Latest news with #VirginiaTeehan
Agriland
2 days ago
- Science
- Agriland
Grassland habitat ‘shown greatest decline in biodiversity'
Biodiversity plays a vital role in nature-based solutions, contributing to key areas such as climate regulation, water quality, carbon sequestration, and flood mitigation according to Teagasc. These key areas also greatly impact agriculture, highlighting the vulnerable inter-dependent relationship between both. To raise awareness about this the Heritage Council and Teagasc co-hosted a landmark event in Birr, Co. Offaly (June 12), celebrating the biodiversity and cultural heritage of Ireland's extensive grasslands. Virginia Teehan, chief executive of the Heritage Council, highlighted the importance of collaboration in protecting Ireland's natural heritage said: 'Extensive grasslands are shaped by long-standing relationships between people, place, and nature.' 'They hold enormous biodiversity value, especially for pollinators, ground-nesting birds, and wildflowers, but they are also deeply rooted in Ireland's rural heritage'. The event also featured a keynote address by Dr. John Feehan and a series of expert talks on grassland management, biodiversity monitoring, and agri-environment schemes. One of the highlights of the day was the launch of the reprinted edition of The Grasses of Ireland book, a foundational guide for grassland identification and conservation, originally published by Teagasc and UCD and now reissued with support from the Heritage Council. Biodiversity Speaking at the event, Dr. John Feehan, former senior lecturer in UCD's School of Agriculture and Food Science, outlined that 'the habitat that has shown the greatest decline in biodiversity is grassland'. Dr. Feehan said: 'We are near the bottom of the table when it comes to biodiversity in overall terms. A recent survey ranked Ireland 13th from the bottom for biodiversity intactness out of 240 countries.' 'Over the last 90 years the number of 10km2 occupied by native species has decline by 56%.' The afternoon field session, held in the meadows of Birr Castle Demesne, offered hands-on demonstrations of species identification, habitat scoring, and biodiversity monitoring, led by Teagasc advisors and local authority biodiversity officers. Prof. Frank O'Mara, director of Teagasc, praised the partnership and the practical outcomes of the event: 'This event is a testament to the power of partnership. 'By bringing together scientific expertise, local knowledge, and policy support, we are building a stronger foundation for biodiversity conservation in Ireland's farmland'. According to Teagasc the Extensive Grassland event builds on the success of last year's Farmland Biodiversity Day and 'reflects the growing momentum behind community-led and science-informed conservation efforts across Ireland'.
RTÉ News
01-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Climate Risk Register sought following extreme weather
The Heritage Council is calling for a climate risk register for heritage, saying that extreme weather events have already demonstrated vulnerability. The Council's Chief Excecutive Virginia Teehan said the country's "wonderful historic landscapes are really threatened". "The storms knocked many trees in North Leinster, many of the grand estates and domains, I know hundreds of trees were knocked, and these are all part of the history of that place," she said. "Equally, buildings which are built on flood plains, for example, in 2009 the massive flooding that devastated Cork city, it also impacted a leading cultural institution, the Glucksman gallery." The Taoiseach attended the council's Heritage Horizons conference at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham and promised continued government support "Ireland's heritage is central to our identity and sense of place - it connects our communities, strengthens our society, and shapes how we see ourselves in the world. But it also faces significant challenges, including the impact of climate change on our natural and built environment. "The Government is committed to addressing these through sustained investment and targeted policy development, ensuring heritage continues to contribute to our economic, social and environmental wellbeing," he said. Heritage funding did increase by 174% in the years from 2019 to 2024, and the number of staff in the Heritage Council doubled. There has also been an increase in heritage related staff in local authorities and the council is calling for this to continue. The Heritage Council is arguing there is a credible economic argument for supporting the sector, saying it contributed €4.6 billion every year to the economy and supported 62,000 jobs in 2022. It is also calling for a review of the 1995 Heritage Act "to reflect Ireland's evolving heritage landscape, particularly the need to better protect intangible cultural heritage, biodiversity, and digital heritage." Climate already a 'live issue' Keynote speaker at the KIlmainham event, musician Iarla Ó Lionáird said climate is already a live issue. "The fallacy is, I suppose that we, we go around thinking that these changes are coming downstream, that they're not here now, that they won't affect us. They do affect people in rural Ireland in very profound ways, flooding, difficulties with harvesting, with agriculture, very, very serious