New site in Waterford
The Native Woodland Trust are delighted to announce the acquisition of a new site near Waterford City.
The Native Woodland Trust, in cooperation with Waterford City council, has announced ambitious plans to plant a new community woodland on the banks of the River Suir.
The 7.5 acre site will soon be home to thousands of native trees, all grown from seeds collected within Waterford. Plans are well advanced to enlist groups of volunteers to plant the trees over the next several years and provide Waterford City with a unique amenity. Included within the new woodland will be a walking trail, linking to trails along the Suir Valley Railway line.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for the local groups and individuals to get involved in a tangible conservation project which delivers a real asset to the community” says the Trust’s Linda Lawlor. “We are looking forward to the day when members of the public and schoolchildren will plant the first of thousands of trees. We hope that both local people and visitors will join us to create a new native woodland that everyone can be proud of”.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Waterford City Council to enhance both the protection of wildlife and the general environment for its citizens. “
“We welcome this development at Gracedieu and are happy to work with the Native Woodland Trust on this project”, said Mayor of Waterford, Cllr Pat Hayes. “ The development of this native woodland compliments the work that is being carried out at Waterford Nature Park in Kilbarry, which is due to open in April.”
The new site can be found on Google Maps here.
The Trust's Padraic MacAodha addressing Waterford City Council, and Mayor Pat Hayes, about our plans for the site.
Some more detail about the site can be found here.
Irish Wildlife Trust position on wild boar in Ireland
In recent years a number of sightings of wild boar have been recorded in Ireland. These are thought to have been illegally released, possibly for the purpose of hunting. Wild boar is a former native species that became extinct in historical times, due to overhunting and deforestation. Boars are also a keystone species in forest ecosystems, as their rooting activity creates a disturbance regime that increases plant diversity and aids tree regeneration. For these reasons, the Irish Wildlife Trust objects to the current classification of wild boar as an invasive species by Invasive Species Ireland, as it does not fit the definition of an invasive species as laid out by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). We feel that this move confuses members of the public about what an invasive species actually is, making it more difficult to raise awareness about the threats from actual invasives, such as grey squirrel, rhododendron and zebra mussel.
The Irish Wildlife Trust also objects to the illegal release of wild boar and feels that if a reintroduction should take place, then it should be only be sanctioned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and done in accordance with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines on reintroductions – as has been done for recent reintroductions of birds of prey. This would involve assessing whether there
is sufficient habitat in Ireland for a viable population of wild boar, ensuring that the reasons for extinction have been resolved, sourcing animals that are closely related to the extinct population and engaging with interested stakeholders, such as foresters and farmers. Illegal releases bypass these important steps and also risk importing diseases that may threaten agriculture. The animals may also not be pure wild boar but a mix of wild boar and domestic pigs, making them inappropriate for a reintroduction project. These irresponsible introductions could be prevented without having to define wild boar in Ireland as invasive.
If a population of wild boar is now established in Ireland, then the IWT would like a study to be conducted on the “purity of animals”, genetic origin, disease status and habitat availability for such a population. If it is found that that animals are relatively “pure”, of appropriate genetic stock for Ireland and disease free then an assessment should be made as to whether they should be allowed to remain, through consultation with interested stakeholders.
Irish Wildlife Trust, 11 January 2012
http://iwt.ie/2012/01/iwt-position-on-wild-boar-in-ireland/
