THE THREATS posed by the loss of biodiversity are less commonly understood than climate change, but it is vitally important that biodiversity is protected, a leading Irish scientist said yesterday.
Dr Mary Kelly, director general of the Environmental Protection Agency, made her remarks as she launched the agency’s biodiversity action plan to coincide with World Wetlands Day.
The theme of World Wetlands Day this year is wetlands, biodiversity and climate change.
“For its relatively small size, Ireland has a wide diversity of habitats, ranging from peatlands to coastal lagoons. These habitats are internationally renowned and support a high level of biodiversity that is increasingly under threat,” she said.
“While many people now understand the threats to society and the planet posed by global climate change, the threats posed by loss of biodiversity are less commonly understood. But human well being is dependent on ecosystem services provided to us by nature, for free. For example, water and air purification, fisheries, timber, nutrient cycling, floodwater storage and recreational facilities,” said Dr Kelly.
She said it was vital that such reservoirs of biodiversity are protected. She said the agency’s plan covered a range of activities in the areas of monitoring, research, assessment and reporting, environmental regulation, climate change and management and communications.
It will involve monitoring, research, reporting, environmental regulation and climate change and assessment and reporting those findings.
Ireland has 16 priority habitats designated under the EU habitats directive and aquatic habitats are relatively well represented. These support significant populations of threatened species such as the Atlantic salmon, white-clawed crayfish, freshwater pearl mussel, whorl snails and water beetles.
Ireland is also rich in bryophytes, lichens and algae.
Aquatic habitats and species, however, feature strongly in the lists of those identified as being of bad conservation status.