Risk the wrong way round
Dear Editor, On the 22/02/2021, Sean O’Riordan, defence correspondent for the Irish Examiner wrote an article titled ‘Development along River Blackwater at risk from endangered pearl mussel’. To start, one must comment by saying, what a ridiculous, ludicrous and outrageous title. Right now, we are facing a serious biodiversity crisis on top of everything else and we have a person blaming an endangered species for hindering development. The title to that article should have been ‘ Critically endangered species the Freshwater Pearl Mussel at risk due to over development’.
That said, I welcome the positive attitude of Malcolm Noonan, Minister for State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, to whom I wrote recently in relation to the River Blackwater and the importance of the river as a Natura 2000 site. Thankfully, the minister has taken the positive step of having the pearl mussel population and habitat assessed, which will further protect the river from further pollution and unwanted destructive activity.
This is not a time to be lax, as we must ensure that our natural environment, the habitats and life within, are afforded the protection that is provided by the nature directives, that the water framework directive is given full effect and that the councillors themselves follow the law, rather than fight it for the sake of a vote.
Only this week, reports of a ‘ catastrophic decline’ in freshwater fish species was released. The decline has been driven by the poor state of habitats, brought about by pollution from agri-
culture, dams (and other man-made barriers) and sewage. Presently, the latest EPA report has seen a rise in pollution in Irish rivers. We are not meeting our obligations under the water framework directive and this will have a serious impact if we do not make the changes necessary. The last thing that we need is to be adding to the problem further and we most certainly do not need to be building new barriers when we need old ones to come down.
This is something the Duke of Devonshire must also accept. Only last week there was an editorial in respect to the weir in Clondulane, that is doing nothing more than to hamper the passage of migratory fish. If anything, the removal will be a positive step, as in 2019,
given the breach in Fermoy, a new habitat was formed upstream despite the belief that we needed to save another species, the salmon. Upstream, this new habitat saw the establishment of two sea lamprey spawning redds.
It is time we addressed the pressures that are being placed on the environment, all of which are attributable to human influence and behaviour. The constant need to develop, to consume, to conquer and control nature is now biting back. Rivers are there to sustain life, not to be polluted, controlled or altered for the benefit of one species (man). Riparian and aquatic environments are there for the benefit of every living entity, and most importantly for future generations, who will sadly inherit an environment that will be neither healthy nor abundant.
Perhaps the headline writer above, like others, cannot see the benefit in the pearl mussel and the laws that aim to protect the environment. The risk is not the inability to develop, the risk is the people who would put at risk our environment and health for the sake of further development, all no doubt for a hefty profit. If we want to live in a more sustainable way, then it is time we gave the environmental pillar more clout, as for far to long the only benefit from sustainable development has been the economic pillar and look where that has landed us! Daniel O’Brien, Ballyoran, Castlelyons.