Latest news with #ManchánMagan
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Eager achiever: Frank McNally on introducing the beaver to Ireland
Not only are they cute and cuddly to look at, beavers are among the heroes of the natural world. Known for their prodigious work ethic, especially in the construction of river dams, they always bring their projects in on time, at minimal cost. But they're not just great builders. In the era of climate change, beavers have also become recognised as ecological engineers, with a track record of helping to reduce floods, restore wetlands, and promote biodiversity in and around rivers. So it's hardly a surprise to find that a coalition of environmentalists is working quietly to introduce the beaver to Ireland. Or preferably to re introduce it, although that would require proving it was ever here in the first place, which is a challenge. Wary of the potential of new species to go forth and multiply with unforeseeable results, like grey squirrels and rhododendron, a working principle of the National Parks and Wildlife Service is 'not in the past, not in the future'. READ MORE This doesn't mean the beaver could never be introduced on its own merits, as a first-time migrant with special skills. But it would boost the case if beaver bones or DNA were found somewhere. Failing which, even linguistic or folkloric fossils might help. This is where Manchán Magan comes in. A member of the movement's language and folklore wing, he's been in correspondence with a benign conspiracy of ecologists on ways the beaver cause might be advanced. Hoping to broaden the net this week, he copied me into the correspondence. A possible link between a Welsh word for beaver, afanc , and the Irish placename Avoca is one of the group's lines of inquiry. Another animal of interest, meanwhile, is the otter, which already exists here, but curiously is called by two different words in Irish, onchu and dobarchu . Both occur in an old poem, translated by William Wilde (Oscar's father), about gathering up all the wild animals of Ireland. Two pairs of otters are found, described variously as 'dá onchoinn' and 'dá dhobran'. Might one of those couples have been beavers instead? Well, onchu seems to have covered a very broad range of animal life in the past. Our old friend, the lexicographer Dinneen, tells us it meant primarily otter but was also 'variously translated [as] ounce, lynx, leopard, wolf, wolf-dog, a standard or ensign; (and figuratively) a hero, knight, or warrior.' Further complicating the picture, Onchu is inextricably connected with a mythical Irish creature known in English as the Enfield. Not to be confused with the town in Meath, the Enfield is like an animal designed by a committee that couldn't agree on anything. It comprises the head of a fox, claws of an eagle, chest of a greyhound, hindquarters of a wolf, and a bushy tail. Sometimes it has wings too. You won't find the DNA of that anywhere. It exists mainly in heraldry, as a symbol of the O'Kelly clan, one of whose forebears died 'fighting like a wolf dog' at the Battle of Clontarf. But onchu has also been translated as water-dog or sea-dog, which may be more helpful to the beaver cause. Speaking of the sea, beavers are formidable swimmers. A Norwegian study suggested they can travel at least 15km through water, which could almost get one from Scotland to Ireland, although other studies show the species doesn't like salt water. I reminded Manchan of a curious detail in Ernie O'Malley's War of Independence memoir On Another Man's Wound. As well as being a travelling IRA organiser, O'Malley was a bit of a naturalist. Of his manoeuvres near my hometown once, he wrote this: 'I wondered for months through the small lakes and little hills of Monaghan. I saw sieges of heron in the weeds and waited for bat-tailed otters near Carrickmacross where they are said to pass through when going from one lake to another.' You see a lot of strange things around Carrickmacross, it's true, but bat-tailed otters I had never heard of before. And when I first Googled the term, the only reference to it anywhere was from O'Malley's book. There are now at least two references, because I then mentioned it in An Irishman's Diary, appealing for readers' enlightenment. Five years later, I'm none the wiser. The bat-tailed otters were hardly beavers, either way, unless there was a short-lived smuggling racket in the species. But the failure to find the animal's bones or DNA anywhere in Ireland to date doesn't mean it's not there. It may just be that there are better places to look. Improved understanding of the animal's habits may help. In this vein, as if beavers were not heroic enough already, it appears they also sometimes bury their dead, in river dams or elsewhere. So, I'm told, writes British rewilder David Gow in his book Bringing Back the Beaver (while trying harder than me to avoid anthropomorphism): 'When beaver kits die…there is even evidence that their mothers will on occasion try to bury their tiny cadavers if they can. We have no knowledge as to why…but recent footage from Switzerland demonstrates that they undertake this task with extreme care. While it may not be prompted by 'love', it is a sentient act that is moving in the extreme.'
RTÉ News
05-05-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
How are the 'vital ecosystems' that are Irish peatlands protected in law?