difficulties with water quality. "These are puzzling to me, profound difficulties that we tend to make light of. But they're very serious, very serious for public health, very serious for long term well being of our own health, our own well being, and other creatures we share the space with," he said. Another speaker, ecologist and writer Anja Murray told RTÉ News that one of the tragedies of losing parts of natural heritage is that subsequent generations don't even know what it is missing - a phenomenon known as the shifting baseline syndrome. "For example, we know now that there has been a 70% decline in many of our commonest butterfly species. So the teenagers of today won't realize the difference, the dearth of butterflies that there would be compared to, say, 20 years ago, and each new generation comes at this without the perspective of what we've actually lost," said Ms Murray Ms Teehan believes that heritage is essential for climate resilience. "Heritage is not only at risk from climate change - it is also part of the solution," she said. "While rising temperatures, extreme weather, coastal erosion and increased rainfall already pose significant threats to elements of our national heritage - from coastal sites and wetland habitats to traditional building stock - heritage also offers powerful tools for resilience. "Traditional skills, nature-based solutions and cultural knowledge can help strengthen climate adaptation and support Ireland's transition to a more sustainable future," she added. Community theme central to discussions That community theme was central for one speaker on the Identity panel discussion at Kilmainham. Musician Breandán Ó Beaglaoich from the Chorca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht says planning policy which prevents young people building a home in their own area threatens Gaeltacht communities. "I didn't really hear anything about the Irish language being strangled at source," he said. "It has flowed down through the generations. There's an interest and a love for it by the young people, and they're being caused to suffer by these laws, and it's killing the language at source." He agrees climate must be a priority, but says Gaeilge and Gaeltacht communities must be protected. Mr Ó Lionáird, who is from Gaeltacht Mhúscraí in West Cork agrees that language, heritage and environment are intertwined. "Everything we do that embraces heritage has to do with the living space that we occupy, and you can't divorce it from issues to do with how we treat the planet, how we treat our environment, whether it be local, or national, or global. "We have tremendous challenges here in Ireland with regard to the stewardship of the lived environment, industrial policy, agriculture and in fact, all of the human activities that we associate with modern living have a direct impact on the environment," said Mr Ó Lionáird.
The Journal
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Ireland at risk of losing 'irreplaceable parts of our heritage' to climate change, says heritage expert
A HERITAGE EXPERT has said that Ireland is at risk of losing 'irreplaceable parts of our heritage' without concerted action to fight the climate crisis. The Heritage Council is hosting a national conference in Dublin today on the future of Ireland's heritage. Speaking at the conference, Heritage Council chief executive Virginia Teehan said that 'without coordinated action' to fight climate change, Ireland is at risk of 'losing irreplaceable parts of our heritage and the benefits they provide to our communities and environment'. Teehan called on the government to 'take decisive steps, including the development of a Climate Risk Register for Heritage, to ensure a strategic and effective response to the growing risks posed by climate change'. She added that our heritage is 'not only at risk from climate change – it is also part of the solution'. Advertisement 'While rising temperatures, extreme weather, coastal erosion and increased rainfall already pose significant threats to elements of our national heritage – from coastal sites and wetland habitats to traditional building stock – heritage also offers powerful tools for resilience,' she said. 'Traditional skills, nature-based solutions and cultural knowledge can help strengthen climate adaptation and support Ireland's transition to a more sustainable future.' As the world continues to produce excessive volumes of greenhouse gas emissions, it is already experiencing hard-hitting impacts of climate change. Extreme weather events and sustained changes to Ireland's climate are a threat to the country's heritage sites. 2024 was the warmest year on record , according to the World Meteorological Organisation's latest annual global climate report. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere was also higher than ever before. Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who opened the heritage conference, said that Ireland's heritage 'faces significant challenges, including the impact of climate change on our natural and built environment'. He said the government is 'committed to addressing these through sustained investment and targeted policy development, ensuring heritage continues to contribute to our economic, social and environmental wellbeing'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
