to around 150 species of native Irish wildlife, some of which face extinction unless remedial action is undertaken. Some of the species are national symbols, including the salmon, corncrake and mountain hare.

Preventing loss of biodiversity is an issue of Global, European and National importance. Through local meetings and providing advice on how to protect and care for biodiversity, the campaign links the presence of wildlife with our quality of life. It is targeting both the general public and any sector that poses a serious threat to Irish biodiversity, such as the construction industry and farming.

According to Elizabeth Arnett, project manager for the Notice Nature campaign, Ireland's natural heritage is often taken for granted, compared with its artistic and literary heritage:

"Not protecting Ireland's natural heritage of plants, birds, animals and their habitats is akin to taking a painting from the National Gallery of Art every month and burning it."

The campaign in being run by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

How many species, and how many are threatened?

According to an Irish Times article on the threat to Ireland's wildlife, published 16 January 2007, Ireland's wildlife is thought to comprise:

• 31 species of mammal (OnlyOneIreland reckons there's 34 mammal species)
• 27 species of fish
• 12,000 species of flowering plants and trees
• 3,500 species of fungi
• 12,000 species of insects.

It is estimated that up to 200 of these species are threatened with extinction or have undergone serious decline in recent years.

• A total of 18 native bird species are on the red list of animals that have shown a 50 per cent decline in breeding numbers in the last 25 years. These include the corncrake, barn owl, black-necked grebe, hen harrier and grey partridge. Further still, around 20 bird species in Ireland are of conservation concern.
• A further 77 species of native Irish birds have undergone a decline of between 25 per cent and 50 per cent throughout Europe.
• Mammals on the endangered species list include the red squirrel, otter, mountain hare and all 10 bat species found in Ireland.
• The natterjack toad, native only to a small part of Co Kerry, is also on Ireland's endangered list.

Ireland, along with the rest of the EU, is commited under international biodiversity agreements to halt the loss of its biodiversity by 2010. The Notice Nature campaign, launched in January 2007, contributes to Ireland's commitment.

• Read more about Ireland's mammals
• Read more about Ireland's birds
• Read more about Ireland's fish
• Read about the Notice Nature campaign

Unique urban Irish goat, with the longest horns in the world

Bilberry Rock, a quarry-like commonage in Waterford City, is home to a what the British Feral Goat Research Group thinks may be a rare and uniquely Irish goat breed. However, with a population of only 28, eight of which are female, their survival is at risk. Slightly larger than domestic goats, they have long, fine, wavy coats, and elegant horns, possibly the longest of any goat.

Now cared for by local families, they may originally have been introduced by the Huguenots, who would have used their fine cashmere wool for weaving. The Irish Wildlife Trust and UCD are carrying out DNA analysis on the goats to help identify their exact origins. Meanwhile, the Bilberry Goat Herd Protection Trust is trying to protect their low-density-housing zoned habitat from development.

Goats are considered part of Ireland’s wild fauna but lack any protection under the Wildlife Act. Their official conservation is limited to some national parks.

• Check out Waterford's Bilberry Goat Blog
• Waterford’s Bilberry Goat herd - photo and article
• Listen to a radio programme on the Bilberry Goat Herd (see Programme 10, 11 August 2006)
• Contact the Bilberry Goat Herd Protection Trust at bilberrygoats@eircom.net

20 birds of conservation concern

Some of the birds of conservation concern in Ireland according to the BoCCI or IUCN Red List are listed below. Their preferred habitat and geographic distribution is also noted.

BoCCI Red list

1. Common Scoter (lowland lakes, mainly found in west)
2. Grey Partridge (farmland and bog, localised)
3. Hen Harrier (moorland, forestry, upland, mainly in south)
4. Corncrake (farmland, localised)
5. Roseate Tern (coastal + islands only)
6. Red-necked Phalarope (coastal marsh, north-west Mayo only)
7. Nightjar (upland + diverse, localised)
8. Barn Owl (widespread, buildings)
9. Twite (upland and coastal, mainly west)
10. Lapwing (farmland)
11. Curlew (farmland)
12. Ring Ouzel (upland)
13. Yellowhammer (farmland)
14. Chough (coastal cliffs and caves, mainly west and south coasts)

BoCCI Amber list

1. Golden Plover (upland)
2. Little Tern (coast and wetlands)

On the IUCN Red List, but not on BoCCI list

1. Quail
2. Red Grouse
3. Black-necked Grebe (extinct in Ireland)
4. Corn Bunting (coastal scrub, probably extinct as breeding species)

Conservation status of birds in Ireland

The conservation status of bird species found in Ireland can be considered at international, European and local levels. For instance:

