Sir, – Thursday’s’s Irish Times feature (“We rented houses at first but then said: Let’s just buy a caravan”) beautifully captured why people fall in love with Achill. Its landscape, community and slower pace of life are exactly what make the island so special.
It also raises an important question. If Ireland is investing heavily in promoting places like Achill to the world, are we investing enough in protecting them? Promotion without protection is a strategy destined to fail.
Born and raised in Achill, I have watched the pressure on our natural environment steadily increase, particularly on the Keel Machair Special Area of Conservation (SAC), one of Europe’s rarest coastal habitats protected under the EU Habitats Directive.
Illegal overnight camping, campfires, litter, unauthorised parking on sensitive dune grassland and growing pressure on local infrastructure, highlighted by recent boil water notices, all point to the same reality. We are attracting more people than our infrastructure and protected landscapes are currently equipped to sustain.
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This is not an argument against tourism. Achill welcomes tourists, and tourism is vital to our local economy. But sustainable tourism depends on protecting the very landscapes that attract people here in the first place.
The recent wildfires across Ireland served as a reminder of how vulnerable our natural environment can be. Yet illegal campfires continue on protected habitats in Achill. While work on a visitor management plan is welcome, planning alone is no longer enough. The pace of delivery is simply not matching the pace of the pressures on the ground.
Mayo County Council and Fáilte Ireland should now jointly prioritise and fund the visitor management infrastructure needed to protect the Keel Machair SAC. At the same time, the National Parks and Wildlife Service must be properly resourced to monitor and enforce the protections already required under the EU Habitats Directive.
With the spotlight firmly on Mayo this summer, we have a rare opportunity to ensure that investment in promotion is matched by investment in protection. Let this be the turning point not only to celebrate places like Achill, but to protect them. If we fail to act now, we risk losing the very landscapes that make Achill so special and inspire people to return year after year. – Yours, etc,
HELEN CALVEY,
Achill Island,
Co Mayo.
