An Taisce: The National Trust for Ireland “The Treasury”

“To protect Irelands heritage for future generations for the benefit of all the people”

Independent, membership-based environmental charity.

Fulfils the role of a National Trust in Ireland

An Taisce’s Beginnings Founded 1946 representing

a range of historical, geographical, and naturalist interests

Robert Lloyd Praeger, the founder, had a vision to safeguard Ireland’s treasures for the benefit of current and future generations (now called Sustainable Development!)

Includes built and natural heritage sites

An Taisce An Taisce Environmental Environmental

Education Education UnitUnit

Blue Flag forBeaches & Marinas

Green-Schools National Spring

Clean

“All-Ireland” Litter League

Leaf - Learning

about ForestsGreen Coast

Award

Natural Environment

Advocate the need to protect the natural resources and ecosystems upon which we depend: biodiversity, clean air & water

What is Biodiversity?

Biological diversity means the variability among living organisms

from all sources, including, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems

and the ecological complexes of which they are part

What is biodiversity?

diversity of individuals within a species (genetic diversity)

diversity of species within an ecosystem or habitat (species diversity)

diversity of ecosystems and habitats (habitat diversity).

Why is it important?! Biodiversity has an Intrinsic Value that is worth

protecting regardless of its value to humans

Biodiversity performs a number of ecological services to humankind that have economic, aesthetic or recreational value

Why is it important?

Biodiversity functions include: the regulation of climatic processes breakdown of wastes and

recycling of nutrients filtering of water buffer against flooding maintenance of soil fertility the provision of natural

resources

Target:

Ireland has committed to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s target of ‘Halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010’

Solutions lie in major changes in policies and practices

Making this happen is in all of our hands

Making change happenAn Taisce’s role as independent monitor gives us a

unique insight in to the key activities affecting our natural environment

Provide assistance and respond to instances of serious and often illegal environmental degradation throughout the country

Monitoring changes and environmental impacts as we tackle negative developments (flood plain development, tree felling, coastal destruction, etc)

instigating changes that are needed to minimise and control damage to our natural heritage

Spatial Planning and Natura 2000

Average only 74% planning applications in Natura 2000 sites (SACs & SPAs) referred to NPW

Response rate as low as 22% for some counties

Only 9% of planning applications within nature conservation sites accompanied by any kind of ecological assessment

Spatial Planning and Natura 2000 Recommendations:

Ecological assessments to be carried out

Greater integration of nature conservation needs in to existing planning procedures

Assistance, monitoring, & enforcement by DoE for Local Authority Planning

Forestry and Aquaculture Prescribed body under Forestry

and Aquaculture Legislation

Reiterate existing Local, National and European Policy and legislation for the protection of unique landscapes (Connemara,

the Burren, Lough Allen, etc) water quality, Endangered / protected habitats &

species, archaeology

Aquaculture licensing

recent ECJ Ruling

Measures needed to assess impacts of aquaculture on protected species and habitats nature conservation sites

Conditions of good environmental practice needs to be attached to licenses granted

Marine Environment Input to planning

process to protect coastal & marine environments

E.g. Wetlland drainage and

infill Large developments in

sand dunes Inappropriate energy

developments

Natural Heritage Areas

No legal protection for most NHAs Damage ongoing Time-frame for official designation requested

Hedgerow Management Strategy

Unregulated removal

Lack of appropriate management

Benefits not fully understood

Hedgerow management plan called for to address multiple threats and shared responsibility of many agencies

Climate ChangeThe Impacts of Climate Change are issues that need

to be considered in ALL plans and programmes

Protection and creation of Wetlands

Wetlands buffer against flooding

Regulate water movement and prevent flooding

Increasing importance with Climate Change

Pressures on Wetlands Agricultural infilling supported by Teagasc =

state supported loss of small pockets of wetlands everywhere

Local Authority waste licensing with no consideration of ecological impacts

“death by a thousand cuts”

Dropwort

Wetland Loss Spoil material for large infrastructural projects not

assessed as part of EIA

Dumped – often in marginal ‘unproductive’ wetlands

Wetland Loss: Actions needed:

National Strategy for Wetlands called for

to incorporate review of waste licensing procedures, teagasc role, spoil deposition, poor planning

to incorporate review of flooding and wetlands to protect from severe flooding (e.g. UK Pitt Review 2007)

Climate Change & Biodiversity LossStern Review: 1oC warming – at least 10% of land species

could face extinction 2oC warming – at least 15-40% of land

species could face extinction 3oC warming – at least 20-50% of land

species could face extinctionIPCC have warned of 3.6 oC rise in temps

Ecological Footprint

“The ecological footprint is a measure of the load imposed by a given population on nature. It represents the land area necessary to sustain current levels of resource consumption and waste discharge by that population”,

Wackernagel & Rees, 1996.

The Earth’s ecosystems cannot sustain current levels of economic activity and material consumption.

The aim of measuring our ‘footprint is to quantify our use of nature, and compare this with the carrying capacity of our ecosystems, so that we can measure environmental sustainability.

Protecting our home, the Earth, begins with understanding our personal and collective impact upon it.

Currently1.8 hectares per person – “a fair earth share”. Our footprint in Ireland is about 3.5 times larger than this “fair earth share”.

We can help turn things around by informing ourselves of environmental issues, and by engaging in personal, local, and global efforts toward a more sustainable relationship between humans and the natural world.

We can all be part of the solution.

Reducing our Ecological FootprintIn College we can reduce our ecological

footprint through drawing up an Environmental Management Strategy for the University

Calculate the college’s ecological footprint

Join up with the College administration to implement / improve waste reduction & recycling systems *Suggest target of becoming first ‘Zero Waste’ Campus!

investigate potential energy conservation measures within the university

Reducing our Ecological Footprint Ireland is responsible for the import of tens of

thousands of cubic metres of illegally felled tropical timber each year

University could adopt a ‘Timber Policy’ to ensure timber and wood-based products used come from responsibly-managed forests (Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards)

Reducing our Ecological Footprint

Help implement a strategy of reducing chemical use within the college, for example cleaning products used

Assist the University to have a policy of only using recycled paper

‘Biodiversity Action Plan’ for the Campus grounds?

Encourage the planting of native trees & shrubs with student and staff participation

Conserve green spaces throughout the grounds &draw up targets with campus managers for phased reduction of pesticide and weed killer usage

Nature Trail on campus? woodpiles as habitat, pond creation, bat boxes,

etc

Join An Taisce!

We need your support

Thank You!