• A number of species found in Ireland are classified IUCN red list species in a global context.
• Thirty three species of bird listed under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive 79/409 are deemed relevant to Ireland. Species listed in Annex I are subject to special conservation measures concerning their habitat in order to ensure their survival and reproduction in their area of distribution.
• Eighteen species of bird found in Ireland are of conservation concern according to the Heritage Council.
• Sixteen of these are priorities under the BirdWatch Ireland / RSPB NI Birds of Conservation Concern In Ireland (BoCCI) list which classifies birds as Red, Amber or Green, based on their conservation status and hence conservation priority. These sixteen belie a longer list: in total there are 18 Red list birds (of high conservation concern) and 77 Amber list birds (of medium conservation concern). All other regularly occurring species are classified as Green List and are not considered threatened.

What is the red list?

The 'red list' or 'red data list' is synonymous with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Maintained and regularly updated by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) it is an international inventory of the global conservation status of over 40000 plant and animal species. The list evaluates and classifies the extinction risk of each species and subspecies. By doing so it impresses the urgency of conservation issues upon the international community and supports them in taking practical steps to reduce species extinction.

Climate change threat to native Irish woodland

Phenology is the science of recording natural regularly occurring events, such as the annual timing of leaf budding and spring blossoms. Over many years, collection of this information of seasonal occurrences can help demonstrate how climate change may be affecting wildlife habitats, for instance by influencing trees to come into bud burst earlier.

Phenology provides some of the longest written biological records in Ireland. Based on such records, Ireland's Native Woodland Trust believes that climate change is a major threat to what little remains of Ireland's ancient woodland:

Steady increase in temperatures

"The 20th century has seen a steady increase in temperature with 1990s being the warmest on record. The mean temperature for January-March in the 1960s was 4.2°C compared to 5.6°C in the 1990s. The mean temperature in the spring 1999 was 6.1°C. Phenology offers real evidence that climate change is happening now and that it is already having a significant effect on our wildlife. Trees are coming into leaf sooner, and some typical spring flowers are increasingly being seen coming into bloom in November and December. Butterflies are appearing earlier, with evidence that some are begining to overwinter in Ireland. New birds, such as Egrets, and insects, such as some Dragonflies, are moving northwards into Ireland, with some other migratory species showing signs of staying year-round."

Pearl mussels vs the Irish forestry industry

Ireland's state forestry department Coillte is being restricted in its forestry activities in an attempt to prevent the extinction of pearl mussels, a protected species under European law. Ireland is one of the last places in Europe where this bivalve survives and has the largest remaining population. The pearl mussel is Ireland’s longest living species, living for up to 120 years. Recent surveys show that in all rivers where previously healthy populations of the species survived it is now facing extinction.

Born before Irish Independence
In recent years, many young mussels have succumbed to deteriorating water quality caused by river pollution and siltation. For instance, in 2004 phosphorous and nitrate silt leaked into the Owenriff river in Galway. This caused an algae bloom that asphyxiated most of the mussels living downstream. Such events are often related to the amount of artificial fertiliser applied to Sitka spruce trees, a species introduced to Ireland in the 1830s and now grown commercially. Sitkas need aerial fertilisation if they are to grow on infertile Irish bogland. When the trees are harvested, subsequent soil erosion leads to silt and fertiliser entering rivers. The mussels that manage to survive pollution events are generally the larger ones, many over 100 years old. Their age means that, even though a population remains, its ability to reproduce is inhibited.

Pearl mussels need unpolluted rivers
In 1990 the pearl mussel occurred in just 10 to 12 rivers remote Irish rivers. At the time, these flowed through rural areas where forestry and fertilisers were minimal. Since then, rapid economic and population growth intensified development and forestry activities throughout the country. As a consequence, water quality has deteriorated.

A mussel.. reforming the Irish forestry industry
The minister for agriculture, Mary Coughlan, imposed a moratorium on forestry activities in all pearl mussel areas in May 2005, 18 months after the problem was identified by officials in the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Coillte can now neither continue fertilising the trees in these areas nor, it is claimed, cut them down in an economically viable way. The Irish forestry industry faces millions in lost revenue, and it is unclear what the future holds for the Irish pearl mussels.

Find out more at:

• Conservation Management of the Freshwater Pearl Mussel in Ireland (PDF, 35 pages)
• http://www.constructireland.ie/news.php?artID=3787
• http://weblog.greenpeace.org/makingwaves/archives/2006/09/forest_fertiliser_time_bomb.html
• http://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.net/fnn/article.php?sid=197