Analysis: Protecting and restoring Ireland's peatlands is not only a legal or technical challenge but a delicate balancing act Irish peatlands have taken centre stage in recent years for their vital role in tackling climate change, thanks to their ability to store vast amounts of carbon. Despite covering just 3% of the world's surface, peatlands store 'twice as much carbon as all the forests in the world'. Given Ireland's extensive peatland coverage - about 20% of the land - the country has a key role to play in protecting them. However, land-use activities like peat extraction and agriculture have damaged Irish bogs, releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere. With growing concerns about rising carbon emissions due to peatland decline, one might wonder: How are these vital ecosystems protected by law in Ireland? Understanding how peatlands are protected begins with three key points to keep in mind. First, there is no single law dedicated specifically to peatlands. Instead, a patchwork of different laws - not designed with peatlands in mind - influences how they are managed and protected. Second, Irish peatlands were largely unregulated for much of their history, and many of the current protections have been introduced in response to EU environmental policies. Third, only a small percentage of Irish bogs are publicly owned, which means that the rest is fragmented among multiple private landowners with competing interests, making efforts to protect and restore them more complicated. From TG4, Manchán Magan explores our complex relationship with the peatlands of Ireland In this context, the main legal tool for safeguarding peatlands has been the designation of Special Areas of Conservation, which are sites recognised for their ecological importance, under the EU Habitats Directive. The National Parks and Wildlife Service is responsible for designating them on the basis of ecological criteria, assessed through surveys and site visits. So far, 110 bog sites are Special Areas of Conservation in Ireland. This approach to managing peatlands has created a divide between peatlands that are designated and those that are not. Overall, designated sites benefit from stronger legal protections. The State is expected to take action to maintain or restore their ecological condition and to restrict activities that could cause damage. For example, peat extraction on designated sites has been banned here. However, enforcing this ban has proven difficult, with extraction continuing despite the restrictions. On non-designated sites, protection depends on whether proposed land use activities are likely to cause significant environmental harm. This is assessed through the national planning system, using a procedure called Environmental Impact Assessment, which is required under the EU EIA directive. Whether an assessment is required depends on the size of the peatland site, with smaller sites typically exempt. If required, the process begins with a report prepared by expert consultancies on behalf of the developer. This is then reviewed by local planning authorities or An Bord Pleanála, which are the bodies responsible for carrying out the assessment. The aim is to identify both the direct and indirect effects a project could have on the environment, including its climate impact. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions from degraded peatlands must now be considered before a project can be approved. Despite these regulations, Irish bogs are today in poor condition and suffer from deterioration, also driven by difficulties in enforcing regulations. As climate change has moved higher on the political agenda and the climate value of peatlands is now better understood, there have been growing calls to restore these ecosystems to reinstate their role as carbon sinks. In response, the EU adopted its first-ever Nature Restoration Law in June 2024, setting targets for restoring degraded ecosystems with the highest carbon storage potential, like peatlands. But what does restoring peatlands actually mean? Essentially, it involves rewetting the bogs to bring them back to functioning ecosystems. Given the ownership challenges mentioned above, EU lawmakers also agreed that meeting these targets does not imply an obligation for farmers or private landowners to rewet their land, as this remains voluntary. While Ireland has not yet adopted a restoration plan - something to watch for in the near future - restoration efforts are already underway as part of other initiatives, such as the Climate Action Plan and the Biodiversity Plan. Having covered the key legal aspects of peatland protection and restoration, a few final thoughts that are worth highlighting. While restoration is increasingly seen as essential for achieving climate targets, it should not be considered a simple fix. In some cases, restoration may not be enough to fully recover a bog's ability to absorb carbon, especially if the ecosystem has already become significantly impacted. Rather than treating it as a one-size-fits-all solution, the law should support more site-tailored approaches, especially given the ongoing uncertainties surrounding the condition of many Irish peatlands. Also, the different laws that apply to peatlands can clash. For example, Irish bogs have at times been proposed as sites for wind farms in an effort to accelerate the energy transition and meet climate goals. Yet those same climate goals also depend on protecting peatlands as carbon stores, revealing a tension between two climate strategies. Finally, Irish bogs are not only valuable as carbon stores or natural habitats; they are also lived-in landscapes. Local communities have long relied on these areas through land uses that are deeply tied to their way of life. Securing the participatory rights of these communities is fundamental to inclusive decision-making on the future of peatlands. As Ireland strives to meet its climate targets, protecting and restoring peatlands will not only be a legal or technical challenge but a delicate balancing act between environmental needs and community voices